Indian Film Trade Reacts to Tina Turner in "The Goddess"

[Guest guest]

The Times of India today published an editorial on the Tina

Turner "Goddess" movie, accompanied by a selection of local film-

trade reactions:

 

"TINA Factor: Cool about Kali"

 

By NIKITA DOVAL & JYOTI SHARMA

 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK [FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2004 02:33:38 AM]

 

Tina Turner just left India. But she'll be back. This time, as

Goddess Kali, singing and dancing on the back of a tiger. The pop

diva was here on a 'study tour', touring the temples of the South

and Benares for her new role in The Goddess, a Merchant-Ivory

production scheduled for release by the end of the year. Turner has

described her passage to India as an "intense spiritual experience"

wherein she watched "Hindu religious rituals" and dance forms like

Theyyam and Kathakali.

 

The promos of the film describe her role as "a recycler of souls, a

destroyer as well as a creator who wears a necklace of men's

skulls." The film, scripted by Suketu Mehta, traces the friendship

between three Indian friends and an American painter (Matthew

Modine) who is obsessed by the Indian Goddess. According to Ismail,

it is a funny, intelligent film posing the theory that women are

meant to rule the world. He reportedly selected Turner for the role

simply because he could think of no one else. "Her energy, her

voice, her dancing... she's mesmerising," he says.

 

Fair enough. Ismail's found his Kali. But will India see her Kali

too in the 64-year-old pop star who has been recently voted

the "sexiest sexagenarian"? For expert comments, read on...

 

Mahesh Bhatt (filmmaker): The India that we live in today has a

taste for these kind of movies. It will be fulfilling to see a

Western icon essaying the role of an Indian goddess. The viewer is

anyway tired of seeing the same old mythologicals.

 

Javed Akhtar (scriptwriter): Why only foreigners, no human is good

enough to essay the role of a god or goddess. But let's see how the

image of the goddess has been projected before passing judgment.

 

Indu Mirani (trade pundit): Is the film even meant for an Indian

audience or is it just another slice of Indian exotica for the

Western audience? However, Tina Turner as Kali does make for an

interesting concept.

 

Ravi Chopra (filmmaker): The New Age Indian viewer is open-minded

and not paranoid about the portrayal of historical and mythological

figures. Of course, problems may arise if the depiction of Kali is

beyond the parameters of public belief. But by and large, Turner

playing Kali will not be an issue as the audience has already

accepted actors from different communities playing religious

figures.

 

Taran Adarsh (trade pundit): The casting of the film seems

inappropriate; the entire set-up seems like a publicity stunt.

 

URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/522649.cms