Managed to get to the Star Movies Secret Screening yesterday. Basically an invite-only movie screening organised by Star Movies, where you don’t know what movie you are going to see, until the movie starts inside the theatre!
Had missed the last couple of these invites due to travel etc., but managed to reach yesterday.
And was happy to see Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s first Hollywood film, Broken Horses.
At the outset, it is an amazing feat by an Indian producer and director. To go west and create a product that it totally a Hollywood film. Not an NRI story, not an India-based story told to global audiences. This is an out-and-out American film, in appearance. Characters, actors, location (what looks like Southern Texas maybe, close to Mexican border!)… everything. Not even a remote connect to anything Indian, on the front side. Of course, on the back of it, are many Indian names, including producer and director, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, and many others in the crew.
So first of all, salute to Vidhu Chopra for this dare, and for making it happen!
So how does an Indian director go west and create a product there?
Does he pick a script from some US scriptwriters? And try to see what will be interesting and appealing to the western audience. Also to “feel” the script enough, to be able to passionately direct it and create a good product out of it.
This can always be challenging.
So what’s the next best thing?
To see if you already have a script that can be adapted to that audience!
Yes, we have heard and seen American movies being converted to their Indian equivalents (even shows like 24, for example). What happens in such instances, is that the western storyline gets “adapted” to an Indian setting. Some play with the story, some Indianisation, and of course, adding song and dance, if workable..
Has anyone been audacious to think that an Indian story / script can be converted to appeal an international viewer??
Well, that’s the path that Vidhu Chopra adopts.
And of all the body of work that he has himself directed, perhaps the one that suited best for a western adaptation, was Parinda.
And which is exactly what he does in Broken Horses.
Adapts the story of Parinda, quite brilliantly, into an American setting, with the same anger and passion, and creates a really fascinating product.
I for one, liked the treatment although, you can’t help but compare the actors to those in Parinda. In specific terms, Nana Patekar was definitely better as that character, compared to his Hollywood equivalent.
I have loved Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s films, from Parinda, to 1942, A Love Story, to Mission Kashmir, etc. Of course, he has produced some amazing work too. Here with Broken Horses, he scales one new peak.
Congratulations, Vidhu Vinod Chopra!
Random Musings 