Sir Ben Kingsley wants to delve deep into the origin of Taj Mahal
Sir Ben Kingsley
Bollywood beauty queen Aishwarya Rai Bachchan could play the role of Mumtaz Begum, the second wife of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, if she likes the script of a new film “Taj Mahal” to be made by Oscar winner actor Sir Ben Kingsley.
Kingsley's wife and Brazilian actress Daniela Lavender will play the role of Persian princess Kandahari Begum, Shah Jahan's first wife, in the movie, according to Kingsley who is now in Goa attending the International Film Festival of India as a guest of honour.
Kingsley, who shot into international fame by essaying the role of Mahatma Gandhi in Sir Richard Attenborough's epic film “Gandhi” in 1982, said a fresh script of the “Taj Mahal” has come just four days ago and he is yet to decide who will direct the film. However, he made it clear to journalists that he would not don the role of director, as “I find it very difficult.”
He said Aishwarya would play the role of Mumtaz if she approves the script and loves it.
“I suppose it's very foolish or a very brave attempt to do a movie on Shah Jahan,” he quipped.
“If I can show him in a human way, if I can show him with responsibility, if I can portray him as someone among us, I might be able to add to many explanations on how the Taj Mahal, the 17th century white-marbled monument of love, was built,” he said.
The actor said he is in India to raise funds for his estimated 27-million dollar project, which is not yet fully financed.
Talking further on the proposed film “Taj Mahal”, Kingsley said he sees Taj “as a scream of pain frozen in marble. I want to explore how deep that pain was. Taj is a touchstone and symbol of love”.
He said he hoped to develop an empathy with the character of Shah Jahan to portray his struggles.
For Kingsley, India is like his home and said “one does not visit but come home.”
“Like a long lost melody or a forgotten perfume, the extraordinary welcome has assured me that the thread that was created in 1981-82 during filming of 'Gandhi' has not snapped,” he said.
Recalling the shooting of “Gandhi”, Kingsley said his performance was made possible by the “extraordinary trust” that was posed in him and the rapport that he shared with co-actors like Roshan Seth in the role of Jawaharlal Nehru, Rohini Hattangadi and Neena Gupta.
The British actor said when the role of Gandhi was offered to him, he recognised something in Gandhiji's personality: “Gandhiji's ability to convert his anger into something gracefully constructive.”
Turning to Indian directors, Kingsley compared Satyajit Ray's understanding of human struggles with that of William Shakespeare and Leo Tolstoy.
He said Ray was capable of conveying “a whole array of nuances with a very small shot.”
Among the contemporary directors of Indian-origin who impress Kingsley is Mira Nair whose work is “very interesting.”
He said that as opposed to quick-cutting western style films, Indian directors allow a shot to stay on the screen and have its impact.
Recalling his experience of working with Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan, Kingsley said he found him “very wise, kind, intelligent and a joy to work with.”
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