`Xtrme City` about Mumbai mafia, families, romance: Paul Schrader
Hollywood screenplay writer-director Paul Schrader says "Xtrme City", his first Indian collaboration dealing with the Mumbai mafia and slums, is also about romance, families and obligations.
|Last Updated: Oct 31, 2009, 09:14 AM IST|Source: Bureau
New Delhi: Hollywood screenplay writer-director Paul Schrader says "Xtrme City", his first Indian collaboration dealing with the Mumbai mafia and slums, is also about romance, families and obligations."The script that I am dealing with is about two men who`ve worked together - an American policeman and an Indian ex-bhai. But it`s not a gangster film. It`s not a `Satya`, `Company` or `Sarkar`. It`s a different kind of film," Schrader told reporters.
"It has to deal with the world of crime but it also has to deal with families, romance and farce. Mostly it`s about farce and obligations," he said on the sidelines of the Mumbai Film Festival (MFF).
MFF is an initiative by Reliance Big Entertainment and the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) and Schrader is an international jury for the ongoing fest.
"Xtrme City" found its genesis last year when he travelled to the Osian`s Cinefan Film Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema in the capital.
"I was here a year ago and went around with Anubhav Sinha (Bollywood director) and Mushtaq Sheikh (writer). Mushtaq and I have been working on the script since last year. We`ve finished the script and now we`re ready to take the next step. The film will have American and Indian stars, but it is all set here (in Mumbai).
"Hopefully, we`ll finance it here and for that we need to cast. So we`re looking at who might possibly be a good actor," he said.
Asked about probable names like Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan as reported in the media, he said: "It`s a small list and they are in the newspaper every single day. I don`t know who`d be in the film. But the idea is to start here."
The film will be co-produced by David Weisman of Oscar-winning "Kiss of the Spiderwoman" fame and Sinha. Schrader says that the film will be a team work.
"We`ll put together a team. I am not going to do this alone. I am not going to shoot the song and dance and probably not even the action. We`ll do this together," he said.
Schrader scripted Martin Scorsese`s "Taxi Driver" and "The Last Temptation of Christ" and has directed films like "American Gigolo" and "Affliction".
Asked if "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Xtrme City" were laying the foundation to a trend of crossover films between the two industries, he said: "First of all I don`t even know if `Xtrme City` will even ever get made to be honest. A lot of wonderful films don`t get made. It`s a very unique test. It`s far too early to call it a trend.
" `Slumdog...` certainly made a lot of people aware of how much interest there is in India, but I don`t know whether that`s a trend."
The 63-year-old is keeping his fingers crossed for his thriller to materialise.
Apart from "Xtrme City", Schrader is set to wield the megaphone for "an action film in Mexico in the spring" and has written the movie "The Dying of the Light" for Harrison Ford.
IANS
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.