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The Taj Comes to Melbourne
New Australian film Taj will look at the experiences of Indians living abroad.
Filming will begin next month on new Australian film Taj, written by Australian/Sri Lankan screenwriter Winston Furlong. The film, which will be shot entirely on location in Melbourne, was initially inspired by the story behind the building of the Taj Mahal.
Taj will tell the story of young writer Vjay who, on learning he may not have long to live, attempts to reconcile his relationship with his young daughter from a previous broken marriage. The film will star Mahesh Jadu as Vjay and will be directed by writer Winston Furlong. Furlong had written the script over one year, finishing in 2007, after wanting to write something about the experience that Indians have living abroad.
Furlong will employ the use of many recent film student graduates to help with filming, offering them an opportunity to work on a feature film and practise their craft. The film will also be the first non-Bollywood film that will be shot in Australia starring principally Australian actors.
The film is already beginning to show promise with the script being nominated for Best Unproduced Screenplay at the Australian Screenwriter's Guild Conference in 2008. Furlong has also recruited the services of talented filmmakers including the young Michelle Bourke (Last Ride), Laszlo Baranyai (Noise) as cinematographer, and experienced costume designer Radhika Rani Mishra.
Taj will be one of the first feature films in Australia to be shot entirely with a Red digital camera (The Combination and the upcoming Cedar Boys are others). These cameras are capable of recording in high resolution straight to flash or hard disk based digital storage. LEGO enthusiasts will also have something to look out for in the film, a complete model of the Taj Mahal was built specifically for Taj by internationally recognised LEGO builder Arthur Gugick.
The movie will begin filming in Melbourne on April 15.