Begum Jaan meets Rajkahini: Vidya, Gauhar hang out with Rituparna, Joya, Priyanka Sarkar

The promotional tour of Srijit Mukherji's Hindi film, Begum Jaan, has been going on in full swing. The film, a remake of Mukherji's Bengali film, Rajkahini (2015), has Vidya Balan, Gauhar Khan and Pallavi Sharda essaying important roles. Arriving in Kolkata, Vidya and her co-stars met up with the original cast from Rajkahini to make for a stunning photo-op. 

Some time back there were rumours of growing tensions between director Srijit Mukherji and actress Rituparna Sengupta. Sengupta, who essayed Vidya's role in the Bengali film, was not too pleased at the director's statement that Balan was the first choice for Rajkahini.

In an interview, Sengupta had remarked, "I am not aware that he had wanted Vidya in Rajkahini, too. Or why he’s saying that today. We were in talks about doing a film together for the longest time. Srijit had told me that he would come to me only when he had a role which matters. I was in Delhi attending an event. When I checked my phone, I saw it had 10 missed calls! He called again and said, ‘I have got something very exciting for you. I asked him to wait for me till I returned and the moment I reached Kolkata he was at my home, ready with the script and concept." 

However, as far as the pictures from the event go, such tensions seemed to be invisible. The actresses shared a comfortable camaraderie and spent some time in deep conversation.

Recently speaking to news agency PTI, Vidya had clarified on the rumours saying, "Srijit wanted to shoot the film with Rituparna Sengupta in Bengali and with me in Hindi, simultaneously. I couldn’t work that time so I thought he will go and make a bilingual movie but he just made the Bengali version. I think I was destined to play Begum Jaan." 

It was not just Vidya and Sengupta, Khan, who plays Rubina in Begum Jaan, shared some pictures of herself with actress Joya Ahsan, who also played the same character in Rajkahini. 

Priyanka Sarkar, who played Lata in Rajkahini, was also at the event and posed with the two Begum Jaans. 

With such a meeting of powerful actors, it looks like Begum Jaan is off to a flyer. After all, it was the performances in the first film that inspired producer Mahesh Bhatt to help Srijit Mukherji create the Hindi version of the film. Begum Jaan is scheduled for theatrical release on 14 April.