Pallavi Joshi returns with Buddha in a Traffic Jam

My last film was The Making Of The Mahatma in 1996. 13 years later,I came back with Rita. So I was extremely nervous while shooting for Buddha...

My last film was The Making Of The Mahatma in 1996. 13 years later,I came back with Rita. So I was extremely nervous while shooting for Buddha

Pallavi Joshi was last seen in Renuka Shahanes Marathi directorial debut Rita,a role for which she received rave reviews in 2009. Now the actress,who was very active anchoring shows on TV,returns to face the camera for a film directed by her director-husband Vivek Agnihotri.

The 90-minute film is conceptualised and produced by Friday Night Productions a venture of The Indian School of Business ISB alumni and co-produced by Phoenix Multidimensions and Vivek Agnihotri Creates. Directed by Vivek Agnihotri,it also stars Arunoday Singh,Mahie Gill,Anupam Kher,Vivek Vaswani and new find Anchal Dwivedi.

Talking about the film,Pallavi says it actually deals with the Naxal and Maoist movements and how it affects the lives of people around. The film is told from the point of view of a managing institute that is run by Anupam Kher,who plays her husband in the film.

Doing this film was a good experience for Pallavi,who says she was acting under husband Viveks direction for the first time and he was not at all lenient with me, she laughs adding,I missed being an actor. My last film was Shyam Benegals The Making of the Mahatma in 1996 and it was 13 years later,in 2009,that I came back with Rita. So I was extremely nervous while shooting for Buddha but the film seemed like a good opportunity for me as the character suited my age. It was also great to be working with young actors like Arunoday and Mahie. I have not done any mainstream cinema for a long time and realised that a lot has changed since.

The film was entirely shot at ISB institute in Hyderabad and the crew stayed inside the campus during the 50 days that the project was getting made. They would work from 7.30 am to 4.30 pm. It was a brilliant schedule, says the actress who reiterates that,I benefitted in more ways than one by doing this film,both personally and professionally. For me everything seemed new,right from reading the script,preparing for the character,styling,reaching the sets,wearing make-up and costumes and actually shooting in front of the camera,I realised how much I missed being an actor.

Talking about the title of the film,Pallavi states that Buddha means state of the mind. So it is actually what happens when the mind is caught in a fix; in a mental traffic jam, she says adding that while the film was completed last year,plans are on to release it by this year end.

12 Angry Men postponed

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12 Angry Men 1957 was remade in various languages with even Basu Chatterji attempting it in Hindi as Ek Ruka Hua Faisla in 1986. Recently it was rumoured that director Vivek Agnihotri is to adapt it again for the big screen and that actors like Amitabh Bachchan,Naseeruddin Shah,Paresh Rawal,Boman Irani,Annu Kapoor and Pankaj Kapur are to be a part of the project.

However when contacted,Pallavi Joshi,wife of Vivek Agnihotri,stated that while Vivek has been thinking about the adaptation,nothing has been finalised as yet. Vivek has been working on its Indian adaptation for the last two years but since he has been quite busy with his other projects,he has not been able to see it through. We have however acquired the rights of both,the play as well as the film,as it is as relevant today as it was 50 years ago. Vivek may start the project once he gets free of his other assignments.

Directed by Sidney Lumet,12 Angry Men was an iconic film that shows 12 jury members arguing to establish the guilt or acquittal of a man under trial.