 | http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4190847.stm
BBC News
Thursday, 20 January, 2005, 12:38 GMT
Bollywood draws global stars
British actress Antonia Bernath is making her debut in Kisna - the
Warrior Poet, marking a growing trend for non-Indian stars to appear in
Bollywood films.
Directed by Bollywood veteran Subhash Ghai, the film is set in the
British Raj and Bernath plays an army general's daughter who falls in
love with a rural boy, Kisna.
"I liked the fluid nature of film-making. We improvised quite a lot,"
says Bernath. "At times it felt very chaotic but Mr Ghai was quite
clear about what he wanted."
Picked from more than 200 girls in an audition in London, Bernath cut
short her education at Bristol's Old Vic Theatre School to take up the
opportunity.
It is not often that somebody gets to play the lead role straight out
of a drama school. She spent three weeks learning Hindi and taking
dance lessons.
"Initially, I was a bit sceptical about how people would respond to
me," Bernath says. "But I found the Hindi film industry very warm and
encouraging. I even had a few offers before the work on Kisna was
completed."
Overseas market
Films are one of India's biggest exports and those like Lagaan and
Monsoon Wedding have broken the traditional boundaries of colour and
culture.
Spurred by this, Bollywood producers are trying to go global in all
aspects of film-making, be it technical or artistic.
>From young heart-throbs like Nick Moran of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking
Barrels to model Sophie Dahl, many non-Indian stars want to make the
most of this opportunity.
"Bollywood has truly gone global," says Taran Adarsh, editor of Indian
film journal Trade Guide.
"Directors are now attempting to woo non-Asian audience to increase
their share in the overseas film market."
Kisna has been shot simultaneously in Hindi and English, with the
English print shortened by an hour to accommodate the Western audience.
The film even has a song composed in English by AR Rahman, the director
of the popular West End musical, Bombay Dreams.
"Identification is a popular cinematic device. Use of European or
American actors can be viewed as a step in that direction," says
Adarsh.
The cast of Kisna also includes British actors Michael Maloney,
Caroline Langrishe and Polly Adams.
Another actress, Annabelle Wallace, plays the lead role in a bilingual
romantic comedy Dil Jo Bhi Kahey (Whatever the Heart Says), which also
stars Indian screen legend Amitabh Bachchan.
Actor and Producer Aamir Khan's forthcoming venture The Rising is set
against the backdrop of the Indian mutiny of 1857, with British actor
Toby Stephens in a key role.
But it isn't only the Western actors looking eastwards.
Bollywood sweetheart Aishwarya Rai, recently seen in Bride and
Prejudice alongside New Zealand actor Martin Henderson, is building her
international career. And, many other Bollywood stars have their eyes
set on Hollywood.
"Hollywood or Bollywood, it's the box office that determines whether
something is a passing phase or a trend," says Adarsh.
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