My Name is Khan and “I am not a Terrorist.”

Ultimate Bollywood » Bollywood Features » 2010

The film My Name is Khan is particularly relevant this week on the occasion of the 9th anniversary of 9/11. It is particularly befitting with the recent release of the DVD of the film -- first Bollywood production to gross $4 million.

by Raj S. Rangarajan

How five months make a world of difference. When My Name is Khan was released early in Spring this year Bollywood-watchers were waiting with trepidation – if not suspense – whether this film which such an obvious title would make it big at the box office. Now, after 150 days the Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol starrer continues to raise eyebrows in terms of storyline and box office value.

The film from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is now available on DVD and on Amazon.com and is the top Bollywood film for 2010 with $4 million gross. According to Gitesh Pandya the film guru who monitors and reports on Bollywood films, My Name is Khan surpassed SRK’s earlier record of $3.6 million for Om Shanti Om, released in 2007. It is also director Karan Johar’s biggest film ever.

But, with the new controversy over the mosque to be built at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan hogging the headlines in some sections of the media with pro- and anti-Muslim adherents, its anybody’s guess as to how DVD sales will be affected.

SRK and Kajol deliver powerful performances in this romance that proves true love knows no boundaries. Shah Rukh Khan (Rizvan Khan), an Indian with a unique way of looking at his world and Kajol Devgan (Mandira Rathore), a vivacious single mother, are the main characters and their chemistry on the screen is well-known.

They form a special bond and fall in love against all odds, but fate and tragedy conspire to tear them apart. Just when it appears as though all hope is lost, Rizwan embarks on a remarkable journey across America to win back the love of his life.

Made with a sensitive touch, the movie carries a polarizing influence perhaps more because of the theme and title. The fact that Khan’s last name is Muslim is perhaps incidental but that’s not how some cinemagoers view the movie whether they live in downtown, New York or in downtown Murfreesboro, Tennessee where a mosque was recently vandalized.

The film is particularly relevant this week on the occasion of 9/11’s ninth anniversary. After September 11, 2001, more movies with a “terrorist” theme seem to sell better in the United States. Remember New York, the film, starring John Abraham and Katrina Kaif and Kurbaan 2009 with Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor.

After their mother’s passing in India, Rizvan’s younger brother, portrayed by Jimmy Shergill invites Rizvan to move to San Francisco. When Rizvan wants to marry Mandira who runs a successful hairdressing outfit, Jimmy’s character objects but never explains why. A major twist in the story occurs when Mandira’s son is beaten up in a playground by boys of Caucasian origin. Motives are attributed to the incident without adequate explanations even by the law enforcement authorities.

No investigation is conducted by anyone and soon the boy’s death is a closed chapter for the authorities. But, not for Mandira who has been personally affected. The racial profiling mindset in the movie is telling in that when Mandira declares, “if my son’s name was Rathore – not Khan – he would have been alive.”

People who experience overt discrimination in some degree or other can relate to this movie directly. Each parent and child in North America has his or her own defence mechanism to deal with such real-life situations and this movie drives close to home. One cannot judge whether the incident was racially-motivated or whether it was the effect of a smaller boy – a South Asian kid – taking on a bigger boy, who happened to be Caucasian.

While Rizvan Khan is constantly muttering that he is not a terrorist but wants to meet the American president it is never explained why he wishes to meet the leader. Is it because his mother had inculcated in him a desire to do so? Or is it because Mandira, in a fit of pique, challenges him to do so. Kajol sparkles as usual and SRK tends to overact.

The Director’'s and cameramen'’s subtle nuances are touching. Niranjan Iyengar'’s dialogue is pithy and cinematographer, Ravi K. Chandran has proven once again that he is a classy performer.

An uplifting story of understanding and tolerance, the movie is mostly shot in San Francisco and runs 185 minutes. The DVD is closed-captioned and carries subtitles in English, Spanish and French ideal for any weekend viewing.

[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based freelance writer. He covers trend stories on art, reviews books and films for media based in New York, Toronto, Republic of Korea and India.]

Interviews of Mani Ratnam, Aishwarya, Abhishek, Vikram: Raavan, June 11, 2010

Ultimate Bollywood » Bollywood Features » 2010

Abhishek is wonderful to work with as an actor - Aishwarya

by Raj S. Rangarajan

In a first-of-its-kind, live experience with the actors and maker of the movie Raavan - being released all over the world, June 18, journalists from New York, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and Dubai were treated to rare, candid footage. The occasion was a promo for the 138-minute movie being released simultaneously in Hindi and Tamil. Thanks to Cisco technology's TelePresence - we could see and hear clearly, in real-time, face-to-face interactions between participants: Director Mani Ratnam and actor Vikram in Chennai and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan in Mumbai, thousands of miles away.

Marked by interesting discussions, the interviews were laced with free-flowing friendly banter, and camaraderie much of it unstructured but interesting and informative. For instance, did you know that Mani Ratnam was not into sending subtle messages to the public at large through his films, but primarily to entertain; or that as a couple Abhishek and Aishwarya are constantly complementing each other which is perhaps a great quality, or that Aishwarya tends to break into peels of laughter when completing a sentence thus preventing us from hearing the end of the sentence; or that for Aishwarya, it was a toss-up between pursuing her studies in architecture or joining the film industry. "If not for Mani Ratnam I would have been in architecture."

Did you know that "Mani-sir" as Mani Ratnam is affectionately known in the industry had to advise "AB" as he calls Abhishek, to loosen up and not be constantly "propah" all the time. Says Mani, "actually when I made the first film with Abhishek, I was very, very worried that he was a proper, straightforward guy, so I asked him to learn to use bad words; I didn't know (however) there was a "monster" inside!"

Mani Ratnam suggests, one should see Raavan from Ragini's (Aishwarya) point of view. An ordinary woman who has clear views on right and wrong. In her journey there is the hunter and the hunted and with roles constantly changing, characters keep changing, and the hunted becomes the hunter. The battle between good and evil continues, and when the lines between them tend to blur one wonders whom to favor: whether the cops or the residents of a jungle in North India, whether a police inspector, Dev or a tribal chief, Beera who fancies Ragini. And, love is the battle that nobody seems to win, but everyone fights for. Cinematographers Santosh Sivan and V. Manikandan and A.R. Rahman's music are exemplary, not to ignore the editing and dance scenes.

Literal Cliffhangers

To a question to the two men about the tough cliff-hanging scenes, Vikram said, "the worst was the Hindi dubbing, not the fights." But, Abhishek said, "I wasn't apprehensive at all. I was the complete opposite, I was looking forward to this stuff, because, if we are doing this active stuff like sliding down a cliff, we were not "doing the scene" though I regretted it for four days after that since I couldn't sit properly, but anything to get out of the scene was good enough for us. I was happy with no dialogues."

Journalist: You have been working with Abhishek for quite some time now. How do you actually see yourself as a couple on screen? How do you critique your performances with him?
Aishwarya: Wow, that's intense. I don't know, its suddenly making me want to say that we do.
Abhishek: We don't need to critique ourselves. We have other people to do it for us. (laughter). As a wife she has always been very supportive and has been equally supporting as a co-star; I have always said, she's one of the few co-stars who is very interactive; she's known to stand behind the camera and give off-camera dialogues."

Talking of their relationship as a "married couple" a question arose about their credibility and chemistry on screen specially since in Raavan, the roles are adversarial.
Aishwarya responded: We all work together as a team to commit and to deliver. We are creating cinema. At that point, its not about personal equations, or what kind of a relationship you share outside off the set. We are all actors, we are all here to commit to a craft. That's what it is all about. Abhishek joked, "I am not chasing her in the film, I have already kidnapped her."

In a related question, according to Abhishek, Ragini, in Raavan is Aishwarwa's best performance to date. Before that I felt, her performance in Guru was exceptional, and never got the due it deserved. In Guru, Mithun-da and she were by far the best in the film. My character was also tough but I got the easier part. But in Raavan, she has blown the Guru performance out of the water, pun fully intended. "I think, its amazing, despite physically going through whatever she does as a character in the film, hold on to your the dignity and still maintain her character as a strong person, its easy to become a whiner in such a situation."

Aishwarya returned the compliment soon with "Abhishek is wonderful to work with as an actor. I have always believed he is a very free actor, he is somebody who is ready to go out there, dive right in and accept roles and characters in a variety of genre, without limiting himself...what I like is, he works as a team member, working like all of us, under the guidance and fulfilling the director's vision, and that's what gives us absolute joy working together." Coming back to your basic question, "We don't rate each other...we enjoy working with each other as co-actors."

Rough Going As a Tribal

To a question as to what he discovered about himself, Abhishek in a lighter note said, "What I learnt was very scientific actually. I learnt that reverse osmosis can happen with the human skin. And we do prune up after 15 minutes in the water. There is no such thing as water retention, and that snakes can swim apart from sea-snakes, and rats may attack human beings, also that leeches are in the habit of getting into rather uncomfortable areas!"

But, on a serious note, Abhishek added: "I am not trying to be over-sentimental. When you have love and respect for someone like Mani, I would be willing to do whatever he said, and I stick to that. I know the three actors sitting in this room, and because of our love and respect for Mani - no matter what he told us to do - we would do it with a smile on our face, for love of the craft. Mani is never going to allow us to do anything that he is not 100% sure of in terms of our safety. We conveniently stood on dry land and I have photos of Mani standing in the waterfall while the entire unit was running for shelter. And, he would stand there the whole day."

Continuing the compliment, Abhishek says, "Mani leads by example. Nothing is impossible, nothing is a difficult task, Mani would be at the location way ahead of you. One would notice his very protective expression every time, we were doing these impossible tasks. Mani will be there, totally concerned, extremely protective, and that's what we were constantly reassured of, when we work with someone like him. There is the love, there is the caring, well-looked after personally and as actors. We feel honored to work with him, we do films because we believe in it, I believe in Mani Ratnam, I love his cinema, I love the work he gives me and have a great time working with him, I like to believe that in me, he sees an actor who can fulfill his vision. He's a story-teller, I am an actor, and we work for the audience and they are the most important. We are here for the audience, we are not here to satisfy our egos."

Iruvar to Raavan

When asked about her journey from her first Tamil film, Iruvar to Raavan, Aishwarya let it flow: "My journey has been a wonderful journey, and have been very grateful for the kind of work I have had and hopefully, learning something from Mani my first guru, my first teacher will really be the one to throw more light. After Iruvar, getting to working with a film titled Guru couldn't have been more apt."

Asked to rate Mani Ratnam's role in her career, Aishwarya said, "Even before I got to work with him, I was more than thankful, it was a godsend that he even called on me, I couldn't believe it because I was a fan. Across borders people absolutely love his cinema, It will not be fair to rate him at all in any kind of role. His cinema itself speaks volumes, as an audience to enjoy his creativity, and as actors, to have gotten the opportunity as creative people we thoroughly enjoy it and cherish it."

To a question whether the two actors, Abhishek and Vikram who played the same role compared notes, Abhishek responded, "I have always been the kind of actor who likes the villain. I am a team player, I like a collaborative effort, and "Kenny-sar" (Vikram's other name) is someone I have huge amount of respect for. I have seen all his films and he's somebody I look up to him to as an actor. I would be foolish if I didn't consult him and seek his guidance on the set.

Q to actors: What do you think the audience will take away from this movie?
Vikram: I agree. All of us have put in a lot of hard work, and it's a very inspired film. Even while working in the film I forgot that I was an actor, I just felt, I was part of the film, I wanted to watch every aspect of the movie, its making, I felt like I was like in a workshop, knowing so much more about cinema, something told me, I am not even thinking of the commercial viability of the film. I just saw it as a lovely experience, and I know that everyone watching the film is gonna take away that feeling, they are going to go home, thinking and wondering what this film is all about, the sounds, the visuals, the shots, it could be just the drama between the three of us, or the performances.
Aishwarya: It has been a work of passion by the entire team, we obviously make our films for the audience, not for private viewing, so you hope that you enjoy and cherish the experience of the entire film as much as we all did making it.
Abhishek: I also feel the audience will question themselves after this film. I think whenever I saw the rushes or when dubbing the film or even while performing, I think Mani, as a director, is asking the audience the question, and the question is, "what is right, what is wrong and who is to decide? What is right for Beera in the film is completely wrong for Dev. Who is to decide that Dev is right and Beera is wrong? Or, the other way around? What is right and what is wrong and who are we to judge? And, should we be judging? View a situation from a particular point of view before judging and then view it from another person's point of view before passing judgment on that. That's what I took away after performing in this film."

When Mani Ratnam Calls You Answer

Q for all 3 actors:
When Mani Ratnam calls, you never refuse. So, what does he do as a director to each of you? What happens on the set? You have all worked with so many other directors, but some of your best performances are with Mani. What does he find within you?
Aishwarya: Working with Mani firstly whets your appetite, your hunger as an actor, as a creative person, he feeds that hunger and then only builds your appetite. Each time you work with him, one feels, so much work, so much to learn, so much more to do and feeds that urge for creative satisfaction, he really encourages, it is demanding whether physically, creatively, whatever it is, but at the end of the day, one feels that you have done some good work. You come away giving a part of yourself to creativity and of course learning from him as an experience. But then it spoils you, and he only wants more. That's how it working with Mani Ratnam each time.
Abhishek: My answer is a lot simpler. The first time I worked with Mani, and the first time it was released, I saw Yuva, I said, really, I can do that? Did I really do that? Mani has always given me this huge boost in confidence as a creative person or as an artist, and I am convinced that Mani knows me better than I do myself. He knows my boundaries and my potential much better than myself. To be very honest, be it Lalit Singh of Yuva or Gurukant Desai of Guru, or Beera of Raavan, had anybody else offered me that role, I would have said, "No, way, I can't do that, nor would I have dared to perform that role."

Vikram: Since college I have always felt, if only I do a movie with Mr. Mani Ratnam, I can actually retire after that, but I take that back now. My priorities are very different I want to be with this master craftsman, this fantastic director, I want to do a film with him, take Nayakan or Agni Nakshatram or Mouna Raagam, and as I was growing up as an artiste and got into movies, I realized he had already sent up a benchmark, specially in Tamil cinema or even in Indian cinema. When working with him I realized, he is just not thinking of all that, he is always being innovative, he is always thinking on his feet, he kinda pushes the envelope every time, and when I watched the film being made, this man is a genius who doesn't know that. We have to constantly remind him of that. He doesn't want to hear that even now. Here's a man who is actually treating Raavan as his first film... like do-or-die, this film is going to make my career, is what he thinks. When I work with him I realize that it's just direction, it could be sound, an audio release, something that he does has to be different, think about him, everyone is looking up to him, and every time he has to do something different, and he does it, and even with Raavan, he has really done it this time. I think it was such a pleasure and honor working with him.
Aishwarya: Actually Mani Ratnam helped me make a decision to join films. I used to be very confused, I was getting offers, the day I knew there was a possibility of working with Mani Ratnam, the genius director that he is, kinda decided it for me. I didn't even think of pursuing my education in architecture. He's the reason why I am in movies today.

DVDs and Commentaries

Q to Mani Ratnam:
With so few scripts that come out published as books today, I mean, there's Kandukondain, Three Idiots recently, so few DVDs with directors' commentaries, e.g., Taare Zameen Par, Om Shanti Om, I am just wondering why do you think that both of these are lacking so much in Hindi, Tamil, basically most Indian cinema. Will you do a commentary track on the DVD for Raavan?
Mani Ratnam: I think, most of the time when you finish a film, you are so relieved to get out of the film, that you don?t want to get back there and work on the commentary on it again, one needs a little gap, a little distance before you do it. But, I think, it will start happening, things are changing and if scripts are getting published, commentaries are adding value, more and more people are seeing films on DVD, and its good to be able to share something more than just the drama that we see on screen. Eventually, all of us will have to do that to make the film wholesome.

Q: Any specific differences between the Tamil and Hindi versions?
Mani Ratnam:The idea was to make people see both versions, compare similarities and differences... there will be differences...and that too two different actors and with two different approaches. Essentially the same film but I do not believe in imposing that this is how a scene should be done...but if he they put themselves into the character, and get that out, which both of them actually have done, so, there will be that difference in language, also in the Tamil version, and some words will be different which is right for each of the languages, but essentially in terms of content, in terms of the spirit, it is the same.

Q: You have done several films with complex roles. How does this role compare to some of the other movies?
Abhishek: All previous roles put into one, and amplified by 100: that is Beera of Raavan, he is completely wild, crazy, unpredictable, I have run out of words to describe the man, definitely the most challenging film and character that I have ever done. And the wonderful thing is, I said the same thing when I did Guru, said the same thing when I did Yuva. I love that about Mani; he is always giving me career-defining work, he's always giving me work that I am still remembered by, and I really feel, Beera is bigger and hopefully, will be better than the previous two.

Aparajit to Raavan

Q to Vikram: From Aparajit to Raavan, what difference have you seen in Hindi films over the years? Do you think it?s a good experience, a pleasant one? Would we see you in more Hindi films after Raavan?
Vikram: Actually, Aparajit was a dubbed version of a Tamil film called Anniyan. There, I had to be very dramatic but underplayed but in Raavan I could show my dramatic talent. I didn't really direct contact with the Hindi film world then. Because of the variety of roles that are available now one has to look up to Hindi films, and we have started loving films such as Paa, and Cheeni Kum, which are so very different. I often wonder why we can't make a Laagan in South India? We have had people like Mani-sar who have always done great films. As regard the future I'll wait for another day, if another Raavan or a Aparajit happens, and if Mani-sar calls me I am always there.

Q to Abhishek and Vikram: What is one favorite quality of the character you play in Raavan?
Vikram: I would say, he is very volatile, which in the sense is not one quality, I love that. Most of the scenes, Mani-sar would say...Sometimes we'll be in a serious tone, sometimes very melodramatic, then Mani would say, why don't you try all the serious tones, since we may have to be high on emotion, or flat. Beera had to be a flat or a minor, but I liked that thing about him. Something I had never been able to do with any other characters I have done.
Abhishek: I would agree with Kenny-sar (read Vikram). The greatest quality about Beera was that he was directed by Mani Ratnam.

Q: What was the most challenging experience? What was the most beautiful experience?
Aishwarya: This movie will be the most beautiful experience which we all will treasure for ever. The most difficult part was we were challenged creatively, and submitting to what he is looking for creatively. The entire team, the crew, the setting guys, the lights guys, everybody is the true hero of this film.
Vikram: The most difficult thing for me was the Hindi version, I didn't want to do it, but Mani said, "You can do it." And gave me some confidence. I found every location beautiful. Wherever we went, we had to drive down into a car for two hours, then get into a jeep for an hour and walk for another 15 minutes, I have seen some of the most beautiful sites such as Malshei Ghats or Orchha or Arjunkali, and the movie itself was such a visual treat.

To a question if Mani Ratnam was tacking current issues and providing a message and providing entertainment, the director emphasized, "I am not providing a message, I merely share an emotion, share a thought, share laughter, that's what we do."

In relation to working with A.R. Rahman for the music composition of Raavan, Ratnam said, "it was just like working with him for Roja, no different, I think he was as brilliant then as he is now, and is as easy and as difficult to work with then and as he is now. He is more and more into it, and the more he wants to do, the more he is willing to experiment, try something lateral, something unconventional. His understanding of cinema is very good and every time he is able to do something different to push the envelope."

[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based independent writer. He covers trend stories on art, reviews books and films for media based in New York; Toronto, Canada; Seoul, Republic of Korea; and India. He can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com]

Kites: Soaring High This Week, South Asian Outlook, May 2010

Photo Courtesy: Kites - Official website


NEW YORK: It had all the trappings: the red carpet, the fawning crowds, popcorn and soda and the hero – Hrithik Roshan and heroine, Barbara Mori a Bollywood debutante. It was the premiere of Kites at a Times Square cinema hall last Sunday and after a late arrival for the event by an hour, the duo and Rakesh Roshan, producer and director Anurag Basu spoke briefly.

Said Hrithik, “After 2-1/2 years, this is it: we offer you Kites in 2 hours” – 130 minutes to be precise. Though earlier media reports speculated that Barbara may not be able to handle speaking in English she did so with panache.

Launched on Friday, May 21 on 1,800 cinema screens in India and over 500 screens overseas, the film produced by Rakesh Roshan and distributed by Reliance BIG Pictures (Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group) is reportedly the biggest ever global Indian release. Directed by Anurag Basu who made Gangster, the international cut was edited by Brett Ratner (Red Dragon).

A well-planned and executed film, Kites is fast-paced and delightfully unpredictable. One wonders if it’s a love story with action or an action film with amorous scenes featuring Hrithik, the handsome hunk and Barbara, the Uruguan-born, now Mexican-domiciled charmer.

Considered a conman who lives by his wits, Jai (Hrithik) marries girls who are “illegals” to make them legit. One of the girls he marries is Natasha (Barbara). Jai feels the pang of emotion and love when he suddenly notices Natasha in an under-water scene that qualifies as a “Eureka” moment. Regrettably she is already betrothed to Tony, son of a Las Vegas casino owner, played by Kabir Bedi. “Everyone in Vegas calls me Bob,” declares Bedi.

Tony (Australian Nick Brown) supplies the muscle for Kites and after he realizes that Barbara is actually interested in Jai, the chases and shootings begin, the toppling of vehicles from rigs when in motion and desperate, incredible acts of bravado follow. There is so much shooting that I wondered if I had wandered into an episode of the 1954 classic Vera Cruz with Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster.

In the interim, Gina (Kangana Ranaut) who has been learning the salsa dance from Jai is mad with him for spurning her and makes clear her intentions that what she wants she gets thanks to her powerful and influential dad who is capable of fixing anything including Jai’s future, and perhaps his face.

At one-on-one interviews, Rakesh Roshan was upbeat that for the first time, an international version of Kites is being released simultaneously. The International version runs for 90 minutes without songs or dance and this version is expected to be “racier, edgier and spunkier”.

To a query why he picked Anurag for directing Kites, Rakesh Roshan said, “I loved Anurag’s work in Gangster and was keen on his working on a larger project with Hrithik. “Why pick Barbara Mori” was the next question. Rakesh Roshan said: “I was inspired by her role in the 2005 Spanish film, La mujer de mi hermano (My Brother’s Wife) and interestingly, when Barbara first read the Kites script she hadn’t known how to speak English.”

About why she chose to work on the film, Barbara said, “the script and the story; I was touched by the beautiful story between two human beings who fall in love even though they don’t speak the same language; it touched my heart and it was honest.”

For a 36-year-old, Hrithik Roshan seemed to turn philosopher early. He waxed eloquent about why he took on certain roles even if the film industry thought he shouldn’t from an image standpoint. In a refreshingly candid response, Hrithik said, “my career is not about Hollywood or Bollywood. I am an actor. If that takes me to a Chinese film, I’ll do a Chinese film. I am looking for something that reflects that side of me. If I can find a vehicle where I can vent some emotion, something that has touched me in my life, and I want to give it expression, or if I identify with the sensitivity of the language of a film, I’ll take that up, and try to explore my talent and my work, my art.”

Basu explained how kites became the metaphor for the film: Kites fly high against but not with the wind, and higher the wind, higher the flight. “I normally use a metaphor when writing, and the more the obstacles the couple faced, their love became stronger.”

Shot completely on location in Las Vegas, Sante Fe, New Mexico and Los Angeles, Hrithik said, “both of us did 90% of the stunt scenes.” To a question on why he continued to do actual dangerous scenes when he was recovering after knee surgery, the star spoke glowingly about “being honest to one’s craft” and calling. “I consider myself a slave to the vision in the head. If I can see it in my head then I have to work to make it happen, and that’s what life is about.”

Rajesh Roshan composed the music and Nasir Faraaz and Asif Ali Beg wrote the lyrics.

_____________________________

[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based freelance writer. He covers trend stories on art, reviews books and films for media based in New York; Toronto, Canada; Seoul, Republic of Korea; and India. He can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com]

Bridging cultures through movies--Interview

Ultimate Bollywood » Bollywood Features » 2008
Interview: Ashok Amritraj

Our very own Raj Rangarajan speaks with the producer of the hip and timely flick The Other End of the Line.

RR: How has your foray from tennis to film making been?
AA: I continue to enjoy playing tennis but now I have fun playing Saturday evenings in my home as a sport with friends and other film industry colleagues.


RR: What triggered the switch from tennis to movies?
AA: In 1975 when I was playing in California the movie bug hit me and in 1981-82, I decided to switch. I had grown up with English movies and Hollywood films. Initially, it was a tough in the movie business but slowly things have worked out.


RR: You have made so many films now. In what way was The Line significant for you?
AA: We have had action movies, comedies, limited budget movies, but what I wanted was a cross-cultural film where we could sort of create a bridge between Asia and the West, and this film has done that. It is multi-cultural and humorous and with movies being a major medium we can create a new awareness for India. When Tracey Jackson came up with the idea 4-5 years ago, we discussed the idea with MGM and soon it was reality.


RR: Now that you have dealt with Indian and foreign actors regularly is there a way to compare their performances from an acting standpoint? Are their work ethics different?
AA: Both film industries – Indian cinema (I wouldn't like to call it Bollywood) and Hollywood – have their plus points: we cannot compare their work ethics, since its like comparing apples and oranges. Both industries are good and run on parallel tracks. From an audience standpoint to writing of scripts to production to even setting up shots, everything is executed differently.


RR: With cross-national trends now in movie making and with some Indian actors being cast in Hollywood or in TV serials, sitcoms and reality shows, from a business standpoint, is a merger of Hollywood and Bollywood a good thing for the film industry?
AA: Within five years I do foresee an investment merger between Hollywood and Indian cinema and it is bound to improve further. There is so much talent on both sides that it will be a natural fit though each set of people has different norms, work ethics and formalities to follow. I hope this will launch a sound platform for Indian talent as well.

RR: What's next on the horizon for you in a cinematic sense?
AA: Street fighters based on a popular video game is being released in February 2009; Dead of Night based on a comic book and a remake of Ten [where Bo Derek debuted in 1979] is on the cards. Commenting on the experience of filming in Mumbai, Director James Dodson says, "I've filmed in Bulgaria, Slovakia, Czech Republic, but nothing prepared me for the hustle and bustle of Mumbai... imagine 22 million people all alive and celebrating life at their loudest…now imagine trying to get them all to stay quiet for 2 minutes so we can shoot an intimate scene." Amritraj adds, "We couldn't have done this film anywhere else... I was so touched at how India opened up her heart to us... and it shows on the screen."

Catch The Other End of the Line, in theaters now.

Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York-based trend writer, reports on the art market, reviews movies, books and plays and has written for publications in the U.S., Canada, Australia and India. He can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com.

The Other End of the Line: Movie Review

Ultimate Bollywood » Movie Reviews » 2008

The Other End of the Line
Director: James Dodson
Starring: Shriya Saran, Jesse Metcalfe, Anupam Kher, Tara Sharma
Released: October 31, 2008

by Raj S. Rangarajan

Whoever would have thought the ubiquitous call center which we now take for granted would be the theme for a movie? And, what better places to situate the story than India and America? With improved telephone services globally, it was perhaps obvious that cost-conscious multinational companies would make overhead costs and relatively cheap labor productive resources to tap.

And, it was left to film producer and former tennis star Ashok Amritraj to use the call center concept to make a movie. Ashok credits screenwriter Tracey Jackson (Guru) for the idea, and his company Hyde Park Entertainment and India's Reliance ADA Group ran with it. The film is co-produced by Ashok Amritraj and Patrick Aiello and is the first in a 5-year co-production deal between Amritraj's U.S.- based Hyde Park Entertainment and Reliance ADA Group.

Ashok's foray from tennis to movies has an advantage. The set on which he plays here is pleasantly funny and his interesting cast of characters do justice to a novel idea made famous just a few years ago: outsourcing, the call center and the BPO. For this comedy – The Other End of the Line Ashok Amritraj has assembled Shriya Saran (who played opposite Rajnikanth in Sivaji) and is paired with American Jesse Metcalfe, known for his role in "Desperate Housewives," a sitcom on ABC's Sunday evening TV lineup.

Ashok says, the film comes alive thanks to superb writing and is happy that one could draw on the redoubtable talent of actors such as Anupam Kher (Bend it Like Beckham), Larry Miller (Boston Legal, Pretty Woman) who plays Kit Hawksin, a hotel magnate and Granger Woodruff, an ad executive who wants to land Hawksin as a client.

Call center employee Priya Sethi (Saran) assumes the name – Jennifer David – to speak like an American, based in San Francisco, and to resolve queries from customers of Citi One Bank card. While speaking to Granger Woodruff (Jesse Metcalfe) over several calls on his "fraudulent" card charges, Priya starts fantasizing about meeting him in San Francisco, and based on a casual suggestion by Granger to meet her, Priya takes off for America, on a whim as it were. Thanks to an instant connection (pun intended), Priya is unable to suppress her desire to agree to meet Granger in his home town. Shot in Mumbai and San Francisco, the film will warm the cockles of Mumbaikars' and San Franciscans' hearts.

Granger's girl friend, Emory Banks (played by Sara Foster – The Big Bounce) appears in what one could term mandatory scenes to keep the story going. At times, the film travels fast like a sitcom with anticipatory twists. Priya's confidante, Zia (Tara Sharma –in Khosla ka Ghosla) plays a level-headed counselor.

While Priya (read also, Jennifer) is on cloud nine, Priya's father, Rajeev (Anupam Kher) has been attempting to arrange a marriage with Vikram who is portrayed as dull compared to the sprightly Priya. Granger is taken up with this tourist from India and struggles with the thought of giving up his girl friend Emory. He continues to believe that the Citi One Bank Card person is Jennifer David and it never crosses his mind that Jennifer could be Priya. They spend quality time taking in the sights and sounds of S.F. and spicy curry.

When confronted, Priya's excuse to visit America, according to her parents, was to meet her forward-looking 80-year-old aunt, who advises her that life is too short to live while trying to make others happy. While Priya mulls the thought of going steady with Granger, her parents land up in America in search of their daughter who had flown the coop. And, why were they concerned? Priya's marriage of course.

Just as Priya realizes that she is falling in love with Granger she decides to visit him in the hotel. As one would expect even if you are an ardent movie buff, a switch is called for. Priya sees Emory in his room, and throws a fit. Around the same time, Priya's ploy as Jennifer also falls apart and now its Granger's turn to be miffed: why couldn't Priya be honest up front?

At his friend Charlie's wedding (played by Austin Basis – American Zombie), when he is almost down and out – emotionally – it suddenly dawns on Granger that he is actually in love with Priya and not with the efficient, but sometimes cold Emory. Thus the sudden flight to Mumbai to meet his love interest (wonder how he managed a visa to India just like that!). It is a feel-good movie that lasts 106 minutes where "everyone lives happily ever after."

We also see the customary intrigue and word interplay with opulent homes to signify well-to-do, successful Indians. Perhaps because of the common element of Anupam Kher being in this movie, one is reminded of Gurinder Chadha's Bride & Prejudice, starring Aishwarya Rai (2004). In this film Kher is almost lifeless though on one occasion he takes a whack at Jesse when he learns that Priya and Granger met without his knowledge.

Loins of Punjab -- English movie spoof, Sept. 12, 2008

DESICLUB.com

Loins of Punjab Presents...
Director: Manish Acharya
Starring: Shabana Azmi, Ajay Naidu, Ayesha Dharker
Released: September 12, 2008

In India we have all heard of shows such as Zee TVs Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Sony TVs Indian Idol and Sansui Boogie Woogie, and Doordarshans Music Masti Aur Dhoom. But, have you heard of a Desi Idol contest being promoted in a small New Jersey town by a pork millionaire for a $25,000 prize? Perhaps you haven't because the competition is arriving soon to the big screen in America. The English feature film titled Loins of Punjab Presents lasts 88 minutes and is a laugh riot if you are in a mood to let your hair down.

What do you think the following have in common: A businessman, Vikram Tejwani, American yogi, Joshua Cohen (Michael Raimondi) who has invented joga or jogging-yoga, a Bhangra rapper, Turbanotorious BDG (Ajay Naidu), a philanthropist, Rrita Kapoor (Shabana Azmi), an over-protected female singer, Preeti Patel (Ishitta Sharma), and an aspiring actress, Sania Rahman played by Seema Rahmani?

Give up?

These are contestants at the 3-day Bollywood style musical event, and the narrative is filled with humor, Bhangra-style dances, devious machinations by a contestant (you'll never guess who), a dedicated publicity campaign with T-shirts from the Patel family to promote their candidate, and suspense regarding the ultimate winner. The inevitable Bollywood format and pop music find their way into the film as also predilections of Indian-American stereotypes that make for predictable laughs (snacks for instance in accented lingo becomes snakes you know what I mean.).

A certain level of levity runs through the fabric of the film right from the first scene when Sudarsh Bokade played by Jameel Khan is being interviewed by a journalist. Bokade, a wily event manager with a weakness for Gipsy Kings music is often confused as to which side his bread his buttered.

Ajay Naidu, who has acting credits over the past 11 years (Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, The Accidental Husband) is also a break dancer and his prowess for the dance form is evident. Ajay trained at the Institute for Advanced Theatre Training run by the American Repertory Theatre (ART) at Harvard. Michael Raimondi who plays Josh and sings India's national anthem, has done film, opera and off-Broadway theater. His girl friend in the film, Opama Menon (Ayesha Dharker) is known to New York audiences for her predominant role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Bombay Dreams.

Seema Rahmani (TV shows Roswell and Alias and films Hum Kaun Hein, Karamchand), belts out a fine duet with rival Vikram Tejwani (played by Manish Acharya) who directed, co-wrote and produced the film. A multiple award winner from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Film program, Manish also has degrees in Physics and Industrial Relations.

Darshan Jariwala (Gandhi My Father) who plays Sanjeev Patel, top contestant, Preeti?s father comes up with a compulsive performance and has worked earlier with director Mani Ratnam. Ishitta Sharma?s debut was in Dil Dosti Etc. Obviously Shabana Azmi needs no introduction.

Impressive musical score

The Dhol Beat composed and produced by actor Samrat Chakrabarti was upbeat in keeping with today?s funky trend where everything from hip hop to rock to metal goes. The script was crafty and music rendered with passion. Samrat has television and theater credits (Law and Order, The Sopranos) and appeared in She Hate Me, directed by Spike Lee.

A phenomenal success from several accounts when the film opened last September in India, Loins is a must-see specially if you like desi humor and can laugh at the foibles we Indians are heir to in North America. The Indian and Jewish characters are shown in unaltered formats, and mercifully not particularly pristine which makes for unbiased, candid portrayals in these days of political correctness.

In short, the movie is about having a good time and the pressures that accompany dreams of aspiring stars. It is perhaps coincidental that Sony's Entertainment division has just announced the fourth season of Indian Idol that debuts in a few days.

Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York-based trend writer, reports on the art market and has contributed to publications in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and India. He can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com.

Loins of Punjab: Movie Review

Ultimate Bollywood » Movie Reviews » 2008



Loins of Punjab Presents...
Director: Manish Acharya
Starring: Shabana Azmi, Ajay Naidu, Ayesha Dharker
Released: September 12, 2008

by Raj S. Rangarajan

In India we have all heard of shows such as Zee TVs Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Sony TVs Indian Idol and Sansui Boogie Woogie, and Doordarshans Music Masti Aur Dhoom. But, have you heard of a Desi Idol contest being promoted in a small New Jersey town by a pork millionaire for a $25,000 prize? Perhaps you haven't because the competition is arriving soon to the big screen in America. The English feature film titled Loins of Punjab Presents lasts 88 minutes and is a laugh riot if you are in a mood to let your hair down.

What do you think the following have in common: A businessman, Vikram Tejwani, American yogi, Joshua Cohen (Michael Raimondi) who has invented joga or jogging-yoga, a Bhangra rapper, Turbanotorious BDG (Ajay Naidu), a philanthropist, Rrita Kapoor (Shabana Azmi), an over-protected female singer, Preeti Patel (Ishitta Sharma), and an aspiring actress, Sania Rahman played by Seema Rahmani?

Give up?

These are contestants at the 3-day Bollywood style musical event, and the narrative is filled with humor, Bhangra-style dances, devious machinations by a contestant (you'll never guess who), a dedicated publicity campaign with T-shirts from the Patel family to promote their candidate, and suspense regarding the ultimate winner. The inevitable Bollywood format and pop music find their way into the film as also predilections of Indian-American stereotypes that make for predictable laughs (snacks for instance in accented lingo becomes snakes you know what I mean.).

A certain level of levity runs through the fabric of the film right from the first scene when Sudarsh Bokade played by Jameel Khan is being interviewed by a journalist. Bokade, a wily event manager with a weakness for Gipsy Kings music is often confused as to which side his bread his buttered.

Ajay Naidu, who has acting credits over the past 11 years (Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, The Accidental Husband) is also a break dancer and his prowess for the dance form is evident. Ajay trained at the Institute for Advanced Theatre Training run by the American Repertory Theatre (ART) at Harvard. Michael Raimondi who plays Josh and sings India's national anthem, has done film, opera and off-Broadway theater. His girl friend in the film, Opama Menon (Ayesha Dharker) is known to New York audiences for her predominant role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Bombay Dreams.

Seema Rahmani (TV shows Roswell and Alias and films Hum Kaun Hein, Karamchand), belts out a fine duet with rival Vikram Tejwani (played by Manish Acharya) who directed, co-wrote and produced the film. A multiple award winner from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Film program, Manish also has degrees in Physics and Industrial Relations.

Darshan Jariwala (Gandhi My Father) who plays Sanjeev Patel, top contestant, Preeti?s father comes up with a compulsive performance and has worked earlier with director Mani Ratnam. Ishitta Sharma?s debut was in Dil Dosti Etc. Obviously Shabana Azmi needs no introduction.

Impressive musical score

The Dhol Beat composed and produced by actor Samrat Chakrabarti was upbeat in keeping with today?s funky trend where everything from hip hop to rock to metal goes. The script was crafty and music rendered with passion. Samrat has television and theater credits (Law and Order, The Sopranos) and appeared in She Hate Me, directed by Spike Lee.

A phenomenal success from several accounts when the film opened last September in India, Loins is a must-see specially if you like desi humor and can laugh at the foibles we Indians are heir to in North America. The Indian and Jewish characters are shown in unaltered formats, and mercifully not particularly pristine which makes for unbiased, candid portrayals in these days of political correctness.

In short, the movie is about having a good time and the pressures that accompany dreams of aspiring stars. It is perhaps coincidental that Sony's Entertainment division has just announced the fourth season of Indian Idol that debuts in a few days.

Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York-based trend writer, reports on the art market and has contributed to publications in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and India. He can be reached at raj.rangarajan@gmail.com.