Anupam Sinha makes his bow as a director with the Aftab Shivdasani 
By Taran Adarsh, March 26, 2004 - 04:12 IST
Anupam Sinha makes his bow as a director with the Aftab Shivdasani - Shriya Saran - Indraneel starrer SHUKRIYA. 'Trade Guide' caught up with the cast and crew of the film at a recent shoot at Velocity, Tardeo.
RAGINI
SHUKRIYA is being funded by U.K.-based Inspired Movies. Ragini is on the Board of Directors of Spice Team Entertainment Private Ltd. [the company is representing Inspired Movies in India]. When asked about the concept of SHUKRIYA, she enlightens, “SHUKRIYA is about a family based in London. It does not look merely at the father-son relationship, but on the role of the mother as well.”
The entire film has been shot in U.K., barring the patchwork, which is being done in India. There's an interesting reason behind that. She states, “Shooting in U.K. is much cheaper than shooting in India. Out there, you get a lot of locations for free. In Mumbai, one has to pay even to procure permission to shoot on the streets. In London, one can shoot outside the Buckingham Palace absolutely free if one makes an application to the Film Council a month in advance.”
ANUPAM SINHA
Debutante director Anupam Sinha has a bit of a different take on the subject. “The crux of the film lies in an age-old adage, love is immortal, but life isn't. This is said very differently in SHUKRIYA through a romantic triangle set in a social, emotional backdrop. Elements of death and exploring the human body are also a part of the story,” he informs.
He is taking a plunge into direction after assisting director Anubhav Sinha, his elder brother. “Whatever I have learnt is from my brother. So, his flavour might be there in my film. By and large, our styling and treatment is quite different though. He has always encouraged me to think independently and be creative,” adds the film-maker.
AFTAB SHIVDASANI
Aftab Shivdasani is essaying the role of Rohan. “The interesting bit about this film is that everyone is saying 'Shukriya' to each other. How and why is something that you'll realize only after watching the film. I am playing a boy who aspires to be a pop singer. I would describe my character as someone who is serious and curious,” he says.
INDRANEEL
After a series of ramp shows, commercials and music videos, Indraneel is trying his hand at acting. He has undertaken training under acting guru Kishore Namit Kapoor. Talking about his role, he reveals, “The character I'm playing is called Yash. Shriya and he are childhood sweethearts. He is a sophisticated guy, always dressed in formals. Though he is generally a sweet person, he gets into a negative shell after a point.”
SHRIYA SARAN
Shriya Saran started out in Telugu films. Having done nine films in South and a small role in the Ritesh Deshmukh starrer TUJHE MERI KASAM, SHUKRIYA is her first full-fledged role in a Bollywood film. “SHUKRIYA is about saying thanks to life. I am playing a bubbly, down-to-earth and homely girl from a rich family who is very close to her parents [played by Anupam Kher and Rati Agnihotri],” she divulges.
Though she admits that the South industry is more disciplined in its functioning, working in SHUKRIYA has been a pleasant experience.
MORE ON THE FILM
SHUKRIYA is scheduled for release in July. Vishal-Shekhar are scoring the music, while one song has been recorded by Yogen-Naren.
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