फ़िल्मी गपशप

Djinn and tonic for AB's soul

If the Jhankar Beats director Sujoy Ghosh had his way he would have cast the Big B in a realistic train drama called Borivli two years ago.

"But that didn't work out," he says, talking from his home in Darlington. "If I make Borivli, I'll only make it with Amitabh Bachchan. But now my dream is coming true. I'm directing Mr Bachchan in a film to be produced by the Sippys (Ramesh Sippy and Rohan Sippy)."

Tentatively titled Alladin & The Mystery Of The Lamp, this film, to go on the floors next year, is expected to take children's cinema in India to an international level.

The interesting part of this new collaboration isn't the fact that yet another new young director is ready to realise his dream of directing the Big B. It's what Sujoy plans to do with the Bachchan that gives this project an edge. "I'm making a children's fantasy, an Arabian Nights kind of spectacle with the best possible special effects and an advanced technique of storytelling," says Sujoy. It looks like Krissh, followed by Dhoom 2 has brought in the magic of high-octane FX into Bollywood.

"Right now I'm scouting for international talent to do the special effects. I have my wish list of technicians and I hope to get them all. We'll arrive at an approximate budget only after the special effects are in place. But it's bound to be big. Mr Bachchan is very clear about the fact that if he's doing a children's film its production values have to be on par with international standards," says Sujoy. This won't be AB's first fantasy film. He did Shashi Kapoor's Ajooba many years ago. But it would certainly be his first children's film. And almost certainly the only time he'll get to play a djinn.

posted by nK @ 4:16 AM Comments: 0