Good Lord!

Though there is little historical evidence to prove it,there has been a theory that Jesus lived in India during the “lost years”,the undocumented timespan of 18 years in Jesus’s life in the New Testament. Walwin’s film takes the line that Christ was in India to learn Buddhism. The film is currently in the pre-production phase,with the script still being finalised in London,and Walwin and his team scouting for locations in India. The film,to be released in 2011,will be in 3-D. “It is a more emotional and interactive movie-viewing experience,” says Walwin,who was conferred this year’s Dayawati Modi Award for Art,Culture and Education,instituted by the Modi Group of industries. A veteran of over a dozen Hollywood projects,Walwin has worked as producer and executive producer for movies like A Handful of Dust (1988) starring Kristin Scott Thomas and Where Angels Fear to Tread (1991) starring Helen Mirren.

Walwin describes himself as a practising Christian and is convinced that India featured prominently in Christ’s journey. “Many believe Jesus spent the ‘missing years’ here. The gospels do not mention where he went after the age of 12 and there are strong reasons to suggest that he came to Asia,especially India,because of the religious upsurge during 14 AD,” says Walwin.

He began the project last year,after meeting friend and one of the executive producers of the film,SK Modi. While he is certain the film will face opposition from religious groups,Walwin has met with the archbishop of Westminster and the bishop of London and has also got Christian researcher Rev. Peter Owen Jones to study the subject. “The criticism will depend on the way we tackle the subject,” he says.

His next project will be a Slumdog Millionaire imitation,on the consequences of living in a reality TV-infested world.