The two films that could have made Amitabh Bachchan a well-known face in the West are not happening.
There’s many a slip between cup and lip. Not so long ago there was talk of the Big B’s foray into the international cinema with director Mira Nair’s Shantaram and Deepa Mehta’s Exclusion (also called ‘Komagata Maru’).
Both the projects were big in their own respects. Mira Nair ’s ‘Shantaram’ was to star Big B opposite the Hollywood’s much-loved Johnny Depp in an onscreen adaptation of Gregory David Robert’s bestselling novel of the same title. The movie was supposed to go on the floors by the beginning of 2008 but was delayed due to the writers’ strike in Hollywood. Though the strike was called off in February, ‘Shantaram’ is yet to go on the floors. Presently, the movie looks as good as shelved.
On the other hand, Deepa Mehta wanted Big B to play the pivotal role of a Sikh in her movie on the real life episode from the early 19th century when a ship full of Indian emigrants wasn’t allowed to enter Canada and was sent back to India after a long legal battle. Upon reaching India the ship came under fire from British forces.
Deepa had finalized Big B to play the protagonist Gurdit Singh and was super-excited about the idea of working with the Indian megastar for the first time. However, now it has been confirmed that Mr. Bachchan is no longer a part of the project.
Why?
It turns out that the film’s co-financiers, the Canadian government that’s footing half the movie’s budget, has laid a condition that only Canadian citizens can play the lead roles in the movie. Though Mehta bought time and tried to reason with the financiers, she was left with no option but to relieve Mr. Bachchan from the project as he is not a Canadian citizen.
Mr. Bachchan as confirmed that he is no longer doing Mehta’s film and even jokingly remarked that he has been “ditched” by the two NRI female directors.
