Bryan Brown, the super star from Australia, was in our city as part of the Australian Film Showcase, which was initiated by KCA (Karnatka Chalanachitra Academy) and the Australian Consulate-General, Chennai.
The actor was introduced in style to the media by the Australian film producer Nelson Woss.
“Bryan is the Rajkumar of Australia. He is a brilliant actor even though he cannot sing or dance like him nor has he ever been abducted, yet, we all love him with same passion as you love Rajkumar.”
The 69-year-old actor, who became a known name on the international platform after films like Breaker Morant, Give My Regards to Broad Street, Cocktail, Gorillas in the Mist and more recently Gods of Egypt, was one of the panelists at the meet which focused on a collaboration between the Australian and the Kannada film industry, speaks to us about his passion -- films.
“I have been an actor for over 40 years now. Acting has taken me to over 25 countries. It was only because of this profession that I had a wild 40th birthday. It was celebrated on a mountain top in Africa, surrounded by 40 gorillas! I never dreamt my life would be so dramatic. I led a ‘normal’ life till I met something called acting and my world has exploded in ways that I could never imagine.”
Bryan, who has acted with the likes of Tom Cruise and Sigourney Weaver to name a few, says he is also thankful for this profession as it gave him the “opportunity to work with the best talents in Hollywood too.”
Then he went on to speak about the Australian film industry. “Our films depict Australian culture. You see the strength of any industry is its authenticity which genuinely tells stories about its people using its own country as a backdrop,” explained Bryan who then added that he was excited at the prospect of working with the South Indian film industry. “When you think of co-productions you need to think of what we can create as stories together. What interests me is to find stories where our humanities meet. Can we find a love story between an Indian and an Australian? Or can make a movie about gangsters using actors from both countries?” he asks.
Ask him if he ever felt that the Australian film industry lives under the shadow of Hollywood and he replies, “Holywood is a massive business. I watched Scandinavanian films and fell in love with some of them. But we have films made all over the world — some brilliant, some average and then some rubbish films. And, they all exist in spite of Hollywood. Hollywood being big does not mean that the rest of us can not tell stories or make movies. All of us have found a way to films one way or another.”
So where does he rate the Australian film industry on the world cinema platform? “Oh, we have a fiercely independent spirit when it comes to film making.”
