As he dons the director's hat for his next, Heartbeats, Duane Adler, writer of Step Up and Save the last Dance, explains why this is the right time for a cross-cultural romance. He further shares with Riya Sharma that he intends to portray India in a ‘beautiful light' with his movie
He grew up watching Michael Jackson and Madonna. Though he could not play any of the instruments but music and dance had always intrigued him. This is the reason that, when Duane Adler wrote Step Up and Save the last Dance, people started calling him the ‘dance guy’. Though he did not direct any of the two movies, he was part of the making process and understood the nuances of filmmaking. One thing that he learnt from these movies was — they did not have established celebrities. Instead they created movie stars. And, this was the reason why he wanted to cast a fresh face for his next project, Heartbeats - Hollywood meets Bollywood. In a chat, he shares his fascination with dance and why he chose India as the backdrop
Is this your first time in IndiaIJ
No, I have been here. This is my fourth time. The first three weren’t related to the movie so in essence, the movie is my first experience in India.
The movie is a cross cultural romance. Tell us more about it.
It is a cross-cultural love story. It is about a troubled American girl, who comes to India with her family to attend a wedding and she meets a boy in the wedding and then they fall in love. Coming from a troubled family and meeting this boy from a different part of the world who encourages her to be what she is in this beautiful country, is the story line.
Why did you choose this topic of an American girl falling in love with an Indian boyIJ
I think the world is shrinking, young people today are exposed to so much than they were, 15-10 years ago. So, this was something which interested me in the last few years. I wanted to set a movie with an American girl or a boy and put her in another country and see what happens. And, as I started searching for a country, India came coming back to the top of the list. India is very rich with its own music, dance, culture and way of living. It is a way of life here. So, that really intrigued me and everything came hand in hand. I think, the world has shrunk and it was the right time to show a cross-cultural love story. And after researching for a lot of countries, India seemed the most apt to me.
Why did you choose India and not some other countryIJ
I saw an interview of a famous director who said that he was intrigued by Bollywood movies. I couldn’t understand what he meant by that and then I started renting Bollywood movies. I rented Om Shanti Om, and then some others, which had Shah Rukh Khan in them. When I was watching these movies, I was understanding what he meant by the cutting style, music and song and how they are a little bit more melodramatic. That enhanced my interest in Bollywood movies because I watched them and was amazed. However, I didn’t want to make a Bollywood movie but I was really inspired by the craftsmanship, music and how they were able to pull off their dance numbers. That was the back story, and when I started looking for a country that could be taken as the backdrop, India topped the list again.
You have written Save the last Dance as well as Step up, and now Heartbeats which is also a dance romance. What is the fascination with danceIJ
I grew up in the 80s. I grew up in a time when MTV used to show videos which were called ‘music videos’ at that time with Michael Jackson and Madonna. They weren’t just music videos but mini films. So, I grew up with MTV gigs. I couldn’t play any instrument but I was a big fan of the music. And, then I just have an appreciation for dance. I think dance is the most beautiful form of the non-verbal communication on this planet. Every culture can understand and appreciate a beautiful piece of dance. likewise, I think everyone can hear a great piece of music whether you speak the language or not. In Hollywood, if you are successful at something you get recognised. like when I did a movie called Save the last Dance which was a box-office hit, I got approached to do many things related to dance. I became the dance guy and was really appreciated for it.
Is there any particular dance form that we are going to see in the movieIJ
I want this movie to tell the world what Indian dance really is. I think in the West, we are limited to what we call Bollywood dance. They are very limited to their approach when they show a Bollywood number on dance shows. They do it with the same dance over and over, with sequence and turbans and I realised that after watching these movies. So when I decided to make this movie, and especially with Shampa who is our chirographer, we explored more of Indian dance as I wanted all of that to be represented in the movie. I wanted to have the performances inspired by folk including much more classical dance, and may be songs performed at a wedding in an honour of the bride. I wanted a sangeet and just wanted to take the Western audience on an experience and then, at the same time, our lead cast (the American girl and Indian boy) end up performing at a night club in their style. She is very American and he is very Indian and when their styles meet, they will create something very magical.
Why did you decide to cast a fresh face and not a Bollywood celebrity for the movieIJ
I wanted to cast a fresh face. Coming from the West, and I didn’t direct Step Up and Save the last Dance, I wrote them and saw how they were made. They didn’t cast stars and most of the movies, don’t. You discover them and it takes the audience on a journey so that you can identify with them. That is the reason why I didn’t want to come here and cast a big Bollywood star, it may have helped the movie succeed here in India but I don’t think it would have helped the movie succeed abroad. I wanted fresh faces and that is why I chose both (Amitash Pradhan and Krystal Ellsworth) of them. For the casting, I was meeting a lot of new faces — some of them knew dance and some of them did not. But, then I auditioned Amitash, and he had to prove himself. He had to pass several dance and acting auditions. He also did a chemistry test with my leading girl and at the end of the movie, we understood that he was the best guy.
Recently Coldplay’s video received mixed responses where India was portrayed in a very typical light. Were you apprehensive at any point of going through that routeIJ
My number one goal with this movie was that, apart from telling a great love story was, to paint India in a beautiful light. This is my fourth time here and each time, I have found a different thematic vocabulary. The country has amazing countryside, villages, beautiful temples, and it feels like you are walking on a historic ground. But, I did not want to make a Slumdog Millionaire. I admired, loved and appreciated the movie but I can’t do any better than what Danny Boyle did. I didn’t want to represent any cliches that you may imagine, and wanted to turn them the opposite way. Without repeating Coldplay’s video, I am not doing anything what they did.
The movie will release in 2017