G2: Amitabh Bachchan

G2 PEOPLE

THE GREAT GATSBY GOES TO GUJARAT G2 The Global Gujarati, together with the US Consulate, Mumbai, saluted the international success of Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby with an evening in which Amitabh Bachchan proved once again why he is a superstar!

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was not the case here. We had provided for eight TV cameras. There were 25 wanting in. BBC Radio called wanting to be invited. What a night!

I was chosen to do the interview over many seasoned stalwarts who shall remain nameless here. Boy was I nervous. I was going to be facing the Big B! I must have rehearsed the interview a hundred times. I had 15 questions ready. Good for twenty minutes.

Guess what…He spoke for ONE HOUR and TWENTY MINUTES. I was making up questions real-time. We were actually In this programme The Great Gatsby Goes to Gujarat having a real conversation! Li’l ol’ me, and he, we are linking two legends, the classic American the Big B! novel The Great Gatsby and the Indian classical actor The Warner Bros representatives who Amitabh Bachchan. Why would the Great Gatsby go to attended the event said to me, “You know Gujarat? There are many good reasons. Mr Bachchan’s Abhinav, any TV channel would love to role of Brand Ambassador for Gujarat tourism, as well have this interview. Discovery, BBC, you as his role in the film, tops the list. Our co-hosts G2 The name it but we don’t think you should give Global Gujarati links Gujaratis around the world. The it to anybody. This is probably his best Trident BKC highlights Gujarati cuisine for us tonight. interview. It will have huge archival value And, of course, the US and Gujarat have excellent in time to come.” What a night!

As Amitabh said, quoting his late people-to-people contact and numerous business father the noted poet, Harivanshrai ties. The Gujarat model of economic development is Bachchan, “Man ka ho to accha hai. watched with interest both within and without India.

Na ho to zyada accha hai.” Not in my The US Consulate in Mumbai is a strong supporter of wildest dreams could I have imagined American companies that do business in Gujarat. such a night!

— Anne Grimes, Acting Consul General, US Consulate — Abhinav Aggarwal General, Mumbai CEO & Editor, G2 The Global Gujarati

hat a night! Yours truly, G2 The Global Gujarati, hosted Amitabh Bachchan, the Big B himself. This was in aegis with the US Consulate making us perhaps the only Indian magazine to have partnered with the US

Government.

The Great Gatsby Goes to Gujarat was an event made possible by a slew of our friends, partners and well-wishers.

Siddhitech Homes was the Title Sponsor, Trident Bandra Kurla our hospitality partner and Ballantine’s from Pernod Ricard our beverage partner.

SAB Miller provided the beer.

The event was held in association with Warner Bros and the Motion Picture Association of America.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone.

The invite read 7.00 pm. But Amitabh, true to his legendary reputation, arrived at 6.38 pm!

The Golconda Ballroom was packed to the hilt. We are a major media house. Media houses usually desist from carrying events done by another media house. This 22 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013 | G2

AMITABH SPEAK the man Humility maketmhuch attention

is so I am amazed that a r fo all scene that lasts being paid to a sm gh ou th in the film. Al couple of minutes a to be working in e it’s a great privileg d an e tim st tion for the fir Hollywood produc tists e of the greatest ar m so to be alongside bey To , io pr Ca onardo Di of Hollywood: Le tic tas fan a d an ulligan Maguire, Carey M so e is entire experienc crew that made th an artist. valuable for me as

Gatsby and Indian films

The story is quite close to the ones we make here in India. There is this very poor man who loves this girl and they prof ess their love to each other. Then comes the war. He goes off and by the time he comes back she is married to a very rich billi onaire. Gatsby feels he needs to make enou gh wealth to win her back. Throughout his life journey he wondered how to brin g this power that comes along with wealth so that she can come back to him.

On The Great

Gatsby It’s a great story. Its very tragic but also very magnanimous. Th e role of Gatsby is very well designed in 19 20s New York. It wa s the age of extravaganc e ... just before the crash, maybe soon after the First World War. There is a feeling of accomplishment. Th ere is a great atmosph ere. People are wa nting to reach great heigh ts, accumulate a lo t of wealth and that er a is shown so brill iantly in the film and ca ptured in the bo ok of course.

Indian An Indian plays a non-ian actor

an Ind Perhaps for the first time role in a Holhas not played an Indian haps new for lywood film. That was per not understand ld cou them and hence they Jew... But we a g yin pla s how an Indian wa to this. When we should not pay attention ther which caste go for a film we do not bo us is. We laugh the person sitting next to the same emotions at the same jokes, cry at Hence it does and enjoy the same songs. ian plays a JewInd not matter whether an ian role.

Ind an ish role or a Jew plays

Hollywood is gracious Hollywo

od vs Bo Film-mak llywood ing is si milar all world. Th over the e differen ce the film or the atm is how you make osphere a and the rou pro apart. I th cedure, which is nd it ink the W est is obse worlds research ssed with and detail ing such a wo nderful th which I think is ing. I feel spend tha we don’t t kind of time and detailing. energy on

What I found very gracious was that after I finished the scene with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire, Leonardo says, “Baz in the book Wolfsheim wears molars as cuff links. Why haven’t you incorporated that?” Baz said that he didn’t think it was important but Leonardo said he thought it was. Baz asked if I could stay for one more day. I said sure you can take a couple of months. But the fact that an artist is so concerned about not just his but his colleagues’ roles shows the interest they take.

Vijay Gangaramani, Visheshwar Raj Singh, Amitabh Bachchan, Anne Grimes and Abhinav Aggarwal

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ius arketing genw to m ’s d o o w y ll Ho ally lack is ho

we re I think what Hollywood arket our films. m d an e ot om pr ey do it. The illiant in how th is absolutely br ey used for g technology th kind of marketin amazing. y is absolutely The Great Gatsb

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On

the join Abhishek and Aish t-family warya w Oprah Sh e ow some time back re on The Abhishek and she a a questio sked n. She said of you sta , “I believ y under o e all n e roof — father an your moth d er, work?” So everybody. How Abhishek does tha said, “Ho Oprah?” w do you t She said, live “I stay at my paren my house ts stay els and ewhere.”

“How do And he a es that wo sked, rk?”

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I think technically we have made vast e improvements. Some may not agre the d, but in the past the written wor poetry, literature were very strong.

We don’t find that today. I remember the brilliance of the music in the ’50s and ’60s, something that I do not see anymore.

1. His Excellency The Consul General of Singapore Lin Chung Ying and his wife 2. Komal Bhatia and Denzil Dias 3. His Excellency The Consul General of Japan Kiyoshi Asako 4. Uday Singh 5. Adrian Pinto at the bar 6. Her Excellency The Consul General of Israel Orna Sagiv and husband Isaac 7. Vijay Shukla and Ajit Nair with the Big B 8. Lohita Sujith and friend

Favourite tourist destination in Gujarat

g to That is very difficult but if you are goin n of Ran the say to g push me, then I am goin nlit moo a On e. plac Kutch is a very beautiful t it wha gine ima ot cann y night you reall but ing noth It’s . able eliev unb is looks like, it e whit of s mile and s mile ... sand e just whit it so es sand. The sea bed’s left over salt shin they is really beautiful. At the Kutch festivals room ing draw put up tents with a kitchen, ds the and bedroom. The entire village spen ce. dan and ic night there with mus

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On Bollywood’s 100 years

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“It was a pleasure and a privilege to co-host the The Great Gatsby Goes to Gujarat event at Trident, Bandra Kurla, Mumbai. G2 and the United States Consulate have both been long-standing partners for our hotel and this event further cemented our relationship on a common platform. Amitabh Bachchan’s graceful presence and fascinating insights shared over a leisurely chat with Abhinav Aggarwal, CEO & Editor, G2 were the highlight of the evening. The interview session was followed by dinner, giving us an opportunity to showcase our resident Maharaj’s vegetarian cuisine. In fact, though Mr. Bachchan could not stay for dinner due to a prior engagement, he specifically asked for the food to be packed and sent along with him so he and his family could enjoy it later! ” — Visheshwar Raj Singh, General Manager, Trident, Bandra Kurla, Mumbai

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14 9. Sanjay Zinzuwadia and his son 10. Vincent Cleme 11. Amod Sharma, Angell and Shravan Rathod 12. Rahul Bubber 13. Viren, Mita and Nilay Bhimani 14. Kumudesh Bhandari 15. Amit and Nikhil Desai 16. Dr. R.P. Soonawala

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17. Anirudh Dhoot 18 Sanjay Ghelani and his wife 19. Parag Desai 20. Jitendra Chauhan 21. Anil Dharker and

Amy Fernandes 22. Ankita Gangaramani 23. to 26. Stills from The Great Gatsby Pics: omkar kocharekar, DATTA KHEDEKAR and Sandeep Patil

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