Johnny Depp is going to play the lead in Shantaram. He is also one of its producers. What was your first impression of him?
People who have known him for long will tell you that he is a humble soul with
great curiosity about the world. And those were my impressions too. He loves taking risks, and that is why you see him in big films such as the Pirates Of The Caribbean series, and smaller films like The Libertine. You never get the feeling that you are dealing with a movie star when you work with him. He is down-to-earth and very humane.You made a detailed presentation to Depp of your vision for Shantaram. How long did he take to approve it?
A few days. It was a thorough presentation, and many people were involved in helping him make the decision.
Had he seen The Namesake before that?
He had watched the film at a private screening. He gave me a big hug after the film was over.
You must have been overwhelmed?
I was very touched but I was also laughing within. My girlfriends had asked me to pinch his bottom. They wanted to have the vicarious thrill.
Did you tell him about it?
(Chuckles) No. But now I can tell him what they had asked me to do.
If you were to describe Shantaram in one sentence...
I would say it is a spiritual action film.
Some people may say, given that the novel also has plenty of violence and dealings with the underworld, that this is a project cut out for a male director...
It is a wonderful adventure story with strong spirituality at its center. After directing Vanity Fair, which is by biggest film to date, I am prepared to make a bigger film. It is important to remember that at the heart of Shantaram is the story of a man who has to undergo a lot of adventures and challenges before he finds out who he really is. Quite a bit of the action takes place in the slums of Mumbai, and that was the background of my very first film. I call the new film Johnny Depp's Salaam Bombay!
What appealed you most in Shantaram?
It is about a man whose soul seems to be bereft of humanity. He comes to India by chance. There are good and bad things that happen to him. But the real journey starts in India.
It is certainly going to be a big budget film, isn't it? I have read it could cost anything between $90 million and $100 million.
It is indeed going to be a big film and will be shot in many countries. But the project also appeals to me for a very special reason.
And what is that?
There are a few films dealing with the East and West connection. But I believe this could be one film that really shows how the East, in this case, India could challenge a soulless person from the West and help him get transformed. The film is rightly titled Shantaram. But if you ask me, India is the real hero of this film.
How did this film come to you?
I had read the book and dazzled by it. I had heard Peter Weir was no more with the project. I also knew Eric Roth (Oscar winner for Forrest Gump, and the scriptwriter for Munich and The Good Shepherd) was writing the script. I began working on presenting my own vision of the film.
And that led you to...
Johnny Depp. But before that happened, I had met with Graham King (who would later win the Oscar for producing the Martin Scorsese directed The Departed). He was the key to this project getting the green light.
How did that meeting come about?
It so happened that The Departed had gone to several film festivals last year. And my film The Namesake was also at the same festivals. It was inevitable then that we would meet. He liked The Namesake a lot and urged Johnny Depp to see it.
Even though The Namesake is a small film compared to what Shantaram could become.
True. But I think what they liked in The Namesake was that it was a beautiful love story, especially of an older couple and how often do we find such love stories on the screen? It was also a film about a young man looking for his roots. And the fact that I had adapted it from a bestselling novel also appealed to them.
How much of the casting has been done for Shantaram?
We have two lead parts filled, and we have two great actors doing them. Of course, you know that Johnny Depp will play the title role, and Amitabh Bachchan will play Kader Khan, the slum lord. Both are eager to work with each other.
You have worked with a number of excellent artists.
I have been lucky. In The Namesake, everyone has done very good work but Tabu, Irrfan and Kal Penn are excellent. I have worked with Naseeruddin Shah (Monsoon Wedding) and Denzel Washington (Mississippi Masala). But working with Johnny Depp and Amitabh Bachchan in one film!
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