Director Roger Donaldson's The November Man opened to a full house all over the globe but the dynamic filmmaker says he feels more strongly about the films he writes for, like The World’s Fastest Indian. In conversation with Deebashree Mohanty from CA, the thrill king of Hollywood lists his favourite movies and reveals his plans for India
It’s a fascinating country, it truly is. There are people, lots of them. But each one is busy in his own world. It’s unbelievable that in India there is a job for every man,” Donaldson who has been to Mumbai and Kolkata, says. He tells you that Agra and Jaipur are places on his bucket list and he may soon realise that dream.
Donaldson has had a long, productive career, featuring glossy Hollywood productions asNo Way Out (1987), Cocktail (1988), Species (1995), Thirteen Days (2000), and The Recruit (2003). He got started in New Zealand, back when there was no film industry there. But everything changed when the director teamed up with Sam Neill inSleeping Dogs (1977), a political drama set in the near-future. This was the first feature film made in New Zealand in about fifteen years, and also the first one to premier in the US. “Who would have thought, I would be a prolific writer and filmmaker one day,” the 68-year-old tells you. “As we speak, I am reading a script that has landed up on my desk. It is a socially relevant concept retold in a modern set up. I like scripts that have an intrigue element to it. What is life without any surprisesIJ,” he queries.
Will it be yet another thriller, we ask him. “I love that genre. I like to do screenplay in my mind. If a concept appeals to me, I already have thought the movie in my head. My stars help in bringing that imagination alive. At the moment there are many scripts that are vying for attention,” he tells you. He is also planning to shoot in parts of India for his upcoming movie.
“It is an untitled film and shooting in India has been on top priority. I was very impressed with the way Zero Dark Thirty was shot in locations. Indian cities have that old world charm that can be utilised in various ways,” he says.
As for his favourite Indian filmmaker, “Satyajit Ray undoubtedly. He has travelled the world over and his movies are like an experience in itself. One will have to live it to believe it,” the Dante's Peak director tells you.
He explains how getting the location right for a perfect film is half the battle won for the filmmaker. It was this philosophy that made him opt for Belgrade to shoot for November Man. “Belgrade was a political hotbed. There couldn’t have been a better place to shoot. I believe if the actor can feel the tension within himself, he will deliver better,” he explains.
So, how was it working with the biggies in HollywoodIJ “They are stars not because they have an attitude but due to the lack of it. And they are all poles apart and they are all very hardworking,” he says.
Out of all his movies, Donaldson feels biased about those that he has written himself. “The World’s Fastest Indian about Burt Munro will go down as my favourite because it was Munro who inspired me to make a film,” he says.