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Bhatt will meet Musharraf on 1st Indian film to be made in Pak: The Asian Age
New Delhi, Oct 18: Director Mahesh Bhatt will meet Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali in Islamabad before October 27 to `explain and submit the script` for the first-ever Indian film to be shot entirely in Pakistan.
New Delhi, Oct 18: Director Mahesh Bhatt will meet Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali in Islamabad before October 27 to "explain and submit the script" for the first-ever Indian film to be shot entirely in Pakistan.
The film, with the working title Partition, will according to Bhatt be "South Asia’s Schindler’s List." It is based on the true story of a Pathan policeman who, with the help of just a stick, prevented a mob of Muslim fundamentalists killing over 200 Sikhs during Partition.
This Rs 15-crore budget film will be directed by Pooja Bhatt and produced by British producer Saivi Ali.
The film will also unique since the star cast will be mixed and will see Pakistan’s top actress Meera and vocalist Ali Hashmat team up with Indian actors like Imran Hashmi of Footpath fame and Nepali and Bangladeshi actors to make it the first ever truly "South Asian film."
Speaking exclusively to The Asian Age from Mumbai, Mr Bhatt said: "I have kept this project on hold for some time as I cannot proceed with my shooting in Pakistan without meeting President Musharraf and Prime Minister Jamali as my project will need acceptance from the highest level. I was supposed to meet President Musharraf on September 11 but it got cancelled as he left for New York. The Pakistani authorities have now assured me that the meeting will take place before Ramzan, which is on October 27. After submitting my script to them, I will tell my own government of the project."
He added: "The script of the film — a love story in times of hate — is fictional but is based on a true story which I stumbled upon while researching on Partition for my wife’s film Difficult Daughters. The story was of a Pathan thanedar who single-handedly saved the lives of 200 Sikhs during the riots in 1947, saying that his profession and his religion compelled him to save these people. The story is similar to Schindler’s List, in which Steven Spielberg tells the story of a German businessman who saved 1,000 Jews by employing them in a factory. "However, my film will be a love story and will show how a Muslim boy fights with his own brother to save a Hindu girl and her family. In the end, he loses his life. I sourced my inspiration from the brave, anonymous policeman and I felt that in a country where we have demonised the Pakistanis in our movies, it’s time to look at them affectionately."
Saying that this will be the first South Asian film, he added: "The film will be shot by Pooja and I will oversee it since the topic is close to my heart. It will be a mixed South Asian star cast with actors and actresses from Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Lollywood siren Meera and Ali Hashmat, who has potential to be an actor, will team up with my nephew Imran Hashmi in the film. It will be shot starting from the Peshawar in the North-West Frontier Province through Lahore to the Indian border. We have also been promised help by Mir Shakil of the Jang group."
The film, with the working title Partition, will according to Bhatt be "South Asia’s Schindler’s List." It is based on the true story of a Pathan policeman who, with the help of just a stick, prevented a mob of Muslim fundamentalists killing over 200 Sikhs during Partition.
This Rs 15-crore budget film will be directed by Pooja Bhatt and produced by British producer Saivi Ali.
The film will also unique since the star cast will be mixed and will see Pakistan’s top actress Meera and vocalist Ali Hashmat team up with Indian actors like Imran Hashmi of Footpath fame and Nepali and Bangladeshi actors to make it the first ever truly "South Asian film."
Speaking exclusively to The Asian Age from Mumbai, Mr Bhatt said: "I have kept this project on hold for some time as I cannot proceed with my shooting in Pakistan without meeting President Musharraf and Prime Minister Jamali as my project will need acceptance from the highest level. I was supposed to meet President Musharraf on September 11 but it got cancelled as he left for New York. The Pakistani authorities have now assured me that the meeting will take place before Ramzan, which is on October 27. After submitting my script to them, I will tell my own government of the project."
He added: "The script of the film — a love story in times of hate — is fictional but is based on a true story which I stumbled upon while researching on Partition for my wife’s film Difficult Daughters. The story was of a Pathan thanedar who single-handedly saved the lives of 200 Sikhs during the riots in 1947, saying that his profession and his religion compelled him to save these people. The story is similar to Schindler’s List, in which Steven Spielberg tells the story of a German businessman who saved 1,000 Jews by employing them in a factory. "However, my film will be a love story and will show how a Muslim boy fights with his own brother to save a Hindu girl and her family. In the end, he loses his life. I sourced my inspiration from the brave, anonymous policeman and I felt that in a country where we have demonised the Pakistanis in our movies, it’s time to look at them affectionately."
Saying that this will be the first South Asian film, he added: "The film will be shot by Pooja and I will oversee it since the topic is close to my heart. It will be a mixed South Asian star cast with actors and actresses from Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Lollywood siren Meera and Ali Hashmat, who has potential to be an actor, will team up with my nephew Imran Hashmi in the film. It will be shot starting from the Peshawar in the North-West Frontier Province through Lahore to the Indian border. We have also been promised help by Mir Shakil of the Jang group."