Taj Mahal Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Ben Kingsley to Build the Taj Majal
Filed under: Drama », Casting », Scripts »
In 1982, Ben Kingsley became Mahatma Gandhi in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi. The film instantly became a classic and went on to dominate the Oscars, earning Best Picture, Director, Actor, Writing, Editing, Costume Design, Cinematography, and Art Direction. And even though those are ridiculously enormous shoes to fill, the Guardian reports that Kingsley is heading back to Indian history to play Shah Jahan, the emperor who built the Taj Mahal.Back in the mid-1600s, Shah Jahan was a Mughal Emperor who was devastated when his favorite (third) wife Mumtaz Mahal died while giving birth to their fourteenth child. In her honor, he decided to erect a grand mausoleum that would not only be epically impressive and beautiful, but also so glorious that sins would be washed away. It took roughly 21 years to create and has been included on some Seven Wonders of the World lists.
Titled Taj, the script was written by British novelist and playwright David Ashton, and is still looking for a director. Alongside Kingsley will be Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who will play Mumtaz Mahal. This won't, however, be her first stab at the object of such desire: The former Miss World and Bride & Prejudice star played Mumtaz in the 2007 short musical, Journey Across India.
SBK Pictures is hoping to start production in the fall of 2010, but for now: Do you think Kingsley can make Indian history win in Hollywood once again?
Ben Kingsley Builds the Taj Mahal
Filed under: Drama », Independent », Casting », Cinematical Indie »
Mike Myers' The Love Guru isn't the only film Ben Kingsley is cooking up, but this time around, it's a little more serious. Just a smidge. Reuters has reported that the actor talked with the Times of India about his new movie, and how he will star as the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal. Little was said about the project, such as its name or director, but he does have his co-star -- Aishwarya Rai. The Bollywood actress, who is a former Miss World and the star of The Mistress of Spices, will play the Shah's wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Kingsley said: "I had spoken to Aishwarya last year while we were working on The Last Legion, and she very generously agreed to do the movie with me."It's a pretty sad story. The emperor's third wife, Mumtaz, died during childbirth. Granted, it was their 14th child (no, that isn't a typo), so there's only so much one body can take. Soon after the loss, the Taj Mahal started construction, and it was completed in 1648. Some years after its completion, he fell ill. His son, Aurangzeb led a deathly rebellion, imprisoned him, and it's said that he spent the rest of his life looking at the Taj from his cell. Now we'll have to wait and see if his stint as this Indian figure can rival his work on Gandhi,* which nabbed 8 Oscars.
*Thanks for the catch, scudie!
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