http://movies.indiatimes.com/articleshow/707630.cms
Shekhar Kapur:Thirst for Action
Director Shekhar Kapur is passionate about his latest movie, Paani , a love story set in Mumbai 20 years hence when scarcity of water will lead to wars between those who have it and those who don't. With a budget of $20 million, the film is being co-produced by Barrie Osborne, who has films like the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy under his belt, and Intent, a company promoted by Kapur and spiritual guru Deepak Chopra. The film will be shot later this year in India. He spoke to Archana Jahagirdar about the film and his commitment to promoting Asian cultures:
Given the current trend in both Bollywood and Hollywood, water scarcity is not a sexy subject for a film. What made you choose this as the central theme for your next film?
I have never made a frothy film except for Mr India. One of my talents is to make an interesting film about a serious subject. If people make frothy films, it means that they have absolutely nothing to say. Paani is a story I want to tell. I was coming down from a friend's flat in Malabar Hill where they have a swimming pool and then there was a slum close by where people have to wait for hours to get water. That's where I got the idea from for this movie.
Is the love story in the film a concession to the box office?
Love story is integral to the art form through which I am telling the story. It is because of the medium that I have chosen that there is a love story. Had I made a documentary there would not have been a love story. Also, I am already taking a story which hasn't been done before, so why should I make it more difficult for myself?
Barrie Osborne has produced films like the Lord of the Rings trilogy. How did you get him interested in 'Paani' and rope him in as co-producer?
Barrie and I have been talking about doing a film for a long time. Everytime I would say that we would do the next project after Paani , so he finally decided that instead of waiting to do a film after Paani, he might as well produce this film.
We say that flyovers are about getting from point A to point B fast, but it's also to avoid lower city. I showed him pictures I had taken of people laughing, dancing, living under flyovers and he was so moved that he decided to do this film.
Given the fact that there is a strong international production team already in place, will the film have an international cast?
The film has to have authenticity. It is based in a city, so unless in the upper city the browns and whites mix, maybe. People have asked me if Leonardo Di Caprio will be there but I am seeing it more as a Hindi film.
The film is being presented by the company that you have launched with Deepak Chopra. How did this company come about?
The domination of western culture is coming to an end. And if you analyse, the culture that will take over is Asian. Bombay Dreams is already happening. People said who's interested in brown faces, critics trashed it, and yet it has been a success in London.
Western culture is pushing us to a path of violence, and there is also a lack of creativity. That culture is very arrogant. We are looking at people to invest in so that we can promote Asian cultures and destroy western cultural domination.
What was the meeting ground for a film director like you and a spiritual guru like Deepak Chopra?
We share a deep relationship and we have common beliefs. But the prime motivation of coming together was more practical. Both of us are frustrated by the arrogance of existing cultures, and perhaps we will be the instruments of change. That is the meeting point.
Bombay Dream was given a lukewarm response on Broadway. What would you attribute that to?
It's running houseful. When Elizabeth was released, critics totally panned it saying that it is an MTV version of history. Critics are victims of their own prejudices. When Bandit Queen was released a lot of critics said that an Indian film should be the way Satyajit Ray makes them. I am not saying that Bombay Dreams is the best of its kind, but it has worked because it is the first of its kind.
Today, you have access to both Hollywood as well as Bollywood. Why then did you choose to set your next film in India, when you could set it anywhere in the world?
I now want to be part of a movement that is Asianness which will hit us soon. I have flirted with Hollywood and I have realised that they have the same insecurities. There is also a standardisation setting in there which is boring. But this doesn't mean I will not go back to Hollywood. There are some projects which can only work out of there.
With Paani , does one see you in a more activist role?
I feel very passionately about Paani . I was very moved by a photograph where there were about 100 people standing around a well for water. A few own the world's resources. This is what the West does. I am taking on a more activist role in developmental economics. We need to find ways to take technology and support to the rest of India.
great news, a way underrated director.. and a total nutter, like an Indian version of Alejandro González Iñárritu.
Elizabeth Sequel in the Works
Source: The Daily Telegraph
Aussie's The Daily Telegraph spoke to Elizabeth director Shekhar Kapur who says that he is working on a sequel to the 1998 Cate Blanchett drama.
Blanchett is expected to take the throne again and star in the epic - based on Queen Elizabeth I - which has the working title of Golden Age. "It is about the battle between her life as a monarch and her personal life," Kapur said. "It ends in the destruction of the Spanish Armada on the larger level."
The Indian-born Kapur said the script, which Michael Hirst is working on, would be ready in six months. "And then it depends on Cate's schedule and my schedule as to when we start shooting."
Anyone know if Bandit Queen will be re-released on DVD? Looks like the Pioneer DVD is out of print.
http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/hindi/article/10703.html
Shekhar Kapur may direct film on Buddha
IANS
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
The Dalai Lama, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and new age guru Deepak Chopra may come together soon for a film on the Buddha.
India's largest Buddhist group, the Mahabodhi Society of India, is commissioning the film and is in talks with Kapur to direct the $50 million venture that could hit the screens globally by end-2005.
According to the society's newly elected president, Bhupendra Kumar Modi, the project has the blessings of the Dalai Lama, who has also apparently provided his views on the script.
"It was a personal dream of mine to make a film on the Buddha," said Modi, a well-known industrialist who is pitching in with $10 million for the yet-to-be-named project.
Modi said he and Kapur met the Dalai Lama early this month in Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile. The two also met important aides of the Dalai Lama.
"The Dalai Lama provided his suggestions for the script. He also wrote to his famous disciples in Hollywood to help our project," Modi said.
The Dalai Lama has famous disciples like Richard Gere, Goldie Hawn, Sharon Stone and Melissa Mathison.
Modi said filming could begin early next year and the project would be ready by end-2005. "The film's release could be coincided with the 2,550th birthday celebrations of the Buddha," he said.
"We have just started talking about it and it's too early to talk about the film," Kapur was quoted as saying.
Modi said it was Kapur who had approached him first to make a film on the Buddha.
Spiritual self-help guru Deepak Chopra is assisting with the script. Modi is trying to rope in Sony for worldwide distribution of the film that is to be extensively shot in India.
http://www.waterthemovie.com/
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterthemovie.com%2Fmain.gif&hash=81ce0cc993c42599cee84e217df3b761af5093bc)
Thirty-five years in the future in a city of 20 Million, when the Water Wars have begun between those that have it and those that don't, a young, impetuous renegade falls in love with the one girl he seemingly can't have.
World-renowned film maker, Shekhar Kapur, and his award-winning team present a stunning vision of a future fast approaching us: when water, the most valued resource in the world, becomes a political and economic weapon wielded by those who have it against those who don't.
WATER brings together an international team that includes many of the film industries most important visionaries:
Shekhar Kapur: director of the 8-time Academy Award nominated film Elizabeth, The Four Feathers and Bandit Queen.
Barrie Osborne: Academy Award winning producer of the trilogy Lord of
the Rings and Executive Producer of The Matrix.
Andrew Niccol: Academy Award nominated writer of The Truman Show and Gattaca.
John Mhyer: Academy Award winning production designer of Chicago, Elizabeth and X Men.
Jill Bilcock: Academy Award nominated editor of Moulin Rouge, Elizabeth, Romeo & Juliet.
AR Rahman: Composer designated in 2004 by Time Magazine as the "Mozart of Madras." His signature sound has scored over 70 "Bollywood" films and sold over 150 million albums making him the top selling artist in recording history.
Dave Stewart: Dave is perhaps best known as one half of the groundbreaking synth-pop duo the Eurythmics, one of the most successful and recognizable bands of the decade. His dynamic and distinctive sound has drawn him from the world of music into cinema where he has composed music for over two dozen films.
Deepak Chopra: World-renowned author and speaker will serve as an Executive Producer and spokesperson for the film. Deepak has the power to garner extensive media coverage, and brings a worldwide audience of people who are passionate about nurturing themselves, their communities and the environment.
All those involved in the film are passionate about the environment, and concerned about the future of our earth's most precious resources.
WATER will be shot in India at a budget of $20 Million. The film will be shot in a groundbreaking way, both in Hindi and English, to maximize distribution through Bollywood and English speaking territories around the world.
WATER brings to the fore the relevant environmental issues of today, in an emotionally charged narrative that is visually stunning and musically driven.
A Statement from the Director
Water (Paani) tells a story that could be true in New York, in Rio, in Mexico City, or in London. The characters, though Indian, could (and do) exist in New York, Shanghai or in Bangkok.
Though dealing with one of the most relevant issues facing our time, the film is designed to have a lot of energy, action and romance, without losing its authenticity. In the end it is uplifting rather than depressing. It is what we term a commercial film.
One reason to shoot the film in India is that for US $ 20 million, we will be able to produce a film that looks like a US $ 100 million production. The scale of this film will not be less than the big Hollywood productions.
There is a surge of interest in Asian Cinema world wide, as exemplified by the financial and critical success of Crouching Tiger and Hero from China (shot in a Chinese language), and other Japanese and Korean films. Audiences and buyers are looking for the next Asian breakout film. There is a lot of expectation that an Indian film too could soon cross the $300 million world wide sales mark.
The films that have succeeded in that realm have been authentic to their core culture, but within their own culture and form, tell an internationally accepted story.
I believe that Paani could be that film.
-Shekhar Kapur
http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/hindi/article/13447.html
Shekhar Kapur's mega tie-up with European media fund
IANS
Monday, February 28, 2005
Acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur has tied up with one of Europe's biggest film funds, the VIP Media Fund, to co-produce and distribute his films.
"It has been my constant endeavor to attract international funding to the Indian entertainment business, as such funding brings with it international marketing expertise too," Kapur told IANS.
The VIP Media Fund is the largest and most successful film fund in Europe and has $500 million this year to invest. It has also signed a deal with Roland Emmerich, the director of films such as "The Day After Tomorrow".
"I do not believe that the 'independent' style of filmmaking that is so precious to Indian filmmakers will fit smoothly into the 'Hollywood' style of corporate filmmaking," said Kapur.
Two films have been announced as part of this collaboration - "Paani" being produced by Kapur and Deepak Chopra under the banner of their company INTENT, and "Buddha" being produced by Kapur and written by Chopra.
"European funding gives total creative freedom to the filmmaker and indeed French law protects the creative right of the filmmaker to the final cut of the film," said Kapur.
"And considering that three years ago almost 25 percent of all Hollywood investment in films actually came from Germany gives credence to funds like the VIP Media Fund, which is the largest such fund in Germany, currently at almost $500 million in funds."
The collaboration, said Kapur, was part of his efforts to push Indian creativity on to the world stage.
"Both Deepak Chopra and I continue to endeavor to bring Indian creativity and imagination to the international stage, and our venture with the VIP Media Fund is yet another example of our commitment to this."
Helmer Kapur Takes 'Solace' from New Line
Shekhar Kapur has signed to direct the Bruce Willis starrer "Solace" for New Line Cinema.
"Solace" tells the tale of a doctor with psychic abilities (Willis) who is enlisted by the police to help track down a serial killer who turns out to have psychic abilities as well.
Ted Griffin and Sean Bailey wrote the script.
Kapur directed the Cate Blanchett starrer "Elizabeth" (1998), which earned him a Golden Globe best director nomination and a David Lean Award for direction at the British Academy of FilmArts awards. He also directed 2002's "The Four Feathers"
shouldn't Ashley Judd be in this
http://www.buddhathefilm.com/
The second page says "Comming Soon." I don't think Buddha would've liked that.
Two Set Sail for Golden Age
Owen, Rush join Elizabeth sequel.
Variety reports that The Golden Age, the long-planned sequel to 1998's Elizabeth, is finally coming together. In addition to Cate Blanchett reprising her role as Britain's Queen Elizabeth I, the trade claims that Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush will also return as the monarch's ally, Sir Francis Walsingham.
Also joining the regal cast is Clive Owen, who has been cast as explorer Walter Raleigh, Elizabeth's love interest. Just to further confirm that Owen will not be James Bond, Variety says The Golden Age will film in April 2006.
William Nicholson and Michael Hirst penned the screenplay. Hirst also wrote Elizabeth. The director of that film, Shekhar Kapur, will reprise his helming chores for the sequel.
Moviehole, however, points out a new Herald Sun article wherein Blanchett casts doubt on her participation in the project. "I'm really good friends with Shekhar [Kapur] and he's forever saying he's going to do this movie or that movie and I think there was talk about it," Blanchett reportedly said. "There's so much there if it were to happen, but my initial instinct is, why?"
Quote from: MacGuffinBlanchett reportedly said. "There's so much there if it were to happen, but my initial instinct is, why?"
because it seems to be the right time for it..
Quote from: Pubrickthis epic revival is just another weird time warp to rise out of temporal confusion, which we're all in right now. remember when ppl said the musical was coming back? what happened to that? i wouldn't be surprised if the next phase was a series of films about the renaissance.. that would be interesting.
four feathers was a misstep for kapur. with Water and hopefully Golden Age he can get back to proving he could indeed kick alejandro gonzález iñárritu's ass.
Shekhar Kapur's Blog (http://www.intentblog.com/)
Golden Actress
Cornish joins Elizabeth sequel.
According to Moviehole, rising Aussie star Abbie Cornish (Somersault) has been cast opposite Cate Blanchett and Clive Owen in The Golden Age, director Shekhar Kapur's sequel to Elizabeth.
Cornish will play Elizabeth Throckmorton, a lady-in-waiting for Queen Elizabeth I (Blanchett) who secretly married the monarch's lover, explorer Sir Walter Raleigh (Owen).
Kapur reportedly fought hard to cast Cornish, 23, who is not yet a big name actress but is poised for a major breakthrough thanks to her upcoming roles opposite Heath Ledger in Candy and Russell Crowe in Ridley Scott's A Good Year.
The Golden Age is slated to commence filming next month in the U.K.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fus.movies1.yimg.com%2Fmovies.yahoo.com%2Fimages%2Fhv%2Fphoto%2Fmovie_pix%2Ftoronto%2Ftoronto_film_festival_2004_portrait_studio_photos%2Fabbie_cornish%2Ftorontoportraitv2.jpg&hash=ee9416a94cfdb0b33f966b70965bbe38dda631ba)
abbie cornish is fucking excellent. there's nothing i've seen her in that she hasn't stolen.
wow, it sounds like i gush over any australian actress that gets mentioned in upcoming movies, but you have no idea.. every single underrated tv/independent movie starlet is getting swept up in this aussie revival, and they're always MY favourites.. is someone watching my tv to see which faces are the only ones keeping me glued to the screen/interested in australian cinema? :yabbse-sad:
can't a man wack--- uh, keep his joys private anymore? :shock:
A little late, I know...
http://www.workingtitlefilms.com/featureProductionDiary.php?featureID=116
4 MAY 2006 - CHURCH OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW-THE-GREAT, LONDON
JUSTIN POLLARD, HISTORICAL RESEARCHER
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.workingtitlefilms.com%2Fphotos%2Fgalleries%2F59%2FGA_01914-350.jpg&hash=a2dc8906f5c232cf37fcccab30e2c019ffd3c511)
One of the pivotal moments in the film is being shot today in this beautiful 12th century church - the execution by beheading of Mary Queen of Scots.
Mary was executed on the morning of 8th February, 1587 at the now ruined castle of Fotheringhay in Northamptonshire in a scene of high drama. She had only been told of her impending death the previous evening after dinner but, being aware that she had been condemned in a cursory trial the previous October, she had prepared herself for a spectacular and iconic death.
We have to condense the three horrific, magnificent last three hours of Mary's life into just few minutes of film so the filmmakers have picked the key moments from the recorded events and woven them into a master shot that sees Mary enter, ignoring the Protestant prayers of the Dean of Peterborough, mount the scaffold, disrobe revealing the crimson shift - the colour of Catholic martyrdom - beneath her black dress, grant her executioner forgiveness and place her head on the block.
Even though it's a film the scene has a startling effect on both the crew and the 100+ actors and extras in the room. Despite the lights and cameras I think most of us feel we are actually witnessing the execution. Over this silent scene rises the musical theme AR Rahman has composed for the movie, which arrived only this morning and which director Shekhar Kapur has asked for on playback during the scene. It echoes round the ancient walls of the church as Mary takes her last steps. We don't see the moment of her death - we don't need to. Mary has approached her last hours as a queen and she dies a queen.
http://www.shekharkapur.com/goldenage/archives/2006/08/golden_age_music.html
August 08, 2006 | 08:07 PM
Golden Age Music
Ashwin asked : could u comment on the music of the film...im really eager to know how and what kind of music a r rahman has made and when the soundtrack will release...thanks :-)
Aswin, the music for Golden Age is being co composed by A R Rahman and Antonio Pinto. For those that don't know :
Antonio Pinto is very famous for his incredible sound track for the film City of God. He has also composed for films like Behind The Sun, and also partly composed for Collateral.
A R Rahman is one of India's most famous and prolific young composers. He has probably, in his short career, composed over 150 no 1 hits. In the West he is mostly known for the score of the hit West End musical, Bombay Dreams, and lately for the staged musical of Lord of The Rings.
I am really excited by the idea of both of the Composers working together. The come from two totally different cultures and imagine them composing for a film about a great English Queen ! Some of the compositions are very exciting. Rahman's very spiritual in their Easterness, and Anonio's exciting rythms almost dark and provocative.
I look forward them sitting together. So far they have not even met !
Shekhar
http://www.shekharkapur.com/goldenage/archives/2007/03/craig_armsrong_and_a_r_rahman.html
Shekhar Kapur's blog (pardon the spelling)
March 25, 2007 | 08:22 PM
Craig Armsrong and A R Rahman
Both the composers are now feverishly working together in Galsgow (scotland) a Craig's studio for the score of Golden Age. It's fascinating to watch them interact. Two people with toally different backrounds and cultures. Because this is a predominently a western film, I am ecouraging Craig to lead it. But am looking to Rahman to inject some bold, 'out there' melodies and sounds into the score.
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=229008
Golden Age will mark Shekhar Kapoor's return to big screen
Production over, AR Rahman and Scottish composer Craig Armstrong are working on the film's score
Alaka Sahani
Mumbai, March 28: OCTOBER will see the return of Shekhar Kapoor on big screen—across the globe—-with Golden Age. "It will be released on October 12. The production of the film (his second of the Elizabeth trilogy) is complete, barring music," says Kapoor, who is among India's popular faces in international films.
Maverick AR Rahman and Scottish composer Craig Armstrong are working on the film's score at the latter's studio in Glasgow. The teaming of the two composers is expected to show fascinating results considering their different backgrounds, thinks the director, a speaker at FICCI-Frame 2007. Kapoor recently mentioned in his blog that he has been encouraging Armstrong to lead, since the film is a pre-dominantly western production. "But I am looking to Rahman to inject some bold, out-there melodies and sounds into the score," he says.
Advertisement
The sneak preview of the movie starring Cate Blanchett was held in Los Angeles recently. With Kapoor terming the response as "exciting", the movie seems worth waiting for. Blanchett is once again playing the role of Queen Elizabeth, which had earned her an Academy award nomination in 1999. Golden Age takes the story forward by exploring the relationship between Elizabeth I and adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen).
In the final installment, Kapoor wants to cast Blanchett again. "But I have to wait for Cate to grow 10 years older to make it," says Kapoor, looking charming in brown kurta and maroon jacket.
In spite of handling major international projects, the Mr India-maker's heart still beats for Bollywood. He wants to make Paani—the film that has lived in his consciousness for almost seven years now. "I just need money to make it."
Between making his films, Kapoor has been creating comic characters and putting their stories in books.d Three of his books Snakewoman, Devi and Sadhu—which hit Indian stands only this month—-have already been out in the US, generating a huge response. A candid Kapoor admits to the Bollywood and Indian myth influences in his books. "Snakewoman is our Nagina. Comic books have allowed me to tell more stories as doing so through films is time consuming." But daughter Kaveree is yet to get a taste of his comic work. "She will someday. Right now, I want to be known to her only as daddy," says Kapoor.
For Kapoor fans, there is more in store. The animation film Secrets of Seven Sounds, of which he is the co-writer with Deepak Chopra and also executive producer, is going to be released world-wide in December. "The movie, inspired by Ramayana, is at an advance stage of production," reveals producer Biren Ghosh.
Quote from: Ravi on March 29, 2007, 01:47:42 PM
In the final installment, Kapoor wants to cast Blanchett again. "But I have to wait for Cate to grow 10 years older to make it," says Kapoor,
best movie of next decade (so far)
Quote from: Ravi on March 29, 2007, 01:47:42 PM
looking charming in brown kurta and maroon jacket
also best outfit.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/04/06/arts/AS-A-E-MOV-India-Virgin-Comics.php
Nicolas Cage movie to be shot in India next year
The Associated Press
Published: April 6, 2007
MUMBAI, India: A movie starring Nicolas Cage as a soldier-turned-mystic bent on revenge will be shot in India early next year, an executive of the film's producer, Virgin Comics, said on Friday.
Self-improvement guru Deepak Chopra is working on the script for the movie, titled "The Sadhu," or "The Holy Man," to be directed by Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, said Gotham Chopra, the chief creative officer of Virgin Comics. Gotham Chopra is Deepak Chopra's son.
The movie would be an adaptation of a comic book series about English soldier James Jensen on the hunt in India for the man who murdered his family.
"Nick chose Shekhar to direct the film. The sadhu is an iconic character," said Gotham Chopra ahead of the launch of Virgin Comics in the subcontinent next week. "He is an Indian equivalent of the samurai. He is the spiritual warrior of the mind."
Kapur is known in the West for his movies "Elizabeth," starring Cate Blanchett as England's Queen Elizabeth I, and "Bandit Queen," dealing with the life of an Indian woman outlaw.
"Our goal is to start filming in India in early 2008," Gotham Chopra told The Associated Press.
Cage got interested in the project after reading the comic last year.
"We sat down and talked to him about India and sadhus," said Gotham Chopra. "The story is very much set here and everybody including Nick loves the idea of shooting it in India."
Details about the film's financing and distribution were not available.
Virgin Comics is a year-old partnership involving British billionaire Richard Branson, Deepak Chopra and Kapur.
The comics "The Sadhu," "Devi" and "Snakewoman," created by a team of the company's graphic artists in the southern Indian city of Bangalore, build on epic Indian stories of good triumphing over evil, reincarnation and destiny.
While "Devi" tells the story of a fierce female warrior reborn into the body of a woman to fight evil forces, "Snakewoman" is about a girl growing up in Los Angeles who finds out she is the reincarnation of an ancient snake goddess.
The comics were tested in the competitive North American market last year before the worldwide release this summer.
The company plans to shape Indian content into stories and characters with global appeal on the lines of the Japanese "manga" or "anime" characters — such as Pokemon — that are familiar to children in America and all over the world.
The company says India is one of the biggest entertainment markets with 55 percent of the population — 550 million people — under the age of 25.
Virgin Comics website (http://www.virgincomics.com/home.html)
Check out the gallery.
http://www.businessofcinema.com/boc/?file=story&id=5863
Shekhar Kapur readies animation movie
By Businessofcinema.com Team
17 November 2007, 10:01 PM
MUMBAI: Director Shekhar Kapur has an animation film under his belt. Titled Suitable Cockroach, the film is being worked upon by animation studio, Prana. Kapur, who is known for his story telling, is scripting the film. The music of the film is by A R Rahman, who has also worked with the producer on Elizabeth -The Golden Age.
The story of Suitable Cockroach revolves around the most hated Asian creature - the cockroach. What's more, Kapur plans release the movie on the internet first, after which the theatrical release will follow.
Speaking to Businessofcinema.com, Kapur says, "I never go by what's being done. The new media is a fascinating medium and I would love to experiment my film on the net. I intend to release it on YouTube.com first."
About the expected returns, he adds, "Downloads are the most expected returns for a film being out on net first. I will be setting a new trend."
Kapur has been approached by some animation studios to ink film deals. He informs, "I am in talks with an animation studio called Animal Logic based in Sydney. It will be a one film deal."
This apart, he is also planning to upload all his work in relation to Paani on the net in terms of designs, pictures and blogs. When queried on the reason behind this, he says, "I want my audience to get linked with the movie, so that when they watch the film they feel that they are a part of the cast and crew. It is wonderful to communicate, I am the producer-I can do it."
"Elizabeth" director inspired by cockroaches tale
Switching from 16th century queens to tiny urban pests may be difficult for some filmmakers but not for Indian director Shekhar Kapur.
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age," the sequel to his Oscar-nominated period film "Elizabeth," opened in Indian cinemas on Friday but Kapur is already hard at work on his next film, "A Suitable Cockroach."
"It's an animation film based on some characters and a story I have created," Kapur said on the sidelines of the 38th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which kicked off over the weekend close to the golden beaches of Goa.
Kapur is wary of giving details, saying, "I can't keep giving away my stories, someone will copy it."
But media reports suggest the film is set in the future when the common household insect may be the only living organism on the planet.
Top Bollywood composer A R Rahman has been roped in to score the music for the film.
Kapur said he is yet to finish writing his other film 'Paani' (Water), a project announced earlier.
"'Paani' is about a time when water gets completely privatized," the 61-year-old filmmaker, said explaining why he had stopped buying bottled water.
"The environmental cost of drinking bottled water is huge."
As for 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age', delegates at IFFI Goa will not get to watch it at the annual film festival India is trying to promote as its own Cannes.
"I just came back to India a few days ago. If the Directorate (of Film Festivals) had asked me, I would have probably arranged it," Kapur said. "Perhaps they were not sure of its release date in India."
The sequel to the 1998 film, loosely based on events during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, sees Cate Blanchett reprising her role as the British monarch.
Following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, some critics had said the film contained several historical inaccuracies.
It was possibly because of this that 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age' was released in India with a disclaimer. But Kapur is unfazed.
"It's not a big disclaimer. It just says that history has diverse interpretations and this is one of them," he said.
But in a blog post on his official website www.shekharkapur.com, the director seemed to suggest the film hadn't deviated much from history.
"History? My producer, my writers, my researcher are all historians with top honors either from Cambridge or Oxford. They dominated the script. Surely, the film cannot have gone that far away from history," Kapur wrote in his blog on Saturday.
Shekhar Kapur signs on for 'Larklight'
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Shekhar Kapur has signed on to develop and direct "Larklight," a period fantasy Di Novi Pictures is producing for Warner Bros.
Kapur, who most recently directed and wrote "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," is working with writer Steven Knight ("Eastern Promises") to adapt Philip Reeve's novel.
The 2006 book, set in aVictorian-era alternate universe in which mankind has been exploring the solar system since the time of Isaac Newton, revolves around a brother and sister who team with a band of renegade space pirates to save the world from destruction at the hands of a madman.
"It's a $200 million project, probably the most expensive film I've made and will ever make," Kapur told the Indo-Asian News Service on the weekend.
Denise Di Novi is producing while Alison Greenspan is exec producing.
Last week, Kapur signed on to take over the director's chair for the late Anthony Minghella for his segment of the shorts ensemble "New York, I Love You."
He has several projects in development, including "Solace" at New Line and "Paani," a futuristic film set in Mumbai centering on the scarcity of water.
http://rahmaniac.wordpress.com/2009/05/16/passage-a-r-rahmans-next-holly-flick/
Passage ~ A R Rahman's next Holly Flick
16 05 2009
Shekhar Kapoor is on cloud nine. He has just finished a short film in Argentina, for which the music was by A.R. Rahman, and has been asked to sculpt a structure inspired by the film that will join likes of Salvadore Dali and Picasso in a museum in Europe.
Speaking about the music of Passage, Shekhar Kapoor quotes "Rahman composed a classic opera song that he recorded in India in an Indian female singer's voice from his KM music institute in Chennai. When I played the song in Argentina, they said, 'Oh My God, what a great opera and an operatic voice ' Their jaws fell open when I said both were Indians"
The 25-minute film "Passage" stars Haley Benett, Lily Cole and Julia Stiles.
Synopsis : Three estranged sisters reunite one night when the oldest, Ella, comes back for her two younger sisters after leaving them years before in mysterious circumstances. Ella's absence has taken its toll and the two younger sisters now struggle to find their way in the world without her.
But Ella has returned for a reason to show her sisters a special place where they will experience an epiphany.
Trailer (http://www.quietearth.us/articles/2009/04/22/Trailer-for-Shekhar-Kapurs-latest-PASSAGE-starring-Julia-Stiles#comment5949)
Looks gorgeous.
Julia Roberts producing Mt. Everest film
Shekhar Kapur will direct George Mallory biopic
Source: Variety
Shekhar Kapur is heading for Mt. Everest, signing on to direct a biopic of famed English explorer George Mallory with Julia Roberts' Red Om Films and Kevin Townsend's Science + Fiction producing.
Mallory's remembered as having said, "Because it's there" in reply to the question "Why do you want to climb Mt. Everest?" He and his climbing partner disappeared in 1924; they were 800 feet from the summit before the clouds closed in.
"Mallory" is being produced by Townsend, Roberts, Philip Rose and Lisa Gillan of Red Om Films. Set in post-WW1 England, the story chronicles Mallory's attempts to scale Everest and the toll it takes on his marriage, as the mountain becomes his obsession.
The script's written by Townsend and the team of Matthew Faulk and Mark Skeet ("Vanity Fair"). Kapur's credits include "Elizabeth" and "Elizabeth: the Golden Age."
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i5eb1f730e820629439439dae53734981
Floodgates finally open for Kapur's 'Water'
By Stuart Kemp
May 14, 2010, 12:51 PM ET
CANNES -- Shekhar Kapur will direct "Paani" (Water) from a script by David Farr, having secured the $30 million budget from Swarovski Entertainment and Adlabs founder-turned-producer Manmohan Shetty.
The project idea has occupied Kapur's mind for 10 years and, after pressure from fellow filmmaker Danny Boyle and Shetty's insistence that "he gets on and makes it before it's too late," Kapur plans to shoot in November with additional backing from Walk Water in Singapore, Dubai and on large purpose-built sets being designed by John Myrhe.
Boyle will get a producer credit of some kind for his efforts, Kapur said and the project also marks the first full-length feature backed by Swarovski's start-up entertainment arm.
A.R. Rahman has written two original songs for the project, Kapur said.
The project is a love story set in a mega city in a future where precious H2O has all but run out and corporations go to war over its control. The city is divided into two conflicting halves, in which the upper city hoards all the water and drip feeds the slums of the lower city. A girl from the upper tier meets a water rat boy and falls in love against this backdrop.
Swarovski backed the project after Kapur wrote and directed short film "Passage" in Buenos Aires last year as its first project. Kapur said he plans to make the $30 million budget look like $150 million and will aim to seal a negative pickup studio deal with the aim of ensuring the finished film is seen by as many people as possible.
"We want and have to get this story out there as widely as we can," Kapur said. "Luckily, with the partners we have now, we can go and make it without needing to go to the studios to get money, but will want it on lots of screens. Water conservation is an important issue for me so this is a film very close to my heart."
One of the key drivers behind the project is an aim to bring the growing global issue of a world without clean, drinking water and the threat to humanity it reps to the top of the global political agenda. "Blue Covenant" author Maude Barlowe is aboard and hopes Kapur's film will play a part in taking awareness to a whole new level.
well that's damn good news.
too bad i already wrote him off after Elizabeth The Golden Age. :yabbse-undecided:
Shekhar Kapur to Direct 'London Fields'
The murder mystery based on Martin Amis' 1989 novel will be produced by Muse Films.
GOA – Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth) will direct murder mystery London Fields, based on the well-known 1989 novel by British author Martin Amis.
"I am looking forward to this project because I have never directed a murder mystery before," Kapur told The Hollywood Reporter on the sidelines of the annual Film Bazaar market organized by the Indian government's National Film Development Corporation which concluded Sunday in Goa.
Film rights for London Fields were jointly acquired in 2000 by Tartan Films and US production outfit Muse Productions headed by Chris Hanley ( credits include Buffalo 66, The Virgin Suicides, American Psycho and The Killer Inside Me.) Hanley will serve as the film's producer alongwith Jordan Gertner (of Muse's associate financing company Hero) and Mary Vernieu.
London Fields is narrated by an American writer, Samson Young, living in London who has had writer's block for 20 years and is now terminally ill while other main characters include a psychic woman, Nicola Six, who meets two men in a bar and senses that one of them will murder her on her 35th birthday.
London Fields has had Michael Winterbottom and David Cronenberg attached as directors in the past.
Kapur started out directing Bollywood musicals in the Eighties before moving on to 1994's gritty bio-pic Bandit Queen followed by his 1998 mainstream breakthrough with the Cate Blanchett-starrer Elizabeth and its sequel Elizabeth: The Golden Age.
While Kapur did not give a specific time frame as to when London Fields could go into production, the director is also busy prepping other projects, most notably his passion project Paani (Water) which is set in a futuristic Mumbai where water divides the haves and the have-nots. "I am also in preparations for the third instalment of Elizabeth," he added.
http://www.filmbiz.asia/news/kapurs-paani-finally-set-to-flow?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
Kapur's Paani finally set to flow
By Patrick Frater
Fri, 30 November 2012, 19:00 PM (HKT)
Production News
Celebrated Indian director Shekhar Kapur is finally to go ahead with his ambitious futuristic tale Paani after teaming up with leading production studio Yash Raj Films.
Kapur introduced the film to international investors at Cannes in 2010 but had until now not been able to complete the finance for what was previously estimated as a $30 million project.
Production is set to begin in mid-2013 in India and overseas locations, with YRF boss Aditya Chopra producing and multiple Oscar-winner AR Rahman delivering the music score. "The film will have a strong Indian and Western star cast, headed by a young leading actor from India and a young leading actress from the west," YRF said in a statement. Indian star Hrithik Roshan has been frequently tipped for the role.
The film is set in the near future in a megacity at a time when water wars have broken out. The story follows the daughter of a water corporation boss who is kidnapped by a 'water warrior' from the poverty-ridden 'lower city'.
"I have been preparing for this film for a long time, but always wanted an Indian partner that has the same passion for the film as I do and in Adi [Chopra] I have finally found that. It's a huge production that demands futuristic sets and large action pieces," said Kapur in the statement.
Kapur is executive producing and directing a pilot for FX
http://www.studiosystemnews.com/tv-pilots-for-111913-shekhar-kapur-to-direct-executive-produce-rasputin-for-fx/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Rasputin
Network: FX
Executive Producer: Shekhar Kapur, Paul T. Scheuring
Writer: Paul T. Scheuring
Director: Shekhar Kapur
Logline: Tells the story of the Russian peasant and mystic who became an adviser to the Russian Imperial family.
Details: Planned as a limited series. Based on the forthcoming book, Rasputin: Dark Forces And The Fall of The Romanovs, by Douglas Smith.
Orgies.
That's why this got financed.
That and intrigue, murder, and a possible zombie in the last few episodes.