Paul Cox keeps his word, shoots parts of Force of Destiny in Kerala

Renowned Australian filmmaker, Paul Cox, a familiar face at the International Film Festival of Kerala, had assured his fans here in 2012 that India will also be part of his next film. A few days ago, he wrapped up the shooting of his next project titled Force of Destiny starring Lord of the Rings – fame David Wenham, Bollywood actress Shahana Goswami and National award winner Seema Biswas.Australia and Kerala were the main locations for the film.
The director says, “The film is based on my experiences, which I scribbled into a book titled Tales from the Cancer Ward. I needed a liver transplant and was told I don’t have many days left. However, the world was not done with me (laughs). In the film, David Wenham plays a sculptor, Robert, who also needs a liver transplant. Shahana’s character, Maya, meets him at this juncture. The film also has many Malayali hands, especially Baby Mathew who co-produces the film with Mark Patterson, without whom this would not have happened.”
Paul’s name got etched in the minds of Malayali movie buffs after a copyright controversy. The Mohanlal-starrer film Pranayam, directed by Blessy, was alleged to be a copy of Cox’s famous film Innocence. Blessy denied it, and Cox’s fans were keen to award him in the credits for Pranayam’s success, but Paul remained cool. “Whether it is based on my film or not, it does not matter. I don’t want to make an issue out of it and I’m happy if the story has reached a wider audience. I would also love to meet the director and watch the film, if I get a chance,” he said in 2012. Did he get time to watch it later? “Oh, not yet, but I would not mind, if time permits,” he adds.