Assam back in Bollywood frame - Film producer with roots in Guwahati to capture Northeasts nuances | ||
| A STAFF REPORTER | ||
Guwahati, June 15: Southern movie mogul Mani Ratnam made the first real attempt to capture a slice of the Northeast on mainstream celluloid through the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Dil Se. Ratnams
portrayal was viewed as a half-hearted attempt by someone who had little knowledge about the region. Now, another Bollywood producer Shahnaab Alam who has his roots in Assam has attempted this ambitious task. He is currently working on a film to chronicle Assams people, culture and society in his next Hindi film. Alam, who is the producer of the hit Dhoom, was born in Guwahati, but left the state at the age of five with his parents. The yet-to-be-titled film will be shot in the lush green locales of Assam. Every time I come to the state, I discover new nuances in the people, the places and its culture, said Alam, who was here on a location recce last week. The unit will start shooting early next year. I have a heartfelt
desire to bring into focus every element of the state in mainstream Hindi cinema. I am confident the film will be a trendsetter for attracting others to make films about this part of the country. Alam revealed that National Award-winning cinematographer Aveek Mukhopadhyay would turn director with the film. Mukhopadhyay, who catapulted to fame with his stunning camera work in Pataalghar, has also handled the camera in films like Bunty Aur Babli, Chokher Bali and Socha Na Tha. The film is a story about three geographical parts of the country the desert, the tropical forest and the mountains. Assam will showcase the mountainous terrain in this film. It is an aspect that is yet to be presented in a proper manner in mainstream Bollywood, said 35-year-old Alam. The best part
is that the production of the film is being looked after by a talented Assamese producer, who is eager to change the image of the state through cinema, said S.M. Farid, head of management group Kreative People and a movie buff. Alam was the executive producer of Dhoom, the highest gross earner of 2004. He has also produced films like the critically acclaimed Dubai Return, directed by Aditya Bhattacharya, and Socha Na Tha, the launching pad of bubbly Bollywood diva Ayesha Takia. He is currently working on his next production, Shoonya, a film based on the life of a cricket star and his tryst with fame and adulation. The film, directed by Arindam Mitra, has a dream cast of K.K. Menon, Naseeruddin Shah and Tulip Joshi. Mainstream India still considers the Northeast inaccessible and ravaged by terrorism.
Again, people here believe it is practically impossible to reach the hallowed portals of Bollywood, said Alam. I hope to shatter both these myths through cinema. Alam started his career as a journalist and went on to produce several ad films and corporate films for clients like Amul, Sansui and Reliance. He has also designed and directed several high-profile events, including Lux Zee Cine Awards, 1998, with theatre personality Feroz Khan and Aye Watan Tere Liye, a multi-starrer film industry event for the Indian army with actor Anupam Kher. He was also the brain behind the first rock concert comprising southeast Asian musicians at the United Nations headquarters in New York in October 2001. |
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