http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=115102006
Film-makers call up Google to help find new face of Buddha DAVID ORR IN DELHI A WORLDWIDE search has been launched to try to find the face of the Buddha. A film about the life and teachings of Siddharth Gautam, the historical founder of Buddhism, is planned, and the makers are looking for someone to play the leading role. To gain maximum coverage, Buddha Films, the Hollywood company behind the project, is hoping to enlist the help of the internet search engine Google. BK Modi, the Indian millionaire industrialist who is chairman of Buddha Films, says many people around the world have expressed interest in playing the part but that a fitting match for the Buddha has yet to be found. One possibility is that actors interested in the part will be invited to post their portraits on the internet. With the help of facial mapping techniques similar to those used by police to track down criminals, the search engine will then find likenesses close to computer-generated images of the Buddha. A selection of such images has already been created by software experts in California's Silicon Valley. "The software engineers have come up with wonderful images based on history and other information available from various Buddhist societies", Mr Modi said. "We need a face that fits those images. The character of the man who will play the Buddha is also important." The computer technicians on the project are the ones who created the fantastical creatures in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The biggest challenge lies in the fact there is no universally accepted likeness of the Buddha and few hard facts about his life. Even his birth date is disputed, though it is widely given as 624 BC. He is said to have been born into a princely family in Lumbini, inside Nepal's border with India. Siddharth Gautam forbade images of himself during his lifetime and allowed his followers to depict him only as a reflection in rippling water. The first images of the Buddha in human form did not appear until the first century AD. The most famous from this period are those executed by sculptors of the Gandhara kingdom, in what is now eastern Afghanistan and north-western Pakistan. The statues demonstrate a Greco-Roman influence: the Buddha is often shown with a youthful Apollo-like face and dressed in garments such as those seen on Roman imperial statues. Anyone hoping to land the role will need a serene expression and a well-proportioned body. Other characteristics associated with the Buddha include a long aquiline nose, shapely fingers of the same length and elongated ears - a result of Siddharth Gautam wearing heavy earrings as a young prince. The film is to be directed by Shekhar Kapur, best known for his hit film Elizabeth, set in Tudor England. The project was initiated about 12 years ago, with Mira Nair as the director. It had to be abandoned after protests from various Buddhist groups, some of whom objected to the Buddha being portrayed as a human being of flesh and blood. During a visit to Bodh Gaya - the place in northern India where the Buddha is held to have gained his enlightenment - Ms Nair needed police protection from enraged devotees. However, the latest Hollywood incarnation is said to have received the blessing of the Dalai Lama. Shekhar Kapur last year had an audience with the exiled Tibetan leader at his home in Dharamsala, in northern India. Regards, Shah Navas Explore, Experience, Enjoy A.R.Rahman - The Man, The Music, The Magic. Only at arrahmanfans.com - The definitive A.R.Rahman e-community. Homepage: http://www.arrahmanfans.com Admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arrahmanfans/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
