Spontaneous applause greeted the London premiere of Subhash Ghai's latest production, Joggers' Park, starring veteran actor Victor Banerjee and Perizaad Zorabian (Bollywood Calling).
The preview, which screened at London's Golden Square, depicts the unfulfilled love affair between a 62-year-old retired judge and a young woman less than half his age who works as a hotel executive.
The daring plot in which the retired judge has to choose between his family and his girlfriend is unashamedly aimed at India's metro audiences, admits Bollywood showman Ghai. The subtle nuances of their relationship and the absence of a classically happy ending with an endless supply of playback singing is also new.
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The dialogue divides easily between English and Hindi throughout the course of the film.
Dubbing the dialogue as Hinglish, Ghai adds, "Every metro Indian speaks half-English and half-Hindi. In fact, most Indians speak a mix of English, Punjabi, Bengali or Tamil. This film is a recognition of that reality. Actually, that's also how the dialogue was written."
Ghai, who has not directed a film since Yaadein (2001), starring Jackie Shroff, Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor, claims he will return to direction this October with a big budget international film.
Asked why he feels the need to resume his role as director, Ghai says, "It's because my audience keeps hitting me; it's their love, they say they want me back as a director."
Joggers' Park is directed by Anant Balani, who passed away on August 28. The worldwide release of the film is scheduled for September 12.
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