A few weeks ago, no one in India had heard Ranu Mondal other than a few passers by at Ranaghat railway station in West Bengal, much less knew her name. A lot has changed since then – not only is the 58-year-old woman now a viral internet sensation, she has also recorded a song with Himesh Reshammiya for his upcoming film Happy Hardy and Heer.
The Quint caught up with Atindra Chakraborty, the man behind the video that turned Ranu Mondal into a household name.
A 26-year-old software engineer, Atindra Chakraborty first heard Ranu Mondal singing Mukesh and Lata Mangeshkar’s ‘Ek Pyaar Ka Nagma Hai’ at the station. He decided to record it on his phone and shared it on Facebook hoping that people would see it and be persuaded to help her. But had no clue that this video will change her life – it hit five million views in seven days.
Soon after, Atindra started getting calls from news channels who wanted to interview Mondal. Sony got in touch with him and that is how they both made their way to Mumbai. Mondal has recorded songs for Himesh Reshammiya and also appeared on reality show Superstar Singer. Even the video of her recording a song with Himesh called ‘Teri Meri Kahani’ has gone viral.
Language is sometimes an issue for Ranu but Atindra is always there to guide her during her interviews. He helps her to put her thoughts across and deals with the media on her behalf. He has become akin to her manager and now splits his time between Kolkata and Mumbai.
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