The return of Bachchan
Excited about coming back to South Africa to star in film ‘Happy Anniversary’
THE king of Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan, will travel to South Africa for the filming of the much awaited movies, Happy Anniversary and Aankhen 2.
Happy Anniversary also stars his son, Abhishek Bachchan, daughter-in-law and former Miss World, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, as well as former Miss Universe, Sushmita Sen. Aside from being a treat for Bollywood fans, the shoots are expected to be a boost for local tourism and job-creation.
Producer of the movies, Gaurang Doshi, said filming would commence in the first quarter of 2019, and done back to back. Doshi, director of the films Aankhen, Deewar and Bawandar, said he planned to make more films in South Africa in the future.
“The country boasts some of the best locations, dynamic film crews and friendly people. In return, we promise to showcase the beauty of South Africa and to assist in boosting the economy during the film-making period. We hope to provide employment opportunities for about 1 000 people and will be shooting for up to four months.
“We have no doubt these two films will pave the way forward for other international film-makers and stars to use South Africa as a platform for their film-making,” said Doshi.
Happy Anniversary was a romantic comedy-thriller portraying “new age” relationships and the values of relationships, he said. Its soundtrack was created by renowned playback singer Sonu Nigam and composer Siddhant Madhav. The film would be directed by writer-turned-director Neeraj Pathak.
Doshi said it was initially planned to make the films in 2013/2014. He said Rockstar Films, in conjunction with Gaurang Doshi Productions, would resume discussions with South Africa’s Department of Trade and Industry (dti) on updating the necessary processes to accommodate budget and script changes. In 2013, both films were approved and granted foreign film incentives by the dti.
Public relations officer for Rockstar Films Cynthia Johnston said most of the shooting would be in Cape Town, but location scouting in other provinces would be finalised only in January.
“Happy Anniversary was to be filmed back to back with another film in South Africa in 2014,” said Johnston. “Initially, the foreign film incentive application process with the dti took longer than anticipated, causing a delay. When we received the approval in January 2014, there was a dispute over rights of the second film, which lead to a court battle in India. This has been concluded.”
She said Amitabh Bachchan was excited about returning to South Africa, a country he held close to his heart. He appeared in Doshi’s thriller Aankhen, shot in South Africa in 2002.