[Breaking News India]: Le prime del 30 ottobre 2015: Main Aur Charles

8 novembre 2015

Le prime del 30 ottobre 2015: Main Aur Charles

Questo sì che è uno di quei ruoli per cui qualunque attore farebbe carte false. Avete letto la biografia in Wikipedia del serial killer di origini indiane Charles Sobhraj? Un noir da brivido, con tutte le carte in regola per suscitare l'interesse di romanzieri e sceneggiatori: alta società, glamour, località esotiche, donne avvenenti, gioielli preziosi, truffe, rocambolesche evasioni e brutali omicidi. E quale attore indiano potrebbe interpretare in un film un personaggio così fascinoso, carismatico e demoniaco? Facile: il conturbante Randeep Hooda. Ci ha pensato anche Prawaal Raman, il regista dell'acclamato thriller 404 del 2011. Il suo Main Aur Charles potrebbe essere la pellicola rivelazione dell'anno, considerando anche che il main (io in hindi - aur significa e) del titolo è l'ottimo Adil Hussain, nel ruolo di Amod Kanth, l'investigatore che si occupò del caso (nonché delle indagini sull'assassinio di Rajiv Gandhi e di Jessica Lal - ricordate il film No one killed Jessica?). Un'accoppiata davvero stellare. Trailer. La colonna sonora non è niente male. Ne sono prova i brani Neeli Bullet, Jab Chaye Mera Jadoo (quest'ultimo è una moderna versione di Jab Chaye Mera Jadoo, di Rajesh Roshan - zio di Hrithik Roshan -, tratto da Lootmaar, pellicola del 1980 diretta e interpretata da Dev Anand), Ya Rabba e Woh Tho Yahin Hai Lekin. Ne approfitto per offrirvi di seguito una serie di video, interviste, locandine e fotografie.

- Video: chat organizzata dal fascinoso Randeep Hooda nel suo profilo Facebook il 23 settembre 2015 (al minuto 10.50 l'attore parla di Roma - grazie a Monica per il link). Sopravvissute? A fatica, lo so.

- Video Bollywood Hungama: intervista congiunta concessa da Randeep e da Richa Chadha, 20 ottobre 2015

- Video: trasformazione di Hooda in Charles, 27 ottobre 2015

- Video India Today: partecipazione di Randeep al Mind Rocks Youth Summit 2015, 31 ottobre 2015

- Reel Charles Sobhraj - Randeep Hooda meets the real Charles in Kathmandu jail, Priya Gupta, The Times of India, 27 ottobre 2015. L'articolo contiene le controverse dichiarazioni rilasciate dall'attore all'indomani del suo incontro, in una prigione nepalese, con il vero Charles (Hooda, comunque, aveva incontrato anche il vero Kanth):

'Talk about the details of your meeting?

I had gone dressed looking myself and not dressed as Charles, so when he saw me he could not recognise till I told him, 'I am the guy who plays Charles.' He looked at me with a long silence and then gave me a thumbs up. I had heard from our sources that he had seen the trailer of our film on his TV there and had liked it. We wanted to present him the poster of the movie. But he had not only already seen the poster, but had already put it up on the wall of the jail. (...) He told us how seeing the trailer, he felt that the film was a great quality product and seeing it, he felt nostalgic about his young life. He told us how it needed guts for producers to make a film like this and he applauded Prawaal Raman for capturing it right. He was specially very high on the fact that I could portray him so correctly. He asked me, 'Where did you get my speech and mannerisms?' I said, 'Out of your available footage.' He said, 'Spot on.' (...) He requested for a screening of the movie after it releases not only for himself, but also for all his 3,000 inmates. He asked me whether it would be possible. I said, 'Yes. We will need to take permission but we will try our best.' (...)

How do you feel having met him?

I am so happy meeting him. It was such a surreal experience for me. He was everything larger than life that I had expected him to be. He was surrounded by security and a lot of his young boys that he pampers and he was all like enthusiastic about meeting us. I thought he was so full of life, almost virile. He is still such a handsome man. Even at the age of 72, he has his aura fully intact.

Has he sent any message?

He sent his salaam to Amod Kanth. He complimented us for choosing to portray this part of his life, which he said was very interesting. He also said that once he was out of jail, he would like to meet Prawaal and me to share more interesting stories about his life, which could mean more sequels to his story'.

- Adil Hussain: Charles Sobhraj like Hitler believed that what he did was correct, Priya Gupta, Bombay Times, 30 ottobre 2015:

'Talk about your journey of becoming an actor?

I come from a town of Assam called Goalpara. (...) I started acting (both in English and Assamese) from when I was seven and would participate in my school plays every year. It was when I was in Class VIII that I decided that I wanted to be an actor. (...) The most important part of acting for me was how I enjoyed acting. My father was a headmaster of a high secondary school and could not afford to pay for my learning to act. But then, I came to know about NSD [National School of Drama], possibly the only institution in the world that pays you to learn. (...) I was already doing regional television and films at the age of 17, post which I joined NSD. Post NSD, I got a scholarship to learn acting in England, post which I returned to India to train again for nine years before I did my first play In Othello. (...) The play was made into a film that was just released in Europe for the festivals. I then got my first big Hindi break in (...) Ishqiya. (...)

I think 1998 was both my lowest or you could say, my highest period. I met and fell in love with this woman in Amsterdam while I was studying there, who was half Dutch and half Indian. I was planning to move to India to train in acting with my teacher in a place that did not have electricity or running water. I knew it would be difficult for her to stay with me in such conditions but she insisted and we moved to India. She brought out the worst in me and while till then I had been this nice, friendly and helpful guy who never shouted at anybody ever, I got introduced and exposed to my other side, the mad, angry side. And while I am grateful to her for showing me that side of me that nobody likes of themselves, I went through an emotional turmoil to the point of almost losing my mind. (...)

Your wife Kristen too is half Indian. What makes you fall in love with half Indians?

Yes, my wife Kristen is half Jain and half American. I realised much later that I am a mixed Indian myself as my maternal grandfather was from Iraq and maternal grandmother, a mix of Assamese, English and Italian so may be somewhere that explains my attraction to women who were half Indians. (...)

Do you have friends in the film industry? (...)

Randeep Hooda is a friend who would stand by me. He is very honest and upfront and says what he feels within. He is not like me and would not care what people would think about it. That's an important quality as an actor, as a good actor is about being clean. He's a very good and sensitive actor. (...)

What made you play the role of Amod Kanth in Main Aur Charles? (...)

I have met Amod Kanth in real life and I love the conviction he has to do whatever he does. He is the most honest man I have ever met. (...) I love Amod Kanth's integrity, his conviction, his responsibility to society that is so inspiring and rare these days'.

#WorthDyingFor #MainAurCharles

Vedi anche River to River Florence Indian Film Festival 2015, 9 novembre 2015.