At the 16th Mumbai Film Festival,
acclaimed director Goran Paskaljevic announced his plans to make an Indian film
titled ‘Dev Bhoomi’ starring India’s legendary and acclaimed actor Victor
Banerjee. The director credited for creating the first private company of
production of cinema in former Yugoslavia, is soon to add another first to his
credit, that of filming the first ever Indo-Serbian co-production.
‘Dev Bhoomi’ explores the home
coming of a 65 year old man, Rahul, who, when he discovers he is going blind,
decides to return from England to his village in Garhwal, in India, to take one
last look at the world he ran away from, 40 years ago. The film besides
exploring the vagaries of life, will paint a quaint, picturesque yet intense
side of Garhwal. Produced by Milan Markovic, the film will be entirely shot in
the scenic state Uttarakhand by March-April 2015. The director with his team
has been travelling to Dehradun and nearby places in Uttarakhand for scouting
locations.
Addressing members from the
press, Goran shared, “Dev Bhoomi is a story of simple dramatic structure, tense
inside, without a lot of external effects, an intimate poem, such as the sound
of the ancient flute that accompanies Rahul along the magnificent landscape of
the Himalayas.” Giving an added glimpse of his vision, he added, “Similar to
the style of naive paintings with their strong color, teeming with folk motifs,
in the background is revealed the complexity of contemporary Indian society in
rural mountainous areas, far from cities. That’s the kind of film I would like
to make.”
With his cinematic creations
spanning 30 documentaries and 16 feature films, Goran Paskaljevic besides being
one of Europe's most respected directors is a known name worldwide. His work
has been showcased and acclaimed at the most prestigious international film
festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto and San Sebastian to name a
few. He is also the President of the India Gold Jury and Guest of Honor of the
16th Mumbai Film Festival.
Victor Banerjee fans and movie
buffs at the Mumbai Film Festival were thrilled over the announcement of ‘Dev
Bhoomi’. The veteran actor appeared to be equally delighted on teaming up with
award winning Serbian director, Goran Paskaljevic. “Goran and I have been contemporaries,
friends, co-jury members at festivals for many years. This film gave us a
chance to add another dimension to our association, that of expressing
ourselves through a film, together. He is a gifted film maker who trusts his
instincts and beautifully depicts real life imagery through cinema and it is a
great feeling to work with him on an Indian subject.”
Lead actor and co-writer of the
film, Victor Banerjee shot to world fame for his portrayal of Dr. Aziz in David
Lean's screen adaptation of E. M. Forster's ‘Passage to India’. Known for his
iconic roles in Hindi, Bengali and English language films, he has worked for
prominent directors such as Roman Polanski, James Ivory, Sir David Lean, Jerry
London, Ronald Neame, Mrinal Sen, Shyam Benegal, Satyajit Ray and Ram Gopal
Varma.
Banerjee also unfolded a discreet
side of his character in the film, “Rahul returns to his erstwhile village
after 40 years to ‘take’ one last look at the world he ran away from, but as
circumstances beget, he only ends up ‘giving’ something to the village and his
heavenly Himalayan abode.”
Paskaljevic, while focused on the
upcoming film too seemed overjoyed for his wish to work with his old friend
Victor Banerjee is being granted. “The movie besides being a beautiful tale
from the hinterlands of India will present endless images of beauty I have
seen. It is a story of a primeval need to get back to one’s roots that Victor
will enhance further with his presence and far-reaching expressive portrayal,”
added the endowed director.
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