New York-based director Mira Nair left Toronto Saturday night after a short 24-hour visit to the festival - she's now in Mumbai preparing for her largest film yet, Shantaram.
The $100m project, for Warner Bros with Graham King's GK Films producing and Plan B on board, starts shooting Jan 19 for what she estimates will be at least 75-80 days.
The book is set in Australia, India and Afghanistan, and Nair says that India is the only confirmed location so far. 'In America I have to orchestrate the chaos, in India I just film it. It's so visceral and lively.'
Johnny Depp and Amitabh Bachchan will star. Eric Roth adapted Gregory David Roberts's book about a former drug addict who works with children in Bombay.
Nair was in Toronto for the world premiere of the AIDS JaaGO project, comprised of four short films about AIDS and HIV by Indian directors Nair, Vishal Bhardwarj, Santosh Sivan and Farhan Akhtar. Each film features top Indian stars.
The project was pulled together by Nair's Mirabai Films and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
'Toronto is a great way to launch it, but I'm also really looking forward to launching it in earnest in India on World AIDS Day, December 1,' Nair said. The multi-strand release in India will include a trailer shown in most Indian cinemas, a TV broadcast and DVD releases.
She says the star power of the shorts should help draw awareness to the AIDS problem on the Indian subcontinent. 'Movies are like temples and actors and actresses are like God, people eat and drink movies in India.'
'They are entertainment, not a bore, and they have stars, so we're investigating the commercial viability,' Nair told Screen. 'I'd love to finance another four and then release those eight together as a feature.'
The project has been a personal passion for Nair. 'I spent part of my year in New York, and part of my year in Uganda, so I have direct encounters with AIDS. With India's population, we're headed for a pandemic in 12 years if we don't do something.'
Also, Nair's first film as executive producer, Little Zizou, is in post-production now for delivery by December.
The project marks the directorial debut of Sooni Taraprevala, Nair's longtime screenwriter. Nair says the team plans to submit for Sundance 2008. 'It's full of sparkle,' Nair says of the comedy set in Mumbai's Parsi community.
The $100m project, for Warner Bros with Graham King's GK Films producing and Plan B on board, starts shooting Jan 19 for what she estimates will be at least 75-80 days.
The book is set in Australia, India and Afghanistan, and Nair says that India is the only confirmed location so far. 'In America I have to orchestrate the chaos, in India I just film it. It's so visceral and lively.'
Johnny Depp and Amitabh Bachchan will star. Eric Roth adapted Gregory David Roberts's book about a former drug addict who works with children in Bombay.
Nair was in Toronto for the world premiere of the AIDS JaaGO project, comprised of four short films about AIDS and HIV by Indian directors Nair, Vishal Bhardwarj, Santosh Sivan and Farhan Akhtar. Each film features top Indian stars.
The project was pulled together by Nair's Mirabai Films and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
'Toronto is a great way to launch it, but I'm also really looking forward to launching it in earnest in India on World AIDS Day, December 1,' Nair said. The multi-strand release in India will include a trailer shown in most Indian cinemas, a TV broadcast and DVD releases.
She says the star power of the shorts should help draw awareness to the AIDS problem on the Indian subcontinent. 'Movies are like temples and actors and actresses are like God, people eat and drink movies in India.'
'They are entertainment, not a bore, and they have stars, so we're investigating the commercial viability,' Nair told Screen. 'I'd love to finance another four and then release those eight together as a feature.'
The project has been a personal passion for Nair. 'I spent part of my year in New York, and part of my year in Uganda, so I have direct encounters with AIDS. With India's population, we're headed for a pandemic in 12 years if we don't do something.'
Also, Nair's first film as executive producer, Little Zizou, is in post-production now for delivery by December.
The project marks the directorial debut of Sooni Taraprevala, Nair's longtime screenwriter. Nair says the team plans to submit for Sundance 2008. 'It's full of sparkle,' Nair says of the comedy set in Mumbai's Parsi community.
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