[Reader-list] FW: NEWS: Aishwarya Rai To Star In Major Motion Picture About Bhopal

Thu Dec 2 14:46:36 IST 2004

FYI --

> ------------------------------------
> 
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
> 
> 
> Aishwarya Rai To Star In Major Motion Picture About Bhopal
> Fiction Feature Film is Epic Thriller Set Against Worlds Largest
> Industrial Disaster
> 
> 
> BHOPAL, INDIA & HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA, USA  DECEMBER 2, 2004 
> International star Aishwarya Rai announced today she will executive
> produce and star in a major motion picture about the 1984 Union Carbide
> disaster in Bhopal.  Tentatively titled WINDFALL, film will be produced
> by Zachary Coffin and is scheduled to begin filming in Fall 2005.
> 
> The fiction feature film, a murder mystery inspired by true events, is set
> mostly in present day America, with flashbacks to Bhopal.  Movie is the
> story of a young womans search for her father, a plant manager on duty
> the night of the disaster.  Ms. Rai plays the lead role, Jasmine Singh, an
> Indian-American debutante born in Bhopal but raised in Beverly Hills.
> 
> The story of the disaster in Bhopal is all too tragic, said Ms. Rai.
> But this film will be inspiring.  The story of a young womans search for
> her father, the love story with her American fiancé and the issues she
> goes through as a survivor of the disaster  I simply had to be involved.
> And I hope the films success will draw attention to the need of victims
> in Bhopal, and to those everywhere whove suffered from injustice.
> 
> This is a heroic role, like Erin Brockovich, but on an epic scale  THE
> INSIDER meets TITANIC, said producer Zachary Coffin.  Aishwarya was our
> first, last and only choice to play the lead, and I truly believe this
> will be the most inspiring performance of hers yet.
> 
> The film was announced auspiciously during the 20th anniversary
> commemoration in Bhopal.  Today, twenty years to the day of the tragedy,
> this spot may well be the most symbolically significant square mile on the
> earth, said Mr. Coffin, speaking from the statue of Bhopal Mother in
> front of the now abandoned Union Carbide factory.  For what happened here
> with Union Carbide is directly connected to what happened in the US with
> Enron, Tyco and Halliburton, and what is happening in scores of places
> around the world.  Bhopal has become a metaphor for our times.  It is the
> story of the most blatant example of corporate injustice, the most glaring
> instance of globalization gone awry.  It is a story whose time has come.
> 
> Feature film is to be based on an original, fictional treatment written by
> the producer, relying in part on the non-fiction book The Bhopal Tragedy:
> What Really Happened and What It Means for American Workers and
> Communities at Risk, by Ward Morehouse and Arun Subramaniam.  Documents
> recently released under the US Freedom of Information Action will
> supplement the book with newly revealed information about who knew what
> when.
> 
> At long last, commented Ward Morehouse, Co-Author of The Bhopal Tragedy
> and Co-Founder of the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal, this
> great tragedy will be told as a gripping story of human hope and the
> search for truth.
> 
> "The truth behind the worst corporate crime in history has remained
> inaccessible to the world community for much too long," added Satinath
> Sarangi, Managing Trustee of the Sambhavna Trust.  "Now, as the disaster
> reaches its third decade we are very hopeful that this film can increase
> international awareness of the continuing disaster in Bhopal."
> 
> The 1984 Union Carbide gas leak in Bhopal, India  the Hiroshima of the
> chemical industry  is the largest industrial disaster in history.  On
> the night of December 2, 1984, 40-60 tons of toxic gas escaped the
> chemical plant and spread to 25 square miles of the city.  Over 20,000
> people died and at least 120,000 remain chronically ill to this day.
> 
> But if you think this film will be depressing, commented producer Zack
> Coffin, I dare say youll be surprised.  This is a dramatic personal
> journey set against an historic epic backdrop.  Its true to the spirit of
> what happened such that victims and stakeholders feel comfortable, but
> accessible to a global audience  an international epic movie that has it
> all  murder mystery, romance, grand scale, political manipulation,
> corporate abuse, high stakes legal battles, backroom deals and a
> passionate personal quest for the truth.
> 
> Principal photography is expected to begin in Fall 2005, with
> approximately two-thirds being filmed in North America and one-third in
> India.
> 
> More information about the film can be found at www.BhopalMovie.com.
> 
> 
> ###
> 
> The names of companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks
> of their respective owners.
> 
> 
> ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
> 
> AISHWARYA RAI  Recently described by the New York Times as a a true
> megawatt international star on the order of Liz Taylor, Ms. Rai can be
> seen in her first English-language movie BRIDE AND PREJUDICE, releasing in
> America in February 11th.  The queen of Indian cinema, and former Miss
> World, she has been named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the
> World by Time Magazine.  Recently signed with Hollywood talent agency
> Creative Artists Agency, Ms. Rai already has agreed to star in CHAOS
> opposite Meryl Streep and is due to start filming MISTRESS OF SPICES in
> 2005.
> 
> ZACHARY COFFIN  CEO of Zachary Coffin Productions, and General Partner of
> Coffin Capital, Mr. Coffin combines two diverse careers  art and business
>  to produce this movie on Bhopal.  As Global XBRL Leader at KPMG LLP, he
> was responsible for leading the integration of transparent internet
> reporting (XBRL) into the firms assurance, audit, tax, corporate finance,
> and advisory services for clients of every industry worldwide.  A subject
> matter expert on corporate transparency, he has spoken at venues ranging
> from the Federal Reserve to the World Congress of Accountants.  Previous
> to his eight years in consulting, Mr. Coffin spent seven years in
> media/entertainment, including co-producing radio show Gandhi in the Park
> for three years in New York.  Mr. Coffin graduated with an MFA in Film
> Production from the University of Southern California, and with a BA,
> magna cum laude, from Columbia University.
> 
> 
> CONTACT INFORMATION:
> 
> Zachary Coffin
> Preferred Contact: info at BhopalMovie.com
> Telephone in India (Dec 2004 only): +91-98189-03420
> Fax: +1-213-330-0270
> (Hindi-speaking Press: Rachna Dhingra, rachna at umich.edu, +91-98261-67369.)
> 
> NOTE TO PRESS:
> 
> Zachary Coffin will be available to answer questions during a press
> conference on Sunday, 5 December 2004, at Noon, during the India
> International Film Festival in Goa, India.  See www.BhopalMovie.com for
> updates.
> 
> ###
> 
> 
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