Bollywood celebrity Abhishek Bachchan found his long-stay in New Zealand a great respite, without being mobbed by thousands of his fans like in India. He moved around freely, although he spent most of his time on the sets of Players, an Indian version of the 1969 Hollywood thriller Italian Job (starring Michael Cain, Noel Coward and Benny Hill), remade in 2003 with Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron and Edward Norton)
Directors Abbas & Mustan were hopeful that the Hindi version would also be a cliffhanger, with a number of thrilling scenes taken in the alpine surroundings of Wellington and other places. The film boasts of a stunning cast, including Abhishek Bachchan, Aftab Shivdasani, Bipasha Basu, Bobby Deol, Johny Lever, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Omi Vaidya, Sikander Kher and Sonam Kapoor.
With elaborate sets designed locally, thrilling scenes involving helicopters and cars and a large workforce, Players is believed to have contributed at least $4 million to the New Zealand economy. It may be a far cry from the likes of The ‘Lord of Rings’ trilogy ‘King Kong’ or ‘The Piano,’ but as an Indian film unit, it created history.
As a reporter covering international film festivals and film awards ceremonies worldwide exclusively for Radio Tarana and Indian Newslink, I have had numerous occasions to meet, greet and interview stars on and off the sets, on the Red Carpet and sidelines of events. It was therefore a pleasure to meet some of them on the home turf.
“New Zealand is one of the most beautiful countries that I have seen and it was a pleasure and a privilege to work for Abbas & Mustan. I was amused at the huge turnout of fans in Wellington,” she told me as he prepared to leave Auckland, soon after she completed her schedule for Players.
I caught up with Sikander and Omi. Although just a few films old, Sikander showed maturity, obviously inspired and influenced by the talent of his mother Kirron Kher and stepfather Anupam.
“I look forward to making an impact like my parents,” he said.
As for Omi, there was never a dull moment. The US-born 27-year-old has been on the small and big screens doing advertisements and serials.
“What a lovely country this is! I am not going back in a hurry,” he said and soon after left for Rotorua and the Waiheke Island with his wife.
Neil, grandson of legendary singer Mukesh and son of Nitin (also a singer), spent most of his time in Wellington during the shooting, save for a two-day trip to Queenstown.
Johny Lever, a regular in Abbas Mustan films, has a comic role in Players. There is never a dull moment when he is around.
The film is about a bunch of thieves who plan to steal gold bullion from a former associate who double-crosses them. Further shooting will be held in parts of New Zealand, India and Russia.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan landed in Auckland on February 4 (see Indian Newslink, February 15) to be with her husband on his birthday (February 5). The shooting could not be cancelled and hence the set became a party venue. She stayed on to mark Valentine’s Day with her man.
There are many titbits that I would have liked to share but I get neither the hours (on Radio Tarana) nor the pages (in Indian Newslink) that I need!
Hemant Parikh is the roving ambassador and reporter of Radio Tarana and is the only accredited media representative from New Zealand to attend and cover major Indian film events held in various parts of the world for the radio station and Indian Newslink.
The pictures appearing here show Abhishek Bachchan preparing to cut his birthday cake, with his wife Aishwarya and others on the sets of Players in Wellington on February 5, 2011; and a line-up of cars for the film.
