Provoked - A global issue
Do
you
agree
that
the
presence
of
Aishwarya
and
Rahman
adds
a
lot
of
grace
and
class
to
Provoked?
There
is
no
doubt
about
that.
I
had
wanted
to
work
with
A
R
Rahman
ever
since
I
saw
Roja
in
Chennai
and
I
went
to
meet
him
right
after
the
show.
I
am
glad
that
after
all
these
years,
I
found
a
project
which
creatively
stimulated
both
Aishwarya
and
Rahman.
What
genre
will
you
put
Provoked
in
-
crime
thriller,
courtroom
drama,
social
cause?
It
is
all
that
and
much
more.
It
is
dramatic
story
of
great
social
significance
narrated
in
the
style
of
a
thriller.
Woman
being
oppressed
is
regularly
shown
in
Indian
films.
But
Provoked
takes
the
story
to
new
lands
showing
a
woman
being
victimized
even
in
London.
Do
you
think
injustice
against
woman
is
a
global
issue
and
not
just
confined
to
India,
as
is
a
notion?
Not
only
is
this
a
global
issue
but
it
cuts
across
all
class,
race
and
religious
boundaries.
It
is
harder
to
detect
on
the
surface
in
our
culture
because
of
the
conspiracy
of
silence
in
the
name
of
family
honour.
The
shame
felt
by
the
victim
in
admitting
abuse
because
they
feel
it
is
like
washing
your
dirty
linen
in
public
has
allowed
many
a
perpetrators
to
get
away
with
it.
The
film's
message
is
to
get
out
of
such
a
relationship
before
it
leads
to
a
tragedy.
Aishwarya's
character
says
in
the
end
that
it
is
up
to
the
mothers
to
teach
their
young
sons
to
treat
women
with
love
and
respect,
not
violence
and
anger.
Provoked
has
also
been
showcased
at
some
film
festivals.
How
was
the
response?
The
response
has
been
overwhelmingly
positive.
It
has
received
standing
ovations
and
men
and
women
alike
have
said
that
it
brought
a
lump
to
their
throats
and
tears
to
their
eyes.
The
film
released
internationally
last
year.
Why
was
the
Indian
release
delayed
so
long?
Films
targeted
at
festive
audience
do
tend
to
get
delayed...
why
so?
Strong
word
of
mouth
is
very
important
for
these
kind
of
films
and
festival
audiences
gradually
create
a
kind
of
buzz
which
takes
time
to
spread.
If
the
film
gets
critical
acclaim,
a
certain
section
of
the
art
house
audience
gets
ready
to
patronize
it
when
it
commercially
opens.
Since
these
kind
of
realistic
films
are
not
necessarily
patronized
by
those
who
want
escapist
fare
and
want
to
leave
their
brains
behind
while
watching
a
movie,
you
can't
mass
market
them
by
saturating
the
media
with
promos
before
release.
A
niche
market
film
to
realize
its
full
potential
needs
special
handling.
You
also
planned
a
film
on
Sonia
Gandhi
with
Monica
Belluci.
What
went
wrong
with
it?
Did
political
parties
and
pressure
disrupt
your
idea?
I
hope
it
is
only
a
temporary
setback.
The
congress
party
served
me
a
legal
notice
that
I
should
refrain
from
making
a
film
on
Sonia
Gandhi's
life
without
her
permission.
I
responded
by
saying
that
I
didn't
seek
her
permission
to
save
her
from
the
embarrassment
of
a
"no
win" situation.
If
she
said
yes
to
my
request,
it
will
be
considered
endorsing
a
propoganda
film
for
political
gain
by
the
opposition;
and
if
she
said
no,
it
will
be
considered
curbing
freedom
of
speech
in
a
democracy
by
the
media.
Therefore,
I
wanted
to
make
an
unauthorized
biography
with
no
political
agenda.
My
interest
was
to
humanize
an
iconic
figure
by
presenting
a
love
story
of
a
woman
who
came
to
India
for
the
love
of
a
man
and
stayed
for
the
love
of
a
country.
I
have
made
my
point
of
view
known
to
the
congress
party.
I
hope
they
will
withdraw
their
objection
and
let
me
tell
this
fascinating
story
sometime
in
future.
What
about
your
other
film
Backwaters?
Backwaters
is
a
thriller
set
against
the
exotic
backdrop
of
Kerala,
where
a
young
wealthy
white
couple
goes
for
ayurvedic
treatment
for
the
wife
whose
leg
is
paralyzed
because
of
a
car
accident
in
England.
When
the
wife's
body
is
pulled
out
of
the
backwaters,
the
husband
is
accused
of
her
murder.
His
only
alibi
is
the
wife
of
a
local
fisherman
who
he
is
having
an
affair
with.
Will
the
local
policeman
investigating
the
murder
be
able
to
get
to
the
truth
which
is
far
more
twisted
than
what
appears
on
the
surface?
"Seduced
by
paradise,
deceived
by
desire",
is
the
tagline
of
this
thriller
starring
Nicholas
Irons,
Tamzin
Outhwaite,
Jason
Fleyming,
Gulshan
Grover
and
Sandra
Teles.
Lastly
there
was
news
that
you
are
making
a
film
'Shoot
on
Sight'
with
Naseeruddin
Shah
and
Greta
Scacchi.
Tell
us
about
that
film.
When
is
it
going
on
floor?
SHOOT-ON-SIGHT
was
the
order
given
by
Scotland
Yard
to
its
armed
officers
after
July
7
bombings,
when
the
racial
profiling
of
Asians
as
potential
Muslim
terrorists
resulted
in
innocent
people
getting
shot.
In
such
an
environment
of
distrust,
the
film
tells
the
story
of
Tariq
Ali,
a
thirty
year
veteran
of
Scotland
Yard,
a
commander,
a
devout
Muslim
having
a
white
woman
as
wife
and
father
of
two
children,
as
he
is
put
at
a
crossroad
where
he
is
forced
to
choose
between
faith
and
loyalty;
love
and
duty.
The
film
stars
Naseeruddin
Shah,
Greta
Scacchi,
Om
Puri,
Gulshan
Grover,
Nafisa
Ali,
Laila
Rouass,
Peter
Firth,
Gary
Stretch
and
many
other
well
known
British
actors.
It
begins
a
start
to
finish
shooting
schedule
from
May
21
in
London.
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