Brett Lee's 'Bollywood goes bogan car crash’ movie shadowed by controversy

August 21, 2016

Mumbai, Aug 21: An Australian film critic described it as a "Bollywood goes bogan car crash" but when UnIndian opened on screens across India this week it was generally to positive reviews.

Brett Lee

‘The breezy love story is realistic and so is the spontaneous humour’ wrote a critic in the Times of India. ‘Brett Lee, the former cricketer-turned-actor, is surprisingly a natural on camera.’

Even a review in the Hindustan Times, which bagged the film’s plot as being ‘lazily drafted, clichéd and poppadum-thin, with one dimensional and stereotypical characters’, praised Mr Lee’s acting abilities.

‘On the performance front, fast bowler Brett Lee is a pleasant surprise,’ the review said. ‘He portrays Will with the natural flair of an actor. He endears you by being transparent with his emotions.’

The film, an Australian Indian co-production, is a romantic comedy set in Sydney in which Mr Lee plays Will Henderson, who teaches Aussie English to migrants.

He falls in love with single mum Meera, played by Indian actor, Tannishtha Chatterjee. Meera’s parents are looking for a good match for their daughter and have their eyes on an Australian-Indian cardiologist.

The film that audiences are watching in India is slightly different from the one released in Australia last year. India’s censorship board insisted the sex scene be toned down and shortened. UnIndian’s director Anupam Sharma was not happy with the decision and reminded journalists that India gave the world the Karma Sutra.

Mr Lee avoided being drawn into the censorship debate during an interview to promote the film, although he did admit to feeling nervous about doing the sex scene. His co-star’s acting experience, he said, helped him deal with his nerves.

“There was this nervous energy, but we got through it. She kept stirring me and going ‘15 minutes ‘til the big scene.’”

Mr Lee was one of the fastest bowlers in the history of cricket, which made him hugely popular in cricket-mad India, and since his retirement he has used his fame to build a successful career on the subcontinent – in advertising and as a commentator.

‘UnIndian’ is part of the scripted plot for his post-cricket career, which includes endorsements for sports centres, motor oils and water purifiers.

And while Mr Lee is keen to endorse products and appear in the media to promote his film, he has so far not responded to any questions about an Indian company called Pearls. Mr Lee was paid almost $300,000 to promote Pearls as its ‘brand ambassador’.

Pearls, it turned out, was operating a Ponzi scam, which had tens of thousands of agents across India selling land packages for land that didn’t exist. Many of those who invested lived in slums or were poor villagers.

The scam ran for many years and Indian police believe that as many as 50 million small-time investors may have been ripped off to the tune of $10 billion.

Money was siphoned off by the Indian directors who are now in jail awaiting trial, and was used to buy real estate in India, and abroad, including the purchase of the Sheraton Mirage hotel on the Gold Coast and other luxury properties.

There is no suggestion that Mr Lee was involved in or knew that Pearls was running a Ponzi scheme, but the Indian investors strongly believe he should return the money he made.

Indian authorities have recently joined an action in the Federal Court in Brisbane to recover more than $130m dollars they say was siphoned off by Pearls and invested in real estate in Australia.

Harish Bijoor, who is a brand consultant in India, said he believes Mr Lee should be talking publicly about his association with Pearls.

“I would have advised Brett Lee to actually get out there and say ‘Hey guys, I didn’t know. Hey guys, I’m sorry. Hey guys, let me do something back for you’,” Mr Bijoor said.

While Indian police have charged the directors with fraud, a committee headed by the former Chief Justice of India, RM Lodha, has been formed to try to recover the billions of dollars stolen.

Australian authorities have promised Indian authorities that they will help them recover the money that ended up in Australia.

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News Network
June 22,2020

New Delhi, Jun 22: Musician Madonna, who is a mother of six, wished herself on the occasion of Father's Day on Sunday by posting adorable pictures with her kids.

Along with pictures, the 'Crazy For You' singer penned down a beautiful caption, wishing herself and every parent a 'Happy Father's Day' for nurturing and guiding their children in the best way possible.

"Happy Fathers Day to Me and to every parent out there doing their best to Nurture, Guide, Inspire, and Teach! #Lola #Rocco #David #Mercyjames #Estere #Stella," the 61-year-old singer wrote in the caption.

Madonna is the biological mother to two of her six children and has adopted the rest four.

She had adopted her first child Davida Banda back in 2006 and then she adopted a boy in 2009. The last addition to her family were the twins she adopted from Malawi.

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Agencies
June 26,2020

Los Angeles, Jun 26: Warner Bros has moved its Christopher Nolan-directed espionage thriller Tenet from July 31 to August 12.

It's the second delay for the highly-anticipated movie, which was originally scheduled to release on July 17 but was postponed to July 31 due to coronavirus pandemic.

Warner Bros. is committed to bringing Tenet' to audiences in theaters, on the big screen, when exhibitors are ready and public health officials say it's time. In this moment what we need to be is flexible, and we are not treating this as a traditional movie release.

We are choosing to open the movie mid-week to allow audiences to discover the film in their own time, and we plan to play longer, over an extended play period far beyond the norm, to develop a very different yet successful release strategy, a Warner Bros spokesperson said in a statement to Deadline.

The studio has also delayed the US re-release of Nolan's sci-fi blockbuster Inception, in honour of the film's 10th anniversary, to July 31.

Tenet features John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Kenneth Branagh, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Michael Caine, Clemence Poesy, Dimple Kapadia and Himesh Patel.

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News Network
June 16,2020

Mumbai, Jun 16: Filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee remembers Sushant Singh Rajput as a dance loving 'chhokra' from an engineering college who, having made it in Bollywood, was “enthused, sincere and totally focused” on his craft.

Banerjeee said the actor always had “a book or two” with him and took pride in the fact that he had an “inner intellectual life away from the shallower aspects of showbiz”.

Rajput was found dead in his Bandra apartment on Sunday at the age of 34, leaving his friends, colleagues and collaborators in a state of shock.

The Patna-born actor and the director worked together in 2015 film "Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!" when Rajput was a relative newcomer in the industry. Banerjee says it was Rajput's vulnerability and willingness to do different that made him stand out for the role.

In an interview with news agency, the filmmaker looks back at Rajput's sincerity, his love for science and astronomy and how an outsider has to work harder than a "mediocre, unmotivated and entitled establishment elite" to succeed in Bollywood.

Excerpts:

You worked with Sushant when he was less than two-year-old in the film industry. What struck you the most in him to cast as Detective Byomkesh Bakshy?

Banerjee: His vulnerability and intensity and the ambition to do different things than the usual Bollywood stuff.

What were your memories of Sushant- the actor and the person?

Banerjee: As an actor he would tense himself up for the scene and then completely plunge in take after take. He would put a lot of value on preparation. He would be up the previous night of the shoot, reading the scene and making notes and land up on the sets all raring to go.

He would be on, ready and give his hundred per cent throughout the shoot of Byomkesh - no matter how hard or long the day. The unit did not really have to worry about him - considering he was the star. That's what I remember - a total pro, enthused, sincere and totally focused.

As a person, he seemed to me a happy dance loving 'chhokra' from an engineering college who had made it in showbiz and now was serious about acting. He was deeply nostalgic about his carefree student days in Delhi. We used to laugh a lot - I remember that quite clearly.

Sushant's friends say that he spoke more about books and his love for astronomy than films and their fate, which is rare for an actor in the industry. Do you also remember him that way?

Banerjee: Totally true. He was a science and astronomy nut. Always had a book or two with him - and was proud of the fact that he had an inner intellectual life away from the shallower aspects of showbiz. I recognized it as a reflex, protective action to prevent the Bollywood swamp sucking him in totally. And also an identity he wanted to protect and project.

Sushant's death has brought to the fore the struggles of outsiders and the alienation they often face from the nepotistic culture of the industry. Did you feel that Sushant was also fighting this battle despite being a successful actor?

Banerjee: We all fight it, day in and out - whether successful or failing. But the trick is to define that success and failure ourselves and not let the narrative constantly forced by the establishment to get to you. Those who know this weather the storm and ultimately survive and thrive.

The biggest unfairness in all this is that it takes double the talent, energy and hard work for an outsider to convince the audience and the industry that he or she is as safe a box office bet as a mediocre, unmotivated and entitled establishment elite.

The media colludes in this by wallowing in family, coterie and celebrity worship. This leads to deep anger and frustration. Those who can let this slide survive. Those who can't - those who hurt a little more or are vulnerable and impressionable - they are at risk.

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