‘Bollywood Hero’ comes to US

Pooja Kumar

NEW YORK: With the recent success of Slumdog Millionaire, suddenly Bollywood appears to be the place to be. Hollywood producers are rushing to the sub-continent in an effort to work with the wealth of talent India has to offer.

Now, more than ever, Bollywood actors are becoming popular all over the world and working on various international projects. This has also opened the doors for actors from the west to come and experience how films are produced in India - a country which boasts the largest film industry in the world.

One Hollywood production, the promos of which are already out, is Bollywood Hero, an American three-part comedy mini-series set in Mumbai, which will air on IFC this August. It is being produced by the Starz network along with the Independent Film Channel in Los Angeles. The series stars Chris Kattan, Pooja Kumar, Neha Dhupia and Julian Sands and boasts of a crew comprising several members from Slumdog Millionaire. Longinus Fernandes, who choreographed the celebrated 'Jai Ho' dance sequence, will create numerous dance numbers for the series.

In an e-mailed interview with India Post, Pooja Kumar, a former Miss-India USA, who also wears the hats of a model and television producer, talks about her leading role in Bollywood Hero and her ambitions in life.

IP: How did you get involved with the Bollywood Hero project and what made you go for it?
Pooja: I was visiting India in January and just as I was about to catch the flight back to New York, I receive a call about this international project for American Television that stars the charming Chris Kattan. I jumped right at it!
What a great concept, an American comedian going to India to become a Bollywood Hero!

IP: What is your role in the series?
Pooja: I play the character of Priya Kapoor, who manages the famous Bollywood Film Studio-Kapoor Studios. My brother Monty Kapoor played by Ali Faizal hires Chris to be in our latest production. 

IP: With the kind of doors that the success of Slumdog Millionaire has opened up do you see a difference now from when you started out in the movie business as an Indian American actress?
Pooja: Well, time will tell. Bend it Like Beckham was a huge success and the industry proclaimed there will be more roles and projects for South Asians. There has not been one project that has been as huge a success as Slumdog Millionaire and it has taken seven years!  I am very hopeful that we will make that number grow exponentially because we are the largest producers of films in the world! For this to happen, the Indian audiences must support Indian producers and Indian Independent Cinema.

IP: What is it like to be working as part of a truly international venture like the Bollywood Hero?
Pooja: It was a remarkable experience working with everyone from all over the world. From Hollywood we had Chris Kattan from Saturday Night Live fame, Julian Sands, (A Room with A View), Keanu Reeves, Maya Rudolf, and David Allen Grier doing cameos, from Bollywood we had Neha Dhupia, Rachna Shah, Ali Faizel, the same line production team as Slumdog Millionaire, Tabrez Noorani, our Director of Photography was from Israel and our director was from Australia. Whew, and that was not everyone! The IFC Channel and the Starz network, the producers of the project, put together such a great team that we finished the shooting ahead of schedule.

IP: In today's globalized world is it really exciting to be in this business as the scope of audiences grows across borders?
Pooja: There is always excitement in the entertainment business. As the saying goes, there is no business like show-business.

IP: Do you think the image of Indian cinema abroad will get stereotyped to being only commercial Bollywood song and dance fare?
Pooja: Indian cinema has already been stereotyped. Until we start marketing films like Gandhi My Father or Firaaq people around the world will continue to think that song and dance are a must. These are just two examples of well-made films and we need to showcase and spread the word that the Indian Film Industry consists of different genres of filmmaking.

IP: Are you planning on working in mainstream Indian movies of any language?
Pooja: I have a couple of offers so it looks like I will be very busy!

IP: You are an actress, producer, television hostess who has worked both in the US and in India. Going forward, do you intend to streamline yourself into any one of field that you enjoy most?
Pooja: I am an actress first and I have always supported projects and people that have put their heart and soul into it. Whether it is for TV, an advertising campaign, or producing, you are stimulating the creative mind which is what all actors must do.  Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Oprah Winfrey, have their own production companies, host TV programs, and act in numerous commercials. They are my inspiration.

SRIREKHA  N. CHAKRAVARTY
India Post News Service