If you thought Switzerland was all about gossamer Yash Chopra romances with songs in the snow, think again. The high-voltage climax of The Hero, a Rs 500-million action flick, has Sunny Deol battling nuclear terrorist Amrish Puri and gang aboard a red train hurtling through pretty Jungfrau, a Swiss Alpine town perched at 14,000 ft. Adding the zeroes to producer Hasmukh Shah's budget were the six army helicopters required to fly beside the train. Suffice to say, the pretty Alpine country will never be the same again. At least not after the Swiss tourist authorities discover their picturesque country was standing in for Canada.

Spiritual Recreation

There's a fascinating tale behind Ronu Mazumdar's album, Krishna's Journey. On a foreign jaunt Mazumdar was once stopped by the customs authorities at an airport. A search of his baggage revealed the Indian bansuri, which aroused the curiosity of the foreigners who had heard only about the western flute. Mazumdar played the instrument and held them spell-bound. "I want to be like Lord Krishna-enchanting people with my music," smiles Mazumdar. That gave birth to Krishna's Journey.

The album has eight pieces with specific themes. Krishna janama, the birth of Krishna, is based on the popular raga, Bhairavi. The verse Yadaa yadaa hi dharmasya is poignant with an array of voices. Bal leela is aptly interpreted through the folk music of Uttar Pradesh. Mazumdar has used raga Maanj-Khamaj to express the immortal love of Radha-Krishna. Mathura gaman is a tearful bidaai to Krishna. The other farewell song is Pardham gaman, Krishna's departure from the earthly place.

For any music to be popular, it has to touch the human chord. And Mazumdar succeeds in his task with the help of Satish Vyas (santoor), Ashit Desai (vocal) and Atul Raninga (keyboard). If you want to spend a quiet evening in meditation, go for it.

— S. Sahaya Ranjit

AMITABH BACHCHAN
"I am very nostalgic about the earlier Deewar"

Wooed by every filmmaker, Amitabh Bachchan has signed a war epic: Gaurang Doshi's Deewar-Let's Bring Our Heroes Home. Made at the cost of Rs 30 crore, the story revolves around 54 prisoners of war and their escape.

Q. What made you sign Deewar...?
A. It was a great script and I have a long association with the Doshis. Gaurang's father was the man behind Nastik and also responsible for me doing a lot of films. Now I am working with his son-an extremely articulate and well-read man. We did Aankhen together and I am looking forward to working with Sanjay Dutt, who's like a family friend, and Akshaye Khanna, one of the finest acting talents in the country.

Q. We hear the role was tailormade for you.
A. I am honoured to be working in this film. Their desire to do something different is infectious.

Q. You have more than 20 films on hand. How does it feel to be the busiest actor today?
A. I wouldn't look at it as a good thing. These young actors are making smart moves and choices by concentrating only on one film today. I do think I am working on too many films.

Q. Are you nostalgic about the title Deewar?
A. It is difficult to compare the two films ... But I am nostalgic about the earlier Deewar-that was one of the best films written by Salim-Javed. I hope this will be as big a milestone in my career.

— Nidhi Taparia Rathi

Beyond Boundaries

It's an inexplicable paradox. While bubblegum romances by the Mumbai makers continue to strike pots of gold in the overseas market, it is not Bollywood that is seen as the money-spinner back home-a point explicitly made by filmmaker Dev Benegal. "It is not Bollywood that is going to succeed in India. It is films like these-hard hitting, emotional, cynical-that will woo the Indian audience." Benegal was speaking at the opening of the first Indian Diaspora Film Festival in Mumbai held this week-a result of two years of his relentless labour tracking, watching and curating 36 short and feature films by British-Asian filmmakers that were part of the festival fare. "The idea is to show those films which have slipped through the cracks and have not been seen in India at all," Benegal said.

The week-long festival commenced with a seminar on the shaping of the narrative and its interpretation by the diaspora. Actor Om Puri, whose two films were screened at the festival, referred to the quaintness of the word "diaspora". "Call them pravasi, crossover, people of Indian origin. Diaspora is a strange phenomenon today," he said. Asif Kapadia, fresh from his baftas, said that there are rules to shoot films in India: "You have to figure out the system and then it all becomes simple." Fifteen short films were also screened at the festival that will also travel to Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore.

"Wait till the diaspora begins making 800 films like Bollywood does. Then Bollywood won't even survive!" thundered Benegal. That may take time. For now, the festival was fairly successful. As filmmaker Udayan Prasad said, "Some distributors have expressed interest." He is hoping for a theatrical release of his film.

— Nidhi Taparia Rathi