Bollywood/Hollywood
A film by Deepa Mehta
Starring: Rahul Khanna, Lisa ray, Moushumi Chatterjee, Dina Pathak, Kulbushan Kharbanda, Ranjit Chowdhry, Jessica Paré, Rishma Malik, Jazz Mann, Arjun Lombardi-Singh, Leesa Gaspari, Neelam Mansingh.
Running Time: 103 minutes
Released in the UK on 14th February 2003
Click here to buy the DVD.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Bollywood/Hollywood was shot over 30 days in and around the city of Toronto. Locations ranged from Little India in the city's east end, downtown Toronto, the nightclub district in the west end, to a mansion in North York that became the Seth family home.

Production designer Tamara Deverell and her team wanted to get the details right. To prepare, the art department scoured libraries and Internet search engines for details on Indian culture, and on elements of the Hindu and Sikh religions. The team was also able to visit homes of Indian-Canadians for inspiration.

"We wanted the look of the film to be based in reality, although we were able to stretch our creativity with a couple of sets such as the music video and the trasvestite lounge," recalls Deverell. Her favourite set "was the duplex where Sue lived with her parents. It was incredibly sparse, blue-on-blue with crazy and oddly surreal fake roses and pink flamingos."

Deverell found it both intriguing and challenging to work with Mehta. "Deepa has a strong sense of what she wants visually, but once she shares that information, she is open and trusting." One colour that is conspicuous by its absence is the colour green. Mehta asked for a palette of reds and blues, and no greens or oranges in the sets or in the wardrobe choices. "Orange and green are colours I associate with the Indian landscape and light. Bollywood/Hollywood is a film set in North America, which immediately evokes in me the colour blue. The red in the palette represents immigrants - the vibrancy they bring to North America," says Mehta.

Costume designer Anne Dixon credits the script for helping to gain a sense of the characters. "Deepa's script was wonderful. The characters were fully realised on the page, and that made it easy for me to visualise them in costume."

World-famous fashion designer Rita Kumar supplied the production with pieces from her line for the principal actors. Kumar has been credited with reviving traditional Indian textile crafts and methods. Her designs incorporate block prints, kasauti, chikankari, zardozi, bandhani and kalamkari to create timeless fashions. She is frequently chosen by the Miss Universe and Miss World organisations to dress contestants. "She was very gracious and her help was much appreciated. It would have been impossible to get that quality of fabric, or the type of beadwork to produce the kinds of costumes that we wanted without her," says Dixon.

As befits a film that uses elements of Bollywood film culture, in Bollywood/Hollywood all of the actors sing and dance. Not all of the actors were up for the challenge, and some felt that they couldn't dance at all. "I didn't even think about it. I just assumed that they would. Choreographer David Connelly was amazing. He trained everyone and they were fabulous," says Mehta.

Rahul Khanna describes himself as "a terrible dancer. I had never danced or sung in a film before. I put the fear of God into David. I can't say I loved it, but it was fun."

By contrast, Ray has previous experience dancing in Bollywood films. "David was fantastic. He did his research and he did watch a lot of Hindi films, which I admired a lot. I was really impressed with how he combined the western and eastern styles in the songs and dances. He grasped the concepts of many of the traditional Indian dances and gave them a modern twist."

Connelly's enthusiasm for his craft and for the story is evident throughout the major choreographed pieces in the film. "It was very inspiring. Everyone was very committed to doing something no one has seen before. We wanted a true fusion of east meeting west, but at the same time the pieces are stepped in tradition and what it means to be here in this time and this city," recalls Connnolly.

Noted composer Sandeep Chowta created the original music for the film. His lyrics and east-west fusion rhythms combine for an infectious feeling and a liberating flavour. It's a combination that worked well for Lisa Ray. "In Bombay we have an enormous suspension of disbelief, when the actors switch from drama to song, but it's just an element of the film culture. But here the songs blend seamlessly throughout the story line and push the narrative ahead." says Ray.

With its romantic plotline, and the song and the dance segments, Bollywood/Hollywood would seem to have been made with an audience in mind. Mehta rejects that idea. "I never ponder about the audience. Doing the film for someone who is faceless is impossible for me… I have to do it for myself. Then whether you fall flat on your face or whether the film does well… at least you know it's yours."

Khanna hopes that "the audience has a great time. I want them to say that they forgot about their worries and laughed and cried… and came out with a smile."

INTERESTED IN KNOWING MORE?

Click here to read about The Background to Bollywood/Hollywood.
Click here to read about The Casting of Bollywood/Hollywood.
Click here to read about The Production of Bollywood/Hollywood.
Click here to read about development of The Storyline for Bollywood/Hollywood.
Click here to return to the Bollywood/Hollywood article.

BANANAS OVER BOLLYWOOD?

If you are simply "bananas" over bollywood, then you might like to read the following:

• Bollywood In Love - catch it while you can (ends January 2003)
• Bollywood Dreams - a digital homage (end May 2003)
• Bollywood Homes - Abu Jhani & Sandeep Khosla's interior design benediction. Sadly only the pictures remain now!
• Bombay Dreams - A R Rahman's theatrical tribute to the industry is a must see.
• The Rough Guide to Bollywood - DJ Ritu's musical guide to the Hindi Film Industry.
• Bollywood Books - our selection of some of the best books on the subject.
• Bollywood Boy - our review of Justine Hardy's pursuit of Bollywood heart-throb Hrithik Roshan.
• Bombay Time - Thrity Umrigar's simply brilliant book about the Mumbai Parsee community. Absolutely nothing to do with Bollywood...but a great novel about the city!
• Lagaan - surely you've seen the movie by now? Read our review and see if you agree.
• Devdas - Sanjay Bansali's remake of this classic 1917 tale.