Indian actor Pawan Kalyan, also
known as Konidela Kalyan Babu,
takes part at a press conference
in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Aug. 31,
2010. Indian filmmakers say
they're in the Holy Land to
shoot the first Bollywood movie
on the early life of Jesus.
Producer Konda Krishnam Raju
said at a news conference
Tuesday that the film focuses on
the childhood of Jesus, a
contrast with other movies that
depict the later years.
JERUSALEM (AP) — The first
Bollywood movie about the
childhood of Jesus will be shot
in the Holy Land in the coming
months, Indian filmmakers said
Tuesday.
Director Singeetham Srinivasa
Rao said his production will be
narrated in four languages and
feature an all-Indian cast of
child actors and seven
devotional songs.
Producer Konda Krishnam Raju
told a news conference that the
film focuses on the childhood of
Jesus, a contrast with other
movies that depict the later
years. "This is the first
presentation of this type in
Bollywood history," he said.
While the movie has special
significance for Christians, it
is "intended for a global
audience," Rao said.
Christians in India number 24
million, or about 2.3 percent of
the country's population.
Religious Indian films have
traditionally used child actors
to highlight the "innocence,
sanctity and divinity" of
religious figures, the director
said. Rao's film will follow
that tradition, using the child
actors to depict adult
characters as well as children.
American makeup artist Christien
Tinsley will use special makeup
effects to make the actors
appear older. The filmmakers
said they chose him because of
his work with The Passion of the
Christ, which earned him an
Academy Award nomination.
That movie, directed by Mel
Gibson, won critical acclaim but
also evoked charges of
anti-Jewish bias and
legitimizing anti-Semitism.
At $30 million, the filmmakers
say, the film about Jesus will
be one of India's highest budget
movies. An average Indian movie
costs about $500,000.
Aditya Productions plans to
release the movie next year in
English and three Indian
languages — Telugu, Hindi and
Malayalam. South Indian star
Pawan Kalyan will narrate the
Telugu and Malayalam versions,
while other well known actors
will narrate the English and
Hindi
check the link below for the
article
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Bollywood-comes-to-Holy-Land-for-film-about-Jesus-638757.php
Check out UK based INDEPENDENT
web site coverage
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/story-of-jesus-to-get-the-bollywood-treatment-2067131.html
