Jayaprada eyes Hollywood
This Southern siren has her fingers in all pies-she started as an actor, went on to become a politician, also maintaining her passion for dance through her Amrapali dance troupe. And now, Jaya Prada has debut as a film producer with Bengali film ' Shesh Sanghat'. She talks to India Blooms correspondent Sreya Basu in Kolkata
What prompted you to become a producer?
I can't stick to a particular genre for long. We have one life and hence should do the maximum we can in this limited time. I like trying new things all the time. In this case, I always wanted to produce a film, but was not getting enough time to be able to shoulder the responsibility. But why did you decide to start with a regional filmæ´¨at too a Bengali one?You will find the reason weird, but it's true. I have a soul-connection with Bengali film industry. During my early years in the film industry, once I met world famous filmmaker Satyajit Ray. I was awestruck at his stature. He walked up to me and said: 'You are one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen.' I felt like fainting (smiles)! I was so overwhelmed and full of gratitude; and that very moment decided if I ever get a chance I will do something for the Bengali film industry. I could have very well started as a producer of a Hindi film, but I made up my mind to start with a Bengali one.
So you learnt Bengali for 'Shesh Sanghat'?
I am still learning and try to speak Bengali every now and thenæ‰ love the language. But I didn't have to speak Bengali in this film. 'Shesh Sanghat' is set at the Bengal-Bihar border. The story is about a woman's jihad on the society after it exploits her. I play the protagonist based in Bihar, so stuck to Hindi only.
What kind of films do you plan to produce under the banner of Rainbow Jayaprada Entertainmentz?
We will be producing films in all languagesæ¡®d will give chance to young talents.
Are you doing any films at the moment?
Yesæ´¨ere are some films. One of them is an English film, 'The Desire', directed by Sharad. I am playing an Odissi dancer and Shilpa Shetty's mother in the film. There's a Chinese hero in the film. It's an Indo-Chinese joint venture.
Text& Images: India Blooms News Service/Sreya Basu
