Eros to make an Indo - Canadian Film

The saga of Komagata Maru, the Japanese ship that sailed in 1914 to Vancouver with 376 passengers from Punjab, is finally going to be told on the large screen. We have it straight from Canada that the long-stranded project would be the first beneficiary of the joint film treaty signed by India and Canada on July 1. According to the Treaty, filmmakers from both countries would be at liberty to make films as and how they want in India and Canada with heavy tax and production subsidies.

Komagata Maru has been a long-in-the-pipeline dream project involving huge monies and therefore prohibitive. Deepa Mehta was to direct the project initially with Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar in the lead. But now the project will be helmed by a top Hollywood director. Eros International has stepped in as the Indian producer for this ambitious epic drama.

Confirming these details a source from Canada says, "Komagata Maru would now be a 22 million-dollar Indo-Canada production to be directed by a A-lister from Hollywood. It will have one top Indian actor playing a Sikh. We want Mr Bachchan for that role. One top Japanese actor and one Hollywood actor, besides many other prominent actors from India, Canada and the US". Interestingly, the project is being co-scripted by Vinay Virmani the young Canada-based Indian actor who starred in Bejoy Nambiar's David and would soon be seen in the Canada-produced comedy Dr Cabbie.