By Subhash K. Jha
Mumbai, Dec 16 (IANS) Oscar-winning veteran actor Ben Kingsley, who will be seen in Bollywood director Leena Yadav’s crime thriller “Teen Patti” as a narrator, says he loves working with women directors and responds well to them as they see things men miss.

“I just did two other films with female directors. I like being directed by females. They bring a different eye through the camera and an unusual perspective,” Kingsley told IANS.

Yadav is the third woman to direct Kingsley.

“Female directors see things that guys miss. I respond well to female direction. The ego is in a different place. They are focussed on fundamental things like narrative and human behaviour rather than issues that may be distorted by the male ego,” the Hollywood actor said before leaving for Abu Dhabi.

In “Teen Patti”, he has teamed up with Hindi film industry’s megastar Amitabh Bachchan. He, however, warns that his is a very small part in the movie, but he enjoyed working with Indian cast and crew.

“It’s a very, very small part…I keep appearing in little scenes in the film as a storyteller.”

“It was an opportunity to work with an Indian crew again after ‘Gandhi’. It was an opportunity to work with Mr. Bachchan, who is an icon in his own field. It’s interesting to mix cultures in a film to see how different people from different backgrounds can be so very synchronized and work together. We worked very intensely. We hit a very quick working rhythm,” Kingsley told IANS.

Much as he enjoyed his cameo in “Teen Patti”, Kingsley would be unable to come to India for its release Feb 12 next year. “I’m going to be very very busy from February 2010 onwards.”

Kingsley is a bit alarmed by all the hype surrounding his next project “Taj Mahal”, which according to reports may feature Aishwarya Rai as Mughal emperor Shah Jehan’s wife Mumtaz.

“It’s very, very, very early days to talk about that project. The ink is hardly dry on the script. It’s coming together. We’ve a beautiful script. And we’ve some financial interest being shown in the project. I now have a short list of directors. I hope not to be disappointed about the director I want,” said Kinglsey.

Commenting upon the cast of the film, he said: “We must not make impolite, inappropriate announcements till everyone is on the same page. There is no Indian cast yet. We don’t know what the actors’ interest or feedback would be. We’re still putting the team together. We just have to put all the components together, take a deep breath and see what our investors have to say.”

The actor, known for his astonishing performance in “Gandhi”, says he turned down a lot of acting assignments in 2009.

“I respond to what’s offered to me. I feel having portrayed one character (Gandhi) so effectively, I need not use the same set of muscles to portray other characters. Luckily, directors and producers like to stretch me and offer me a variety of roles. I owe my variety of roles to American and British filmmakers.

“However, I was pretty versatile even before I worked on ‘Gandhi’. I had done 17 Shakespearean characters before. So variety for me is not an unusual thing. It’s amazing how beautifully the cards fell for my career.”

He will next be seen in Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island” that is set to release in February.

“This is my first film with him although we’ve known each other for years. I loved the experience. He’s a remarkable man, loves cinema. Very decent with his actors, caring and provoking them in the right way. I play a psychiatrist,” Kingsley said.

(Subhash K. Jha can be contacted at jhasubh@gmail.com)