Stockbrokers, management graduates flock to Bollywood
Bollywood Desk

MUMBAI—Thirty-year-old Samir Karnik, a graduate in international relations, was shocked when Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan agreed to act in his movie. And Karnik could not believe his luck when former Miss World and top Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai also said she would play the female lead along with industry heartthrob Vivek Oberoi. Karnik is not an established filmmaker and does not come from a film family.
A virtual novice, he represents a new breed of filmmakers who previously had nothing to do with the world of cinema. “I was completely shocked when Amitabh Bachchan agreed to work in my film,” said Karnik, who worked as a programmer for a Tanzania-based radio station before plunging into Bollywood. “I had no experience in film making and Kyon Ho Gaya Naa was my first film and still Amitji agreed. It was a very delightful experience for me,” he said. “Kyon Ho Gaya Naa” (It Happened Right?) flopped at the box-office in 2004, but is remembered for launching his career. Karnik is not the only newcomer to strike it big in Bollywood, India’s Hindi language film industry based in Mumbai, the country’s financial hub.
Bollywood’s glitz and glamour is drawing more and more people from different professions in to filmmaking — be it doctors, engineers, or even journalists. The industry was especially surprised when Shripal Morakhia, a stockbroker with online brokerage Sharekhan.com directed suspense thriller, “Naina” (Eyes).
Bollywood, once a closed-door run virtually by film dynasties, is today opening to inexperienced and sometimes even untrained people. The new breed of filmmakers are slowly making their presence felt after the stupendous success of Nagesh Kuknoor, a US returned engineer, who boasts a series of hit films. His latest, “Iqbal”, a story of a deaf and dumb boy who becomes a top cricketer, has clicked at the box-office, earning 120 million rupees (three million dollars) against a cost of less than 10 million rupees.
Kuknoor’s other critically acclaimed movies include “Hyderabad Blues”, a story of a US returned boy who marries an Indian girl and “Teen Deewaren” (Three Walls). Established actors say they are keen to work with the new breed. “I am very open to new directors,” said former Miss World and leading Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra. “I feel there is tremendous talent in India which has not been exploited well. I am therefore ready to sign with new directors.”
In an industry, dogged by repetitive roles and a lack of fresh ideas from veterans, the newcomers are bringing much needed freshness to actors. “What matters to me is my role in the film,” Chopra told newsmen. “If it is good I am ready to take it even if the director is a newcomer. Moreover, I feel if we don’t give a break to freshers where will they go?”
“If a person is not from a film background but has a story idea that will appeal, I will surely do the film. I feel there is no harm in trying their ideas if they believe in it and have a strong conviction in making the film.” Experts feel an era of experimentation has arrived in Bollywood, which is tiring of the same tried-and-tested formulas or copying Hollywood scripts. A number of actors are also looking to change their image or just try something different.
Kabeer Kaushik, a management graduate, made “Seher” (Dawn), and gave actor Arshad Warsi a break from his usual comic roles. “Arshad is a brilliant actor and is considered a top comedian in our industry, but I believe he has more than that and therefore I offered him this job,” Kaushik told newsmen. Warsi became popular with the character Circuit he enacted in last year’s hit film, “Munnabhai M.B.B.S”. A street gangster’s side-kick who helps his boss become a doctor and win the girl of his dreams went down well with the audiences.