[MOVIES = items about movies with a desi connection]
Warner Brothers has just announced that it is producing a movie about the
epic love story behind the building of the Taj Mahal. The official work is
in today’s Daily Variety on page 5. It is based on a screenplay written by
journalist turned screenwriter KAMRAN PASHA.
This is the first time a major Hollywood studio has decided to make a
movie on a topic that is much beloved in India and Bollywood – the
timeless, tragic love story of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. The movie is
being pitched as “Gladiator” meets “The Last Emperor” – an English
language epic movie about one of the most prominent stories of Indian
civilization. This project is not to be confused with the big Bollywood
film by Akbar Khan, “Taj Mahal, An Eternal Love Story”
http://www.akbarkhanstajmahal.com/ ]
The project is also an example of the growing South Asian prominence in
Hollywood. Kamran is a Pakistani-American screenwriter (credits include
the new “Twilight Zone” TV series) and the Warner Brothers executive in
charge of the movie is Aditya Sood, an Indian American who is a rising
star at the studio.
Journalists interested in talking to Kamran about this project are welcome
to contact him at [email protected]
You can catch Kamran when he comes in from LA for the SAJA Convention in
June in NY - he’s one of our 75 terrific speakers.
We have two sessions dealing with entertainment: South Asians in
Entertainment: A panel talking to South Asians in entertainment writing
and/or the entertainment field, discuss how they broke in, what issues
they face as South Asians breaking new ground.
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