Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Buddha on holly high

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Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Buddha is growing daily. The film on Prince Siddhartha’s journey to enlightenment has now got many a big Hollywood name attached to it.

David S. Ward, best known for his Oscar-winning screenplay The Sting (Paul Newman, Robert Redford), will be writing the script for Buddha. Ward also co-wrote the Tom Hanks-starrer Sleepless in Seattle.

Michael Shane would be Buddha’s executive producer. Shane’s credits include Hollywood blockbusters like I, Robot and Catch Me If You Can.

Karl Walter Lindenlaub will shoot Buddha. The German-born director of photography is based in Los Angeles and has shot films like Independence Day, The Jackal, Maid in Manhattan, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and Ninja Assassin.

Buddha’s costumes will be done by April Ferry who has worked on Terminator 3 and Rome. Glenn Boswell will be the stunt coordinator. Given that he has worked in films like X-Men Origins: Wolverine, all three Matrix films and The Thin Red Line, the action should be special.

That’s not all. The pre visualisation is being supervised by Jarrod Linton (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, The Da Vinci Code) and the storyboard is being done by David Russell (Star Wars, Batman, Moulin Rouge).

Says Ashutosh: “The past two months of pre-production have been exciting. It has been exhilarating to be working with people who have worked in movies that I have admired and seen over and over again. This is the first time that I have done pre-visualisation for a film. It has been an amazing learning curve.”

Ashutosh Gowariker's next on life of Gautam Buddha

Having made epic films like Swades, Jodhaa Akbar and Lagaan; after having worked with the likes of Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan, Ashutosh Gowariker has set off on another tryst, which from his previous track record isn't just another run of the mill, but yet again a film of gigantic scale.

Ashutosh isn't keen on taking an established actor to play this role as he believes their star value will affect come in the way of the character. He is looking out for a fresh face to play the part. One who can do justice to the innocence of the character of Siddhartha. Gowariker is going the web way, as he calls out actors around the globe to log onto the site named Buddha-movie.com and download the sample scene and upload their audition videos and pictures.

The story focuses on the life of Prince Siddhartha and his journey to enlightenment where he becomes Gautam Buddha. In the vein of the film Gladiator, Buddha is an historical epic story that appeals to young as well as mature global audience.

Producer Dr. Bhupendra Kumar Modi says, "This will be the first global film coming from India for the global audience about the man who brought India to the world map and the philosophy that will make the world live as one family."

Further he adds, "This film is long overdue and the need of the hour in the world we all are living in. The search for Siddhartha's character in the film will be one who the youth of the world can connect with."

While Ashutosh Gowariker says, "I have always been fascinated with the story of Prince Siddhartha who renounced his life of luxury and family, in search of an answer to what causes human suffering and subsequently attained enlightenment and came to be known as Buddha. To portray the innocence of Prince Siddhartha and the compassion of the 'enlightened one', I am looking for a fresh face, and hence, this nationwide, worldwide search."

Here is an opportunity for all those who've been garnering a dream to work with Ashutosh Gowariker, as he gets set to make another epic film that is bound to appeal to audiences young and old across the globe.

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Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey (Ashutosh Gowariker's next) still