PROJEKT iVIEW : I AM MARIGOLD
iVIEW AUTHOR:
Babsy (Vienna, Austria)
email: babsy.a [at] gmx.at
What is “Marigold – The Film” about? It’s about a blonde actress, yet unknown, who goes to Mumbai and lands a role in a Bollywoodfilm. She starts learning Hindi, Bollywood dance, a lot about Indian culture, and falls for a very good looking Indian guy.
Well, I don’t know about the love story and the end, as the film is not released yet, but everything else is a description of my own life. Unless in my case it wasn’t Mumbai so far but London and New York. Oh, and Salman Khan is my favorite Indian actor, another reference to Marigold.
Film offers
My passion for the colorful world of Bollywood developed when I saw my first Hindi film “Chori Chori Chupke Chupke“ in 2005. I began to learn Hindi and Bollywood Dance to start a career as an actress in the Indian film industry. Soon I got the role of a dancer in a Tamil Film called “Tamil Manney Vanakkam“ which was to be shot in Vienna, Austria.
Then I traveled to New York on the set of “Jaan-E-Mann“, became by chance friends with the director Shirish Kunder – who is really a sweetheart – and applied for a role in his film as well as for the part of Katherine, Abhishek Bachchan’s American wife in “Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna“. Both films were shot at the same time in New York.
A little later I went to London and got the offer to dance in “Salaam-E-Ishq“, “Jhoom Barabar Jhoom“ and “Cheeni Kum“ , big Indian films with top stars. I even found an agency as well as a manger in London. I considered myself extremely lucky.
Later on I was flying to Germany to audition for the role of Nadja, the journalist in Himesh Reshammiya’s film debut “Aap Kaa Surrorr“. The film was supposed to be shot in Germany. I was very happy when I got the part right away. Back in Austria I told the press I am about to play my first speaking part in an Indian movie. The German speaking press actually supported me right from the beginning, probably due to the fact that I am known as Austria’s Marilyn Monroe and that I had acted in some European and American movies. But again, like Marigold, I am not a Hollywood superstar. So I was on TV and in the newspapers a lot, but not yet in front of a camera shooting for a Bollywood film. Why? Well, because in the end I didn’t play any of these roles. Most of the film schedules were delayed and some got even cancelled. Sometimes I had to fly back to Austria to perform as Marilyn on stage, and sometimes the location got changed. So there were great offers but date problems came between every time. What I gained from all that was, that I met actually every actor from the Hindi film industry and even became friends with some of them.
Film Festivals – The First Austrian Bollywoodfilm
Then I came up with the idea to produce my own Bollywood film. So in December 2006 The First Austrian Bollywood Short Film “Tere Ishq Mere Pyaar“ was born. I starred in the film and directed it. The film premiered at the International Asian Film Festival filmAsia in Graz, Austria, next to screenings of “Don”, “Kal Ho Naa Ho”, “Lage Raho Munna Bhai” and “Fanaa”. The film was also recently screened at the International Independent Film Festival Ohne Kohle in Vienna, Austria, where at the same time a “Tribute to Shahrukh Khan” runs with films like “Dil Se”, “Swades”, “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” and “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham”. A great honor for my small film, which was also selected for The Cape Town Bollywood Film Festival in South Africa where A-list Bollywood actors are expected to see the movie.
IIFA – Bollywood Documentary
In the meantime I went to Yorkshire to visit the IIFA awards and to shoot for my next project, a Bollywood Documentary. There I was filmed with actors like Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Saif Ali Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Govinda, Boman Irani and Upen Patel.
I gave some radio interviews for BBC Asian Network, and the English press also reported on my “Happy Birthday“ song in Marilyn Monroe style for Shilpa Shetty and my performance at the Oxfam sari fashion show. Again I came in touch with Marigold when the film’s press conference took place as one of the IIFA events in England. Do I need to mention that the director Willard Carroll said the very first Hindi film he ever watched was “Chori Chori Chupke Chupke” and that the film inspired him to shoot “Marigold” because he loved it so much?
Happy End
While working hard on all my projects, I got even more offers and the lead role in “Marilyn in Bollywood”, a film about a Marilyn Monroe look-alike breaking into Bollywood! The film’s produced by one of the biggest production companies in Austria and will be shot in Mumbai. Finally the Happy End for Marigold? I don’t know yet, the film is supposed to go on floors by the end of this year. But here we are again, a blonde actress is going to Mumbai and ….
{ Related links:
Babsy Artner – www.BabsyArtner.com
Babsy’s Bollywood – http://home.pages.at/marilyn/bollywood/bollywood.html
Film Tere Ishq Mere Pyaar – http://home.pages.at/marilyn/bollywood/timp/timp.html
Trailer1 – http://www.myvideo.de/watch/1147087
Trailer2 – http://www.myvideo.de/watch/797354
Teaser (IIFA) – http://www.myvideo.de/watch/1764305
}
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
Hey Babsy, welcome on PFC,
Nice read about your passion about hindi films. Many promises given to you by others did not fulfil but hope in future they are fulfilled.
welcome again
Hey RK! Thanks so much for your warm welcome!
Yes, many promises were given to me. Even at the moment I am in talks for 4 roles, getting even only one of them could lead me to where I want to go. I feel there is so much I could give, for me it’s not only the run after fame and wealth, it’s more the wish to fulfill my dream and my absolute passion for cinema.
I can’t wait to see Marigold – the film to find out what happens in the end. ;)
Hey Babsy! Thanks for sharing. Here’s welcoming you on PFC, and wishing you the very best in your bollywood endeavors. May your dreams be fulfilled.
welcome to PFC babsy.. great start, and wishing you the best for the future!
>-
Welcome Babsy. best of luck for your future in Hindi cinema and hope you get more offers which would prove your efficiencies as an actress not dancer or junior artist.
ALB again…
My sincere wishes and modest advice to you is not work in any run of the mill projects in the Indian Film Industry. By the way, lot of people dislike the term “Bollywood” here ;) Haha!
The best thing you can do is have your agent arrange an Interview with one of the major news channels like NDTV or CNN-IBN, they do have Entertainment News sections. I am sure it should not be tough for your agent to do this…
Then, If you don’t already have one, start your website and see offers pouring in! (It’s better to have your site ready before you give your interview)
Next, Come to Mumbai and become a brand ambassador for some social cause like Peta or Beta or whatever…
Looks like you are damn serious about your career and I definitely see passion. But you gotta do such stuff to be in circulation! And don’t learn Hindi! Please…
Whatever I saw till now, the best white actress in Indian cinema till today is “Rachel Shelley” who played “Elizabeth” in Lagaan. With more and more scripts coming out which have non-Indian actors, I am sure you will become a top actress in Indian Cinema, and may come a time where filmmakers come out with subjects to suit you. All the best!
By the way, forgot to ask you one thing…If you are Marigold, did you fall in love with any “Bollywood” hero too?
Well…C’mon…you can tell us! We are all good friends!! Aw’rite!! who is it!!
@ wb, striker
Thanks so much for your welcome and good wishes! This is mind-blowing! (A term I just love.)
@Shailesh
You are right. Dancer or junior artist is not what I want, but easier to get in the beginning. But then it might be better to start with a good role right away, so I’m acutally happy I didn’t appear in one of the films in the background. What I was really surprised about is, that I got offers for speaking parts so early. :o I think that’s a good sign. Thanks for your good wishes!
@Machchar
I know many people don’t like the term “Bollywood”. :”> I have to confess I do though. I really like the idea of coming to Mumbai and becoming a brand ambassador for PETA. What an idea! I’ll think about it.
I’m very serious about my acting career, but why shouldn’t I learn Hindi? I LOVE the language, it’s so melodic and sounds cute. I actually have so many reasons to learn it, not only for a career.
About the Hero – yes, of course! ;) But I won’t tell! No, seriously …. we’ll have to wait and watch “Marigold – The Film” to find out what happens in the end. :d/
Now that’s not fair!!! I thought I atleast would get a sneak peek at the story before it releases!
I am guessing that the Heroine falls in love with a bollywood hero but finally has two options, go back to her country for a big studio film and leave her love back or she finally makes the sacrifice and comes running through the airport to jump on the hero and hug him! (Melodious background music)
By the way…doesn’t this story sound very familiar?
So what kind of Hero’s do you like to be your hero? Handsome, Big, brawny and stupid or plain and intelligent?
And I am guessing one more of the reason for learning Hindi is to talk mushy stuff with your “Hero” in his native language? Okay, now come off it…who is it!
machchar.. to quote aamir from sarfarosh.. arz hai..
phool khilte hain, bahaaron ka sama hota hai,
aise mausam mein hi tho pyar jawan hota hai,
dil ki baaton ko hothon se nahin kehte,
yeh fasaana tho, nigaahon se bayaan hota hai
[approximate translation...
flowers bloom, spring surrounds us
this is the season in which love is young n vibrant,
the thoughts of the heart cannot be expressed with the lips,
these sentiments are expressed with the eyes]
RK, my knowledge of urdu is not upto par, so please correct me if i’m wrong
Striker: wonderful
someone rather Nasikh has written
“Something is sprouting in your heart, cherish it”… !!! hehehehe, good one.
) this is the real RK bhai.
“now we know why you had tilted the head in that way when you said something in grin in that ad for PFC” awesome connection.
Grevista, I have translated your poem by Aamir inti Portugese…I hope Babsy understands that language as it sounds exotic hehe!
“as flores flor, mola cercam-nos
esta