English, Hinglish: Indian Filmmakers Get Experimental

NEW DELHI: Director Homi Adajania is set to bring to the table "Finding Fanny", an English language film with a cast of desi actors. The experiment is not new, but it stands a testimony to how the multiplex culture is allowing filmmakers to try new ways of attracting youth, say distributors.

"Finding Fanny", starring Arjun Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia, is a satirical movie which revolves around a journey of five "odd balls".

Indian movie distributors are confident that the film's release Sep 12 will open the doors for more filmmakers to come out with new themes and fresh concepts for a "target audience".

"The first look of 'Finding Fanny' is quite promising, and the script is looking really strong with dialogues in English. According to me, this movie will influence a large number of people," Delhi-based Sanjay Ghai of Mukta Arts, told IANS.

Of course, the Indian film world had seen movies like Aparna Sen's "36 Chowringhee Lane" and Dev Benegal's "English, August"; it was in the 1990s and 2000s that a string of English or Hinglish - a mix of Hindi and English language - films by Indian filmmakers came to the fore.

Some of them are "Hyderabad Blues", "Bombay Boys", "Being Cyrus", "Mr. and Mrs. Iyer", "15 Park Avenue", "Freaky Chakra", "The Last Lear" and "Everybody Says I'm Fine!"

Filmmakers tried their luck, but many couldn't get the desired appreciation.

In 2011, came "Delhi Belly". Starring Imran Khan, Virr Das and Kunaal Roy Kapur, the entertainer regaled a niche audience but it came as proof that the market is indeed open to fresh concepts, tongue-in-cheek adult humour and mature content.

Although Indian filmmakers today are trying to do films different from the run-of-the-mill formulas that have been done to death in the past, they face hurdles in getting expected results.