As self-admitted fans of Director Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth, Bandit Queen and much more) we couldn’t let pass his dispatch from the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, where he is on the jury this year. On his blog, he talks about his dinner with Tim Burton and his love of rice and dal.
“It’s very exciting to be on the Jury of the Cannes film festival. Especially when the Jury is headed by the man I affectionately (but also seriously) call ‘the Salvador Dali of Cinema’. Tim Burton is a compassionate and gentle person that is so eager to learn about other people and cultures. He is also completely fascinated by India, so I have invited him to come and see if there is something he would like to shoot in India.
India is a country that accepts mythology and magic realism as an essential part of its culture, as does Tim Burton in his film making. It would be fascinating to see Tim Burton’s visual take on some of our traditional folk tales.
For the first dinner with the Jury, the chef had designed the dinner as an ‘inspiration’ from Tim Burton’s movies. Everything looked like it was from the Mad Hatter’s dining table. And while it was terrific looking and delicious, I kept waiting for the rice! After all what’s a meal without rice and dal, or roti and dal ?”
Now, how can you not love a man who appreciates the simplicity of rice and dal AND can make a blockbuster movie?! Shekhar’s musings are shared freely on his blog and worth a read for his wit and insight into the mind of a true Renaissance man. We recently spoke with Shekhar who told us, “I believe in a world where thoughts belong everywhere and creativity is for all.” Mr. Kapur, you had us at hello.
We’ll be bringing you more Shekar Kapur soon. For now, there’s this to amuse you:
A diary of his thoughts http://shekharkapur.com/blog/
A recent interview on Huffington Post where he discusses his new film and new media
His TED.com video about creativity – watch Cate Blanchett dance
