After two of his films were nominated for the best foreign language film category at the Oscars — as official entries from Togo and Cameroon — Indian film-maker and producer Kumar Raj has now turned his focus to Hollywood with a film on Mother Teresa. This time, the Mumbai-based film-maker wants to leave no stone unturned to get the Oscar that eluded him twice.
In an exclusive chat with The Hindu during his visit to the city, Mr. Raj said: “We have registered our company ‘Kumar Raj Productions’ in Hollywood; the title and the script have also been registered. This will be a mega budget film and will take three to four years’ time for completion. We have hired one of the topmost writers of Hollywood and have also started getting funds.”
So far, $200,000 has been raised for the film, which is expected to cross a production budget of over ₹100 crore. Kumar Raj is the only Indian producer-director whose two films were sent to the Oscars in the best foreign language film category.
New angle
This year, his film Yahaan Ameena Bikti Hai was sent by Cameroon in the 89th Academy Awards. Interestingly, another African nation, Togo, had sent his film Tara, the journey of love and passion as its official entry to the Oscars in 2014. The film was on the predicament of underprivileged women in Indian villages.
Speaking on his next big film venture, the director said: “I am still working on what part of Mother Teresa’s life to focus on. It may be the part where she meets God, or her childhood. I want to explore a new angle for the global audience. The film will stand with others in the topmost competition category.”
His latest film Yahaan Ameena Bikti Hai was the real story of Ameena, a 12-year-old from Hyderabad, who was sold to an Arab by her parents in the early 1990s. Ameena was rescued and brought home after a flight attendant, who saw her weeping on the plane, raised an alert.
After receiving global accolades in the Malta International Film Festival, Cinema New York City, Miami Film Festival and Geneva, the film will have a nationwide release by the end of the year.
“For the Indian version, I am shooting additional scenes and adding a love story element,” Mr. Kumar said.
