The incredible and inspiring journey of two boys from the
slums of Mumbai to the world of international ballet, will be written and
directed by Sooni Taraporevala
Siddharth Roy Kapur’s Roy Kapur Films (RKF) has signed on
acclaimed filmmaker Sooni Taraporevala to bring to the screen the inspiring and
hopeful journey of the two Mumbai boys, Amiruddin Shah and Manish Chauhan,
their Israeli-American mentor Yehuda Maor and their families, who triumphed
over their circumstances and achieved a feat no Indian ever has before - by
making their way to prestigious global ballet institutes like London’s Royal
Ballet Academy and the Oregon Ballet Theatre.
Sooni, known for her award-winning writing on Salaam Bombay,
Mississippi Masala and The Namesake, has previously directed a VR documentary
on the same subject titled “Yeh Ballet”, for Anand Gandhi’s Memesys Lab.
When Siddharth read about the boys and saw this documentary,
he was so moved by their story that he reached out to Sooni immediately and
asks her to join him in telling it on the big screen. Siddharth and Sooni have
worked together earlier on The Namesake, which was co-produced by UTV Motion
Pictures, and had stayed in touch ever since to discuss potential ideas to
collaborate on.
Siddharth Roy Kapur said, “I am very excited about bringing
this wonderful and inspiring story to the screen, and thrilled to have Sooni
write and direct it. I have always admired her writing, and she has outdone
herself with the superb script she has written on the “Ballet Boys”. Having
been involved creating an enduring dance and musical franchise like ABCD, we
intend to bring the same unbridled energy, cinematic spectacle, spectacular dance
and great music to this film. What makes this film even more special is that we
will explore an unfamiliar western dance form like ballet and its impact on
these boys, while staying firmly rooted in our own culture and our more
familiar dance aesthetic. I do believe this will resonate in a big way with
both Indian and international audiences”
Sooni Taraporevala expressed, “I have always admired Sid’s
filmography and his drive to tell stories that matter. I hope this
collaboration will successfully bring to light the incredible and emotionally
driven journey of the boys and their teacher and the fact that talent has no
boundaries. We just need to recognise it as sometimes it’s found in the most
unlikely of places.”
These two strong creative forces are thrilled to bring the
exciting dance form of Ballet to Indian movie audiences for the first time.
Siddharth and Sooni both share a passion for the performing arts and are
excited about commencing their shoot for this unique and vibrant film that will
encompass various dance forms like free-style, desi hip-hop and ballet. With
dialogues by Mayur Puri (writer of ABCD/ABCD2), music by the hit duo Sachin-Jigar,
choreography by phenomenal Shiamak Davar and ballet sequences by Yehuda Maor
and Cindy Jourdain, this is set to be a musical and visual treat for
audiences.
The film is currently in pre-production and will go on the
floors in January 2019 and hit the screen later next year.
