People Tree/Harish Saluja

Saluja didn8217;t pick an unusual tale for his first film as writer-director. The story of an Indian visiting his son and foreigner daughter-in-law8217;s home abroad and the heartache and happiness that follow has been told a zillion times. quot;It8217;s the way you tell a story that makes the difference. It is the journey that is important.quot;

Thankfully, Saluja has chosen to make it a pleasant journey. He makes many profound statements, but he also cracks manyjokes. quot;The most important line is the one about life getting in the way of art. But my current favourite is: I like listening to sad songs when I don8217;t understand the words8217;.quot;

It took him more than two years to polish his script, which he knitted together from his own experiences. quot;Every character in the film is me, except the one which I essay.quot; He better not be, because the man he plays in the film declares at a Diwali party that all Muslims should pack their bags and move to Pakistan.

He also had to spend some time convincing Roshan Seth and Saeed Jaffrey 8212; first to be part of The Journey and then that he was good enough to actually act in it as well. quot;They had never heard of a short, bald Indian called Harish Saluja. When I declared mid-way through the film that I was also going to act in it, they got really worried. They took me aside and gave me as many tips as they could.quot; They needn8217;t have bothered. As his Screen Actor8217;s Guild membership indicates, Saluja is a veteran of many films and adcampaigns, besides being a radio jockey in his hometown of Pittsburgh. And he was the one who was more concerned about picking established actors like Carrie Preston and Nora Bates for The Journey. quot;If you can afford professionals why should you settle for anything else. And I was putting my life8217;s savings and dreams into this project.quot;

Two more projects are lined up for the future 8212; Desire and Chasing Windmills. After that Saluja plans to make another journey to India for a film on one of Chitra Bannerjee8217;s stories.

The Journey at Gossip, Gaiety/Galaxy Multiplex. Opens on Oct19.

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