India connection of ‘Darjeeling Limited’ goes beyond setting
The India connection of “The Darjeeling Limited”, Wes Anderson’s new award-winning comedy that opened the 45th annual New York Film Festival Friday, goes beyond the setting in the country.
“‘The Photographs of Chachaji’ by Indian American writer Ved Mehta is the book that first got me interested in India,” said Anderson. He was also intrigued by Satyajit Ray’s films, Luis Malle’s India documentaries from the 1960s, Jean Renoir’s “The River” set in rural India and Merchant-Ivory films.
Credits for the music for “The Darjeeling Limited” include tracks from the Ray classics “Charulata”, “Jalsaghar” and “Teen Kanya”, and the Merchant-Ivory films, “Shakespeare Wallah”, “The Householder” and “The Guru”.
“I am very happy to have been allowed to use the music from these films, which cast such a spell over me,” Anderson said.
A major Hollywood movie, “The Darjeeling Limited” is about spiritual quest as well as an emotional comedy involving three brothers (played by Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman) re-forging family bonds.
The brothers had been estranged for a year since their father’s death, and the retreat of their mother (Anjelica Huston) to a remote monastery in India. The eldest, played by Wilson, hopes to reconnect with his two younger siblings by taking them on a train trip across the vibrant and sensual landscape of India.
The fictional long-distance train, Darjeeling Limited, in the movie is apparently named after the narrow-gauge Darjeeling Himalayan Railway but looks more like the Palace on Wheels.
Anderson first scouted tea plantations in Darjeeling but found Rajasthan more suitable for filming.
There is some India connection in the cast credits too.
British Indian newcomer Amara Karan has interesting encounters with the three brothers and a scorching kissing scene.
Indian actor Irrfan Khan has a brief role as the grieving father whose son drowns by accident.
Waris Ahluwalia is a Sikh jewellery designer in Hollywood who does acting and modelling on the side.
The Fox Searchlight film has recently won the Golden Lion Cub Award and nomination for the Golden Lion Award at the 64th annual Venice Film Festival. According to The New York Times, the film is an Oscar hopeful.
Anderson’s last three pictures have been “You, Me and Dupree”, “Cars” and “Wedding Crashers”.
— IANS
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