Himesh faces music in Germany

It is Germany again. I have talked about Bollywood films being popular in the beer country and loat of shows and shooting concerning Bollywood taking place there. It seems that the love between Germany and bollywood has stretched too far and cracks have begun to show.
Bollywood's current blue eyed boy Himesh Reshmiya is producing a film on his own life. This news item was flashed through various medias some time ago. At that time, no one cared much about the project. This same project has now created news in Germany for some wrong reasons. Reshmiya and his crew flew to Cologne this eek to film in one of the city's Gothic churches. But some residents opposed the shooting claiming the film crew had desecrated the site.
Bollywood has unarguably got a foothold in Germany. Indian films have made it onto German cinema and television screens and have a huge following. But Indian filmmakers have also discovered Europe offers prime locations for shooting. While they have already almost exhausted some scenic spots in the Alps, ever new locations are hunted zealously which make them constantly vulnerable to controversy.
The Agnes church is one of Cologne's biggest sacred buildings. Its gothic steeple rises up to the sky. Surrounded by cramped apartment buildings and busy streets, the landmark church is an oasis of calm .Amid that sorrounding, a voice drons out of the loudspeakers. That voice belongs to Himesh Reshamiyya. He plays the lead in the Bollywood film "Aap Ka Suroor," which is currently being shot in Germany.
Agnes church is one of the film's locations. The producers want to simulate a night-time concert in the huge nave and covered the windows and walls with black drapes. In a place where believers usually kneel down to pray, there are now 50 professional dancers in silver sequined dresses shaking their hips while a few hundred extras mill around waiting to play the cheering crowd.
But having fun and dancing in a church has raised a few eyebrows. Cologne's archbishop Joachim Meissner tried to stop the shooting from going ahead, but failed when it was revealed the church's pastor had already signed the contract with the production company.
Many parishioners are angry about the production. An elderly woman shakes her head as she enters the church and then turns to leave saying: "I wanted to pray, to light a candle."
Until Sunday, only the film team will be allowed to use in the main nave, which has upset more than a few people. They don't understand why she shoot has to take place in a building they consider holy. Deutsche welle recently reported about this episode. The full story is available on
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2387067,00.html

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I had written before about the growing popularity of Indian films and India thereof in Germany. At that time, I had mentioned about the show, Bharati, to be held there. That mention remained albeit passingly and now I chanced upon some details of this show.
FRIEDRICH-KARL PRAETORIUS is a name to be reckoned with in Germany and the man is playing Sutradhar, the Narrator in the show. I read a couple of interviews which appeared just before this show and are especially related to it. In these interviews, he talks about playing his part in the show, how he landed in the role, his fascination for the India and what’s surprising, at least I was surprised, his knowledge about the India. I so longingly wish to see his portrayal and the show, but alas...While reading these interviews, I thought I should translate them so that my countrymen could also know how far this actor, director and paintor go. These translations are very loose to be sure but it sure brings out the frankness and magnamity of FRIEDRICH-KARL PRAETORIUS

Interview by Irmgard Berner.

Mr. Praetorius, You are famous as a stage actor, have worked with Peter Zadek and Hans Neuenfels, written books and Theater pieces and paint. From January 2nd you are venturing into the world of Showbiz as the narrator of “Bharati-Das Wunder von Indien.” How have you traveled so far?

FRIEDRICH-KARL PRAETORIUS: It is a coincidence. I am a tourist in India and search for the unreached areas there. That can be very adventurous. Sometimes that means going where one can not find the water to drink, where one can’t find descent hotels. But Mr. Mark Lieberberg, the concert agent, did not know it all as he knew me as a theater person of all, and asked me almost shyly what to do with musical. Lieberberg himself takes interest in so many subjects, rising above the typical German classification mania to describe Musical as dubious and theater on the other side as intellectual.
What role the Narrator is playing in the spectacle?
FRIEDRICH-KARL PRAETORIUS: The show consist of 17 brilliant numbers, which consist of 101 singers, dancers, acrobats and artists from various ethnic groups from the subcontinent are taking part in the show-and they are of only best quality. They bring with them the religious elements of their motherland. The producer of the show Ghashadh Deshe was searching farmost corners of the India last five years-for the balance act between show and religion, which consists of 350,000 Gods.
And is the Narrator your dear Marshal uncle?
FRIEDRICH-KARL PRAETORIUS: No, the figure is rather disrespectful of the Gods and makes jokes with the public-and that as a Hindu.
How do you look?
FRIEDRICH-KARL PRAETORIUS:I asked myself: Am I not too thick? But that is too crazy, in India to be thic is taken as rich and beautiful. I have no make-up, have an Indian costume, am barefoot and have a pole. Imagine: 100 performers in a masterly choreography, bombardment of music instruments and bits of Sitar-sounds. This constant change needs a quiet point, to give it the rhythm, it the single speaking figure. His speech is written very tactfully. The spectator gets this love story between Sidharta and Bharati in a manner, that goes with the pure dances. So a sensual magic unfolds, that can not be explained to uninitiated.
You stand with very beautiful person on the stage. How much Eroticism they have?
FRIEDRICH-KARL PRAETORIUS:Their beauty is incredible! Few Europeans know India, but many know the Kamasutra. The eroticisms of this was chiseled and represented in stone already before over 3,000 years are so beatiful, they can be said in no manner unsavory or pornographic. For me, they connect the sacred with the sexual in an ideal manner, especially the femaleness. That is not only my perception, women also admire how the Indians controlled the form, long before the Romans. Look at the sex of the Middle Ages in pictures of Hieronymus Bosch: these pale women with its deadly renouncing faces. In India also, that old ideal has been lost in part. Today many women are seen doing laborus work, they carry stones. They live in poverty. In the show, one does not naturally see that, but rather dancer in more absolute, lustful harmony.
With humour as well?
FRIEDRICH-KARL PRAETORIUS:Yes, it comes in various elements of the music. It is very similar to the Jewish humor. Indians do not pose that much problems as much we do. Indians are so joyful, bringing with them certain innocence. Nevertheless one senses this enormous power in the music and one recognizes the country that constructs atom bombs. It is a sensual Storytelling.
What does that mean to you personally?
FRIEDRICH-KARL PRAETORIUS:India came to me! In cultural concentration, in thinking, it is a gift.
What do you wish for to take from the show?
FRIEDRICH-KARL PRAETORIUS:The equanimity of the indian - as of April I will work again with Zadek.

The original story in German appeared in

http://www.berlinonline.de/berliner-zeitung/print/feuilleton/615549.html

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Bollywood 'Dhoom' in Germany

Bollywood cruises in Germany
That Bollywood is crossing new frontiers in geographic terms is nothing of a news now. But that it has created a much frenzy outside India is certainly a thing to be applauded. That frenzy at this point of time is evident much in Germany. The country will witness a gala show in about a month's time to celebrate the life Bollywood-way.
In Germany, many people know Bollywood through television only. And for Germans, Bollywood films are those in which songs, dance, laughter, crying and all other masalas are rolled into one. For them, now Bollywood is to be presented live in show called 'Bharati.' Which will showcase entire spectrum of the Indian movies from yesteryears to this day as they are. I read on a German website named ka-news.de the description of this show as follow (I have tried to translate it) : Bharati is a two hour long innovative work of art in fabric and tone, wherein 100 costumes made of expensive materials, brilliant fabric and vivid creations are employed. With these the Musical ensemble will tour all of Germany and Austria. The show will be held on 8 and 9 February 2007 in Baden-Baden.
In this show, 15 artists and Six singers will play the songs from popular Bollywood films, which will be traditional tunes but will be played on modern lines. This will be second show of this proportion in Europe. The first being Bombay Dreams some two years ago.

In fact, not only in Germany, but Bollywood films are gaining ground in Europe all over. Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner filmmakerYash Chopra has attributed this popularity to one reason. "People who see our films feel happy," he said in an interview at this year’s Berlin Film Festival.
The beats and strain of Bollywood music extravaganzas has become a booming economic and cultural force across Europe. Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan and Rithik Roshan starrer ‘Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gum’ was shown on a German TV channel last year. This was the first time a Bollywood film was aired such a way. And it was a instant hity. Germany has a very small ethnic Indian (if not Asian) population, but radio stations there frequently broadcast listeners’ favourite Hindi, Punjabi, Pakistani, Ghazals, Indian Pop, Filmi and Bhangra hits. Indeed, in Germany, a national television network is drawing high ratings with prime-time Bollywood film marathon weekends.
Dance schools around Europe are now besieged by people clamouring to sign up for courses in Bollywood-style dancing. Boutiques are all a-bling with glittery costume jewellery designed to make wearers look like Bollywood stars.
In Britain, Bollywood films have started to make more money at the box office than home-grown productions. 'Pardes' and 'Taal', produced by Subhash Ghai are two examples for this. This year, 69 Bollywood films have been released in Britain and 14 productions financed by the Indian film industry are being shot there.
Britain’s three largest multiplex chains - Odeon, Vue Cinemas and Cineworld - routinely screen Hindi films that appear in the nation’s top 15 film lists.
Hugely successful
The Bollywood fad was spearheaded in Germany by Berlin’s Radio Multi-Kulti station, which specializes in ethnic programming. But the fad took off when dance club deejays began mixing Bhangra beats on their turntables.
Arthouse cinemas featured Bollywood productions and that led to the first tentative prime-time TV viewings.
"They were hugely successful," says Joyce Mariel, a spokeswoman for RTL II television. The youth-oriented network aired "Good Times, Bad Times – Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham " and, against all odds, scored high ratings.
"We had an average 2 million households, which is very good for us," Mariel recalls. "And the best part of it all was that 73 per cent of the viewership was young women, which is an ideal target audience."
Following up that success, RTL II aired "Indian Love Story - Kal Ho Naa Ho " and then showed "Main Hoon Na" last spring. Through word-of-mouth publicity alone, each was a bigger hit than the previous one.

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