Fantastic Mr Cox

There is tension in the air. At the press conference to announce a Scottish film festival in Kolkata,Scottish actor Brian Cox is trying to tell us about the intricacies of Scottish cinema,but his fellow panelist (the director of one of Kolkata’s most important cultural institutions) is carrying on a rather loud phone conversation. It’s an ordeal,watching the few painful moments of Cox’s indignation and the minister’s blatant disregard for his opinion. But with unflinching grace,Cox handles the tricky situation without causing any kind of embarrassment for the involved parties. He simply ignores the man and carries on with his speech,raising his voice a few decibels higherto be audible. Had Cox been a cursory visitor,this could have been a defining moment in his India visit,an unpleasant experience of anecdotal proportions. But clearly,it isn’t. Cox’s understanding of our cultural milieu is evidently deeper,weathered with years of frequent visits.

In the early 1980s,Cox visited India for the first time. “I was touring with a production of Macbeth. I remember we performed Bombay and there I was acquainted with a 16-year-old girl who was keenly observing our rehearsals. She came up to me and said that she found my performance ‘rather promising’ but she felt I needed to be more physical. According to her I was holding myself back. I found this advice to be a bit audacious but followed her instructions nonetheless. And I realized that she was right,it felt much better after I let myself go. In a way that little girl shaped my acting career,” says Cox who has acted in films like Bourne Supremacy,Troy and X-Men 2.

When he visited Kolkata with that very production,a stroll down the Hooghly banks proved to be almost serendipitous. “I observed barges bearing the names of Dundee-based jute companies. Since Dundee was my hometown,I was naturally intrigued,” says Cox. This chance spotting gave birth to a documentary almost 30 years later,Brian Cox’s Jute Journey which talks about the trade relations between Dundee and Kolkata throughout the nineteenth century. “I have chosen to screen this film in the festival because the film discusses the symbiotic relationship between the two countries,” says Cox who has curated the 9-film festival which is meant to expose Kolkata film lovers to the rich heritage of Scottish cinema. “My choice of films is a personal reflection of the diverse nature of my homeland. I want to highlight the perfidious pride of my people and also contrast it by the gregariously generous spirit of its collective soul. In other words this festival is an intimate visual study of the moral and amoral tales that portray the Scot in all his naked humanity,” says Cox.

The Scottish film festival (presented by the British Council) is on at Nandan till February 4. For details contact 40074307