Ghose in top Gere?

While “Moner Manush” is ready for release in India and Bangladesh on December 3, Goutam Ghose is all set to begin the shooting for his next feature film, titled “Lala”.
The Hindi-English bilingual film is based on a “The Story of Lala” by Sergio Scapagnini and has been further developed by Ghose himself. The film, which will bring in the issues of the Narmada Bachao Andolan in the context of human displacement of a boy, might star Richard Gere in the role of an author.
Speaking about the film, Ghose says, “This is an old project of mine. I had chanced upon a story penned by Sergio. It was written for young girls to express the endurance of a child. The story was about how a child is forced to leave his village and move to Mumbai. His only dream is to buy a plot of land for his father which he has been tilling for years as a tenant. I developed the story further and contextualized it in Madhya Pradesh and integrated it with the backdrop of the Narmada Bachao Andolan. For me, this movement has a lot to do beyond the ecological matters.”
Without getting overtly political, “Lala” will deal with the issues of human displacement. “This young boy meets up with a European author who had written a book on Madhya Pradesh. After 20 years, this author returns to Madhya Pradesh to see what kind of development had happened. It is during this reality check that he chances upon Lala on the Juhu beach. This meeting changes his whole outlook towards the Narmada Bachao Andolan,” Ghose adds.
Ghose is now in talks with Richard Gere to play the role of the author. “Sergio was the producer of an award-winning documentary on His Holiness Dalai Lama. Richard Gere is also very close to Dalai Lama. I am in talks with him to play the role,” the director says. As for the 11-year-old boy, Ghose wants to cast a new actor. “There are a lot of child actors who’ve done very well in recent movies. That boy in “Taare Zameen Par” did so well. I am hoping to cast a fresh face to play the boy,” he adds.
Considering the Narmada Bachao Andolan is a very important part of the film, will Medha Patkar feature in the film too? “I have had long discussions with Medha regarding this movie. She has helped me a lot and given me a lot of contacts that has helped me during my recee. There is a part in the film where I could have Medha doing a cameo. But, I am yet to decide whether to shoot that in a documentary style or not.”
Shooting for this Indo-Italian co-production will be done in the Nimad Valley of Madhya Pradesh, Mumbai and some parts of either south of France or south of Italy. “My script requires me to shoot either in early spring or during the monsoons,” he signs off.
Seems like Ghose is already in top Gere!