Aishwarya to play Mumtaz Mahal
17 May, 2001
Close on the heels of setting up India’s first IMAX theatre in Bombay, Aishwarya Rai has been signed to play the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan’s consort, Mumtaz Mahal in a costume drama, titled Taj Mahal. It will be India’s first film in the IMAX format. To be produced by US-based Scott Swofford with short filmmaker Bharat Bala as director, the film has been budgeted at $7 million and will be shot entirely on location in northern India.
The search for an actor who could play Shah Jahan is, however, on. "The world sees India through Attenborough’s film, Gandhi," said Bala. "But I want to show that there is more to us than that. The Taj Mahal is also an excellent example of human commitment. It is time we made the love story behind it as popular as Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet." "Epic dramas can have a bigger impact on the IMAX format than any other kind of film," explained the man who has produced 13 IMAX films, including the Oscar-nominated Amazon. "Besides Taj Mahal can serve as a perfect crossover to the international market."
The project began with Bala showing Swofford a computerised image of the Mughal queen in her regal splendour. Little did the producer realise that the person in the picture was alive and none other than reigning Bollywood queen Aishwarya Rai. "I could not think of any living actress other that Aishwarya who is capable of playing Mumtaz Mahal to perfection," said Bala. "The empress of India needs to be projected majestically. Aishwarya has all the makings of a reel empress." Added Swofford: "The IMAX format is new to India and might appear prohibitively expensive at the moment. But then, manpower is so much cheaper here than elsewhere. I am sure IMAX will have a much greater impact on audience tastes than what cynics believe."
