Celina Jaitly is making a comeback to the big screen as “Sister Nibedita”, the Irish-born disciple of Swami Vivekananda, in director Ram Kamal Mukherjee’s upcoming biographical drama.
Jaitly and Mukherjee earlier worker together in the film “Season’s Greetings.”
Produced by Aritra Das Creation in association with Assorted Motion Pictures, the film titled “Sister Nibedita” chronicles the life of Nibedita, whose real name was Margaret Elizabeth Noble, and who dedicated her life to social reform, women’s empowerment, and education after making India her spiritual home.
The biographical film highlights Nibedita’s profound journey from Ireland to becoming a key figure in India’s nation-building efforts and champion of cultural awakening in the country.
The drama also chronicles Nibedita’s relationship with Hindu monk Swami Vivekananda, who was a pivotal figure in spreading Vedanta philosophy in the West, most notable being a landmark address in 1893 at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago. He continues to be one of the most influential religious figures in modern Indian history.
Also read: Celina Jaitly fighting to free detained brother in UAE
The film reunites Mukherjee with music duo Sourendra-Soumyajit, who previously composed music for his last project “Binodiini Ekti Natir Upakhyan.” Ipsita Acharya has penned the screenplay for “Sister Nibedita”. The rest of the film’s cast is still being finalised.
Speaking about the film, Mukherjee said: “A subject like ‘Sister Nibedita’ was waiting to be told. I always felt that Celina would be the right choice for Margaret. While making ‘Binodiini’, I was reading books on Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda. That’s when I came across the wonderful journey of Sister Nibedita. I revisited her story and decided to make a movie. I am glad to have Celina as my leading lady, who would understand the pain and passion of woman’s self-sacrifice.”
Jaitly, who made her Bollywood debut in 2003 with “Janasheen,” followed by hits, including “No Entry” in 2005, “Golmaal Returns” in 2008 and “Thank You” in 2011, is excited about her return to cinema.
“There are journeys that an actor chooses, and then there are journeys that somehow choose the actor. As a little girl, I wandered through the peaceful grounds of Sister Nibedita’s last home in Darjeeling, never knowing that one day I would be entrusted with bringing her extraordinary life to audiences around the world,” Jaitly added.
The project was unveiled on July 4 on the 124th death anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.
The shooting for “Sister Nibedita” will be held across the globe, including Mumbai, Kolkata and Ireland to capture the settings that shaped Nibedita’s life.