Thaindian News

New Delhi, March 11 (IANS) Julia Roberts starrer “Eat, Pray, Love”, which took the Hollywood star to Italy, Indonesia as well as India for what she describes as the “acting Olympics”, will release here Aug 27.

Directed by Ryan Murphy, the movie is based on Pushcart prize-winning author Elizabeth Gilbert’s spirituality travel memoirs and features Roberts as Gilbert who travels to Italy, India and Indonesia in search of peace.

Commenting on her shooting schedule for the movie, Roberts said: “It was quite a huge undertaking. It was a little bit daunting, dragging three little kids around the world, but well worth it… It was really like the acting Olympics.”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a full-time acting job. I am really glad that I made the decision to go off and do that movie,” she said in a press statement.

Produced by Brad Pitt and Dede Gardner, the film releases Aug 13 in the US. Also in the film are Richard Jenkins, Javier Bardem, Billy Crudup, James Franco and Viola Davis.

The India part of the film was shot last September at the Ashram Hari Mandir in Pataudi village, about 40 km from New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.

An ‘open market’ was also set up from the Pataudi Palace’s main entrance to the ashram to shoot some scenes. Murphy also shot some scenes with Roberts in Pataudi market and the nearby Mirzapur village.

The Oscar winning actress was here with her three children - four-and-a-half-year-old twins Hazel and Phinnaeus and two-year-old son Henry - and their nannies.

Roberts, once the world’s best-paid actress, also brought with her armed policemen, private security guards and burly bouncers to her guard.

The whole ashram and the Pataudi Palace, where the 41-year-old star stayed with her entourage, was booked.

Gilbert says she feels honoured to be portrayed by Roberts.

“Like many people of my generation, Julia is the face of our age, we’ve laughed and cried with her. She’s so iconic, it’s a tremendous honour.”

She also visited the actress during a shooting schedule in Rome and spent two days on the set. Gilbert said there was so much trouble with paparazzi there that security was extra-tight.

She watched on a monitor as Roberts sat in a cafe on the same street at the same time of year as Gilbert did a few years earlier.

“It was strange and lovely and weirdly moving,” Gilbert said. “I will not be able to tell if this movie is any good or not. I can’t look at it like that.”