This Article is From Mar 27, 2011

Tagore's Success Story To Be Made Into A Film

Highlights

  • Rabindranath Tagore's sudden international fame after winning the Nobel prize for his collection of poems Gitanjali and the spiritual influence he subsequently left on the European mindset would soon be captured into a Indo-British film.
  • "I am in the process of developing a script on a section of Tagore's life revolving on how his life changed dramatically around the year 1913 when he won the Nobel," UK-based director-producer Sangeeta Datta told PTI today during a visit to the city.
  • Co-inciding with the biopic would be the bard's 150th birth anniversary, which falls this year on May 7. Also, the next year 2013 would mark the completion of 100 years of his winning the Nobel prize for literature.
Kolkata: Rabindranath Tagore's suddeninternational fame after winning the Nobel prize for hiscollection of poems Gitanjali and the spiritual influence hesubsequently left on the European mindset would soon becaptured into a Indo-British film.

"I am in the process of developing a script on asection of Tagore's life revolving on how his life changeddramatically around the year 1913 when he won the Nobel,"UK-based director-producer Sangeeta Datta told PTI todayduring a visit to the city.

Co-inciding with the biopic would be the bard's 150thbirth anniversary, which falls this year on May 7. Also, thenext year 2013 would mark the completion of 100 years of hiswinning the Nobel prize for literature.

"Yes, it can be regarded as a tribute to him due tothe apt timing," said Datta, whose first feature film LifeGoes On starring Sharmila Tagore and Soha Ali Khan releasedlast Friday.

The yet-to-titled production would harp on theinfluence Tagore had on an international audience, Europe inparticular, and how Tagore became the voice of India'sspiritual heritage.

"In his early years, Tagore was little known outsidehis native Bengal. But when he began translating his worksinto English, he got instant fame. His poems made him analmost overnight sensation in London literary circles. Hislecture tours and tours of friendship across continents tookhim further closer to the West."

During the period 1910s Europe was looking for aspiritual support with the culmination of European militarismfollowed by the first world war, Datta pointed out adding thatit was during this time that the Europeans found solacethrough Gitanjali.

The director, who also runs Stormglass Productions inLondon, is currently scouting for financiers to fund herambitious project.

"As for the actor's part, I am looking for faces. Itwill probably have two actors playing Tagore - the one who wonthe Nobel as a 52-year-old and another one in his twenties,"said Datta.

On how did the idea of choosing Tagore stuck her, shesaid that literature has strongly influenced her life and herwork reflects that.

Even her debut film Life Goes On, which is acontemporary adaption of Shakespeare's period drama KingLear, had songs from Tagore's repertoire.

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