Shekhar Kapur`s `Paani` to focus on water wars

I will begin shooting in November. The movie is about water wars set in the world of the future; a mega city that has run out of the world`s most precious resource, says Shekhar.

New Delhi: Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur will begin shooting his new mega production `Paani` (Water) in November.

"I will begin shooting in November. The movie is about water wars set in the world of the future; a mega city that has run out of the world`s most precious resource. I have completed the script. I will shoot here and in Singapore," Kapur told reporters on the sidelines of a book launch. Kapur, who won an Oscar nomination for his movie `Elizabeth`, was here Saturday to launch `Starstruck` (published by Harper-Collins), Rajal Pitroda`s debut novel. Kapur said: "The movie is big budget because I have to construct a city of the future." "Money may be a problem and I may not get all the money I need for the movie from here. I may have to look out for funding," he said. The $35 million thriller will be released mid 2012. "Nearly 90 percent of the water is depleted in Africa, China and India. Water is a community resource. You cannot have half of the population showering through the day and the other half struggling half of the day for a bucket of water," Kapur said. "The movie is about a city that divides itself into two; those who have water and those who don`t have water," he said. It was initially set in 2040, but later the director decided to set it in near future. "If you are living in a country like India, China or Africa, you`d know what water crisis is," he emphasized. The director is yet to finalise the cast which will be a crossover medley of Indian and foreign faces. "But casting has never been a problem with me," Kapur said. Recommending conservation remedies, he said: "Water harvesting is the only way to tide the crisis. One might even see wars erupting over water." Commenting about making movies outside India, Kapur said, his Oscar nomination has woken the world to the fact that an Indian can make movies. "It is a colonial hangover - the white man has to see my movie. It will take another generation to get rid of the mindset," Kapur said. IANS