Nagesh Kukonoor hates doing the same thing twice. He proves this yet again with Bombay To Bangkok, his most commercial movie to date.
Nagesh Kukonoor's off-beat films have earned him the status of a maverick filmmaker. All his films, from Hyderabad Blues to Dor, have a novelty factor that appeals to the audience. Kukonoor is back again with a romantic comedy, Bombay To Bangkok, which has the tongue-in-cheek tagline "Same same, but different," parodying the countless run-of-the-mill love stories that Bollywood churns out.
As the story goes...
For Kukonoor, Bombay To Bangkok is more of a homecoming as he returns to the offbeat genre he started his career with when he made the independent flick Hyderabad Blues. "I make an effort to not repeat myself by doing different genres of films. After making emotionally charged films like Iqbal and Dor, I wanted to do something lighter.
"Bombay To Bangkok is the story of a petty thief who is on the run from an underworld don and lands in Thailand only to find his life going awry when he falls in love with a masseuse. "I wanted people to see that Indian and Thai cultures and traditions are similar yet different due to the difference in language," says Kukonoor.
Bringing talent back
Shreyas Talpade, fresh from the super success of Om Shanti Om, plays the lead. Incidentally, this is his third film with Kukonoor, after Iqbal and Dor. Both films helped Talpade gain a foothold in Bollywood. He has proved his versatility in various roles but here it's his comic skills that come to the fore.
"Shreyas is a talented actor and has come a long way since his theatre days. He is a good mimic and has a flair for comedy. His natural talent for comedy made me choose him for the lead," says the director.
"I am indebted to Kukonoor for giving me a break in Iqbal and then giving me wonderful roles in Dor and Bombay To Bangkok. It's great acting under his direction and shooting in Thailand was loads of fun. Kukonoor has gone totally commercial with this film," says Talpade.
200 auditioned for female lead
Opposite Talpade is Thai actress Lena Christensen, who plays Jasmine, a new recruit at an exotic Thai massage parlour. Christensen is no rookie – she has been acting for 15 years. She has hosted a number of TV shows, including a very popular health programme on aerobics. She has even released a music album Lena Body Beats.
Kukonoor held auditions for the lead actress in Bangkok, where Christensen was selected from more than 200 Thai actresses. Talpade helped Lena with her Hindi, and in turn learned key Thai words from her. The film depicts a similar situation in which Shreyas and Lena must overcome language barriers to live a happy life together.
