Cannes [France], May 18 (ANI/PNN): Just two days after Michael Douglas was awarded the festival’s illustrious Palme d’Or – flanked by his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones and daughter, Carys Douglas – Shailendra Singh, India’s Creative Maverick, brought the cinema legend to the India Pavilion to meet Minister L. Murugan, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, and address the India@Cannes and FICCI contingent – which includes Esha Gupta, Sara Ali Khan, Vijay Varma and Khushbu Sundar. After Michael shared how he is ‘impressed with the energy, imagination and creativity in India’, he and Shailendra spoke about the possibility of making a film together in India, after all!
Michael Douglas and Shailendra Singh first met while partnering to make the threequel to Romancing the Stone (1984), to be shot across the length and breadth of in India. Over the next decade, Hollywood’s Ultimate Leading Man and India’s Entertainment Maverick never lost touch and shared a deep friendship. During their last visit to India, Michael and Catherine featured in an unplugged cinema, directed by Shailendra, about the power of relationships to transcend geographical boundaries, titled Unplugged in Mumbai (2022). In Cannes this year, Michael and Shailendra take their personal and creative relationship to the next level.
Michael Douglas shares, “Shailendra referred to a project that we had hoped to do, called ‘Racing the Monsoon’, years ago. It still may be alive, and hopefully we can do it. We had issues when we wanted to shoot, as it was during the monsoon season and we needed the trains.”
Shailendra Singh follows by saying, “Right, due to logisitical reasons, Michael and I could not make ‘Racing the Monsoon’, the third installment of Romancing the Stone (1984) and Jewel of the Nile (1985), but I have never given up on the dream to make a film together. I am giving it a try again. This time, hopefully, with support of the Government of India. In the meantime, I am celebrating the lifetime achievement of my dear friend, and my personal, favorite actor of all time.”
Leaving the pavilion together, Shailendra joined Michael for an afternoon of celebrating his Palme d’Or honor and connecting with Michael’s family and friends – while basking in the warm sunshine and salty sea spray in the South of France.
Before the address at the Pavilion, Shailendra Singh – founder of Percept Ltd/ Sunburn/ Guestlist4Good/ Boss Entertainment – had unveiled the 54th International Film Festival of India’s official poster and merchandise, alongside Bollywood Director, Madhur Bhandarkar, ‘Bandit Queen’ Producer, Bobby Bedi and Ajay Devgan’s manager, Kumar Mangat Pathak. After successfully creating and releasing 72 motion pictures, Shailendra is now back in the saddle, wanting to create and partner for content from India, for the world, and from the world, for India.
Says Shailendra, “I am super charged for these new innings. There are so many more stories to tell!”
Focusing on cross-over and global cinema making, Shailendra will spend his remaining time at Cannes speaking to international film producers regarding multiple creative scripts, perusing the Marche du Film to find any ‘diamonds-in-the-rough’, and catching up with film industry friends and contemporaries from around the world, that once-a-year get to re-connect in this lush, tropical locale.
More information at :
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)
Shailendra Singh
https://www.shailendrasingh.me/
https://www.bossentertainment.in/
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