| Chitrangada: The Crowning Wish | |
| Director: | Rituparno Ghosh |
| Producer: | Shree Venkatesh Films |
| Starring: | Rituparno Ghosh Jisshu Sengupta |
| Music: | Debojyoti Mishra |
| Cinematography: | Abhik Mukhopadhyay |
| Editing: | Arghyakamal Mitra |
| Runtime: | 135 minutes |
| Country: | India |
| Language: | Bengali |
Chitrangada: The Crowning Wish is a 2012 Bengali-language film written and directed by Rituparno Ghosh. The film premiered on 25 May 2012 at the New York Indian Film Festival.[1] The film tells the story of a choreographer who is struggling with his gender identity. It is loosely based on Rabindranath Tagore's play Chitra; which is Tagore's take on the story of Chitrāngadā, a character from the Mahābhārata.[2]
Rudra Chatterjee (Rituparno Ghosh) has spent his life going against social convention. As a young man he defied his father's wishes, and became a choreographer instead of an engineer. As he prepares with his team to stage Tagore's Chitrangada, he meets Partho (Jisshu Sengupta) who is a drug-addict percussionist introduced to the team by the main dancer Kasturi (Raima Sen). Soon, Rudra develops a chemistry with Partho and they are deep into a passionate love affair. During the course of their relationship, they decide to adopt a child. But there is one problem: same-sex couples are not permitted to adopt children. So Rudra decides to go through a gender change treatment to embrace the womanhood he longs for. But will this surgery change his life and fulfill all his long-cherished dreams? The story ends with the line "Be What You Wish To Be".
Special Jury Award at the 60th National Film Awards[4]