My senses were overloaded during my stay in India
Asensory overload — that’s how Hollywood actor Sam Neill describes the time he spent shooting in India. The actor, who is best-known for starring in the Jurassic Park franchise, visited Mumbai and Jodhpur in the ’90s to shoot The Jungle Book (1994).
“When you say ‘India’ to me, all the time I spent making it (the film) comes back to me so vividly. It was an amazing experience. I found it overwhelming,” he tells us. extraordinary place”, he continues, “We stayed at the enormous palace of the Maharaja of Jodhpur, the part which is a hotel. It was the most beautiful place.”
As exhilarating as his stay in India was, he shares that it still makes him anxious. “I still get anxious when I think of hurtling down Indian roads in one of those sort of ’50s Morris taxis, dodging people carrying things, weaving around cars. I would have to close my eyes in cars because every minute, we seemed to be close to death. But in India, it seemed completely normal,” he quips and adds, “After eight or 10 weeks, I got on the plane and thought to myself, ‘It is the most extraordinary experience of my life’. But I just needed a little calm.”
Elaborating further on his connection with India, the actor — who has featured in projects such as My Brilliant Career (1979), Omen III: The Final Conflict, Possession (both 1981), and The Piano (1993) — reveals his ancestors “served in India with the Army”. As a happy coincidence, he says, “In the version of The Jungle Book, I was playing the role of a British Army officer, just like my ancestors were.”
Elated to return to the Jurassic World universe as palaeontologist Alan Grant with the upcoming film, Jurassic World Dominion, he says, “Getting back as Alan was great, as I was working with some very old friends, (actors) Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern. When we were making the first part, we survived a hurricane. This time, we survived a pandemic. We never thought we would be able to complete the film. We got through it. We survived. Moreover, it’s something that a lot of people are going to get a lot of pleasure out of.”
When you say ‘India’ to me, all the time I spent making The Jungle Book comes back to me so vividly. It was amazing. I found it overwhelming.