By Subhash K Jha

Abhishek Bachchan, currently shooting in Goa for Ashutosh Gowariker’s period film “Khelenge Hum Jee Jaan Se’, is using his spare time to cruise the beaches and caves to understand how the Goan underbelly works. He’s also trying to pick up Portuguese and Konkanese for the character of the drug-busting cop he plays in Rohan Sippy’s film.

Since a lot of the film is to be shot on the crowded streets and beaches of Goa director Rohan Sippy will construct sets whenever actual Goan locations would be impossible to shoot.

Since Rohan Sippy’s next directorial venture is about drug-peddling in Goa the filmmaker, lately married, is looking at a cast that can look as Goan as humanly possible.

The actors are being chosen on the basis of their ability to fit into the Goan ambience.

Says Rohan, “I want to get into the Cinéma vérité (French term for realistic French cinema) with this film. I’m deeply inspired by the realistic style used in Steven Soderbergh’s “Traffic’ and even “District 9′, though that’s not at all the space I’m entering in my new film. Even my crime caper “Bluffmaster’ was shot on actual locations. But now I want to capture the real Goanese ethos and spirit. And for that I need my actors to act, look, behave dress and speak like Goans.”

Abhishek Bachchan is the only actor who has been finalized. “We’re in talks with others including Prateik Babbar. But no one except Abhishek has been finalized. Like I said I want actors who can look like authentic Goans,” informs Rohan.

It has been more than four years since Rohan Sippy directed “Bluffmaster’. “Why only that? I’ve directed only two films in seven years. Now my writer Sridhar Raghavan has written three scripts that I’d like to direct. Hopefully I’d like to make up for lost time.”

Speaking shyly on his new wife for the first time Rohan says, “She was the line producer for my production “Chandni Chowk To China’ and also on board for Arjun Rampal’s production. She’s a very private person and doesn’t like me discussing her in public.”

By the way, no Aishwarya with Abhishek Bachchan in Rohan Sippy’s untitled film. “The minute I think of a project I think of both of them in the cast. Though my new film has a couple of strong female parts Aishwarya doesn’t fit in,” says Rohan sadly.

Aishwarya has her own Goan tale coming up in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Guzaarish’. So she needn’t feel left out.

-Sampurn Media