feature
International Facilitation
Mystic India (The Journey) 2003
Director - Keith Melton
Producers - BAPS
This was a gigantic production shot over three months in various parts of India and Nepal, from the deserts of Gujarat to Muktinath in the Himalayas, from the Ganges at Rishikesh to the backwaters of Kerala, in rain, snow, sandstorm and sunshine, with seven thousand extras, reproductions of ancient temples, a Hollywood lion, several stunts and a crew that included hundreds of religious devotees - all in a period drama and shot on large format IMAX. See
www.mysticindia.com for more details.
Highlight handled the Indian production for the Producers, BAPS - a religious organization from Gujarat - and Srila Chatterjee was one of the three Line Producers.
Outsourced 2006
Director - John Jeffcoat
Producers - David Skinner, George Wing, Tom Gorai
Outsourced debuted with its world premiere at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival, and following a successful run at festivals around the world, ShadowCatcher Entertainment, the production company behind Outsourced, has chosen to distribute the film independently in select theaters around the US and on DVD.
Outsourced is a modern day comedy of cross-cultural conflict and romance. Todd Anderson (Josh Hamilton) spends his days managing a customer call center in Seattle until his job, along with those of the entire office, are outsourced to India. Adding insult to injury, Todd must travel to India to train his new replacement. As he navigates through the chaos of Bombay and an office paralyzed by constant cultural misunderstandings, Todd yearns to return to the comforts of home. But it is through his team of quirky yet likable Indian call center workers, including his friendly and motivated replacement, Puro (Asif Basra), and the charming, opinionated Asha (Ayesha Dharker), that Todd realizes that he too has a lot to learn - not only about India and America, but about himself. He soon discovers that being outsourced may be the best thing that ever happened to him.
Highlight handled the entire production and Srila Chatterjee was the Line Producer. Except for camera and sound, all other departments had a completely Indian crew.
See
www.outsourcedthemovie.com for more details.
Feature films - Highlight Directors:
Broken Thread (2007)
Director - Mahesh Mathai
Producers - Deepak Nayar
Broken Thread is an independently financed British film starring Linus Roache as Ram (Batman Begins, Wings of a Dove, Hart's War, Chronicles of Riddick), Saffron Burrows (In the Name of the Father, Ganster Number One; Enigma; Troy; and Klimt.), Andrea Corr (The Commitments, Evita), Roshan Seth (Gandhi, Monsoon Wedding) and Prem Chopra. Broken Thread tells the mysterious story of Ram, a London based businessman of English and Indian descent whose inexplicable nightmares and visions are pushing him to the edge of reason.
A haunting love story, Broken Thread completed principal photography in Shimla (india), London and the Isle of Man and is awating release.
See
www.Brokenthread.com for more details.
Snip! (2001)
Director - Sunhil Sippy
Producers - Bharat Shah in association with Aditya Mittal & Girish Sangar
Sunhil Sippy's dark urban comedy stars Sophiya Haque, Saurabh Shukla, Makarand Deshpande, Vijay Raaz, Sohrab Ardeshir and Nikhil Chinappa. In style and look this film was a first for the Indian film industry and as a result it spawned a whole series of similar releases that came shortly after, that were also a satirical comment on urban India. Much appreciated for its narrative style that was definitely way ahead of its time, its edgy style cinematography, Snip! also won the National Award for Best Editing in 2001.
Bhopal Express (1999)
Director - Mahesh Mathai
Producers - Deepak Nayar
Mahesh Mathai's critically acclaimed debut feature "Bhopal Express" is based on a true story of one of the largest industrial tragedies ever. Often dubbed as the "Hiroshima of Industrial Disasters" the 1984 gas explosion at the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal killed over 16,000 people and destroyed the lives of 50,000 more. Starring Naseeruddin Shah, Zeenat Aman and Vijay Raaz, the tragedy is revealed through the experiences of newlyweds Varma (Kay Kay Menon), a foreman at the Carbide plant, his wife Tara (Nethra Raghuraman) and their friend Basheer (Naseeruddin Shah). The film explores the events leading up to the disaster. It relives the crucial moment of the gas leak, the devastation left in its wake and the Union Carbide Corporations refusal to accept responsibility for the tragedy. Mathai's sensitive film is based on real life events to make a powerful, gripping film that has won rave reviews in film festivals and with audiences worldwide. The music for the film is composed by eminent trio Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy and includes songs by Lucky Ali, Jagjit Singh, Ila Arun and others. The film opened the Panorama section to the prestigious Berlin Film Festival and won
7 International Awards.
See
www.bhopalexpress.com for more details.