Hollywood comes to Bollywood (To go with Hollywood talent manager hunts for Bollywood talent)

WASHINGTON - Three new Hollywood films are set to be shot in India shortly as producers explore the Indian market with the help of an Indian American talent manager in Hollywood.

“The process of selecting India as a location has been easy,” says Jai Khanna, a manager at Brillstein Entertainment Partners (BEP), a top Hollywood talent management film and television production company.

“The key is finding the right partners, those with the right sensibility, in order to navigate the landscape and politics of India, as well as appeal to an American crew and cast,” Khanna, who heads BEP’s new efforts to explore the Indian market, told IANS in an interview.

“Hope Lost”, the first of three films targeted for India production, is aimed for a summer shoot in Mumbai. Based on the hit comic book series by Jeff Albert, it’s an action-thriller about the duality battle between good vs evil, with themes of the Ramayana.

To be produced by Marlon Parry, the film will be directed by Rajeev Virani.

The second, “River of Gods”, based on a novel by Ian McDonald that won the British Science Fiction Award in 2004, imagines a futuristic India, inhabited by ancient traditions as well as artificial intelligence, robots and nanotechnology.

To be produced by Anthony Dorment and Susan Cherian, it is aimed for a fall shoot.

Also to be shot at the same time is “Last Bachelor”, an international romantic comedy, in Rajasthan and Goa. The film will be produced by Lux Entertainment in Britain.

“India has been viewed as an exotic location for actors, and not immediately thought of as a film location. If we can marry the two experiences, of exploring the wonders of India, and working in a professional manner, we hope for more productions to enter India,” Khanna says.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)