FILM INTERVIEW: GULSHAN GROVER

 

Specifically, Mr. Grover was thrilled to have audiences not only watch the quite positive film, he was also excited by the fact that a charitable organization in The Smile Foundation helped produce I Am Kalam.

 

“What is very unique about this film, I Am Kalam, (is that it) is a trendsetting film. It’s a unique film because it’s not produced by a regular producer or entrepreneur. It’s produced by a charitable organization,” Mr. Grover humbly said.

 

Mr. Grover pointed out that The Smile Foundation took quite the risk in deciding to move forward with producing I Am Kalam, mostly because the odds the money raised for charitable purposes may not arrive to its intended beneficiaries.

 

“If this experience was horrible, Smile Foundation would have gotten a bad name for spending money they had collected for a charitable cause (and instead) putting into … making a movie,” Mr. Grover said. “Smile Foundation decided to make a feature film to align with the enormous … strength of cinema. And, very rightly, they went to one of India’s most talented directors … who had made more than 60 documentaries.”

 

The actor, who famously portrayed villainous roles in numerous Bollywood films such as Yes Boss, Ram Jaane, and Duplicate (the trio of films each starring Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla), said The Smile Foundation made a wise decision to bring I Am Kalam to life. By investing in a feature-length film about a poverty-ridden village boy who relies upon his intelligent mind to overcome an emotional father and living in a world rampant in child labor, Mr. Grover said the film was the best way for The Smile Foundation to best spread its positive message to the widest audience possible.

 

“Every foundation...normally they make documentaries, short films, and they highlight an issue, trying to get a message across,” Mr. Grover said. “But Smile Foundation felt that all those short films and documentaries were not getting enough results. They were not reaching out to the desired number of people they wanted.”

 

Reaching out to the widest audience possible was important for The Smile Foundation, Mr. Grover said, not only because I Am Kalam promoted positivism, but also because the film raised awareness of several important social issues.

 

“This film …  is not only making you laugh, making you feel emotional, it’s also conveying the message of child labor and child education,” Mr. Grover said.

 

Accordingly, the veteran Hindi film star said he was more than thrilled to be associated with both I Am Kalam and The Smile Foundation.

 

“I've been in Bollywood for almost 30 years, and I had the great fortune of working on hundreds of films. When Nila Madhab Panda and Smile Foundation decided or thought about casting me … they came to me; I didn’t know them before, but it was conveyed to me what was the reason to make this film, I Am Kalam. I said yes,” Mr. Grover explained. “I also felt that I needed to contribute by … working this film in every possible way, and whatever best I could do I was able to do.”

 

I Am Kalam is also doing its part in actually connecting with audiences, some of whom have seen it already at numerous film 

festivals earlier this year. According to Mr. Grover, I Am Kalam has won “a spectrum of awards” at film festivals, including Best Acting, Best Direction, Best Film, and Viewer’s Choice Award. He also pointed out that the director, Mr. Panda, even sold his house to make the film a reality.

 

This weekend and next will determine whether the investments by both producer and director was actually worth it, but Mr. Grover clearly believes in the film, and if the reactions from the film festival circuit have any significance, odds are moviegoers will believe in I Am Kalam as well.

 

Interestingly enough, Mr. Grover also believes Bollywood and Hollywood are inching closer and closer to symbiotically working together. Of course, he also believes it will take some time before the two mega film industries are holistically functioning together.

 

“There is a mutual respect for both the industries. Hollywood has … started to take notice of Bollywood. Hollywood is also having a certain kind of respect for our entertaining cinema,” Mr. Grover said. “But has the synergy happened? When is the synergy going to happen? There is going to be a lot of time before that happens.”

 

In the meantime, Mr. Grover urges audiences in Hollywood, Bollywood, and beyond to take in I Am Kalam this weekend and next, not only to walk out of theater feeling good and tingly, but also to contribute to a worthy cause in The Smile Foundation.