Ang Lee believes destiny played an important role in getting him to direct the movie, which changed hands with many directors before landing Lee.
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Ang Lee, who spent almost four years translating Yann Martel's India-set fantasy adventure Life of Pi to the screen, feels a sense of belonging to Pi's journey and is ready to go around the world to introduce the movie.
"There is nothing more important to me than this movie right now. I hope it works. I will go around the world to introduce Pi. I am looking forward to how the audience play the movie in their head. I don't have a control over it but I hope they like it," said the mild-mannered director in an interview.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker, who is behind genre-defying movies like Sense and Sensibility, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hulk and Brokeback Mountain, believes destiny played an important role in getting him to direct the movie, which changed hands with many directors before landing Lee.
The project has been in the making for almost a decade and directors like M Night Shyamalan, Alfonso Cuaron AND Jean Pierre Jeunet were involved with it briefly. Finally, Fox approached Lee in February 2009.
"I read the book when it first came out and four years ago, Fox Star Studios approached me to direct it. I immediately got hooked and knew that I was undertaking a huge responsibility," said Lee, who is on a promotional visit here.
Talking about his predecessors, Lee says, "They backed off for different reasons and some never got involved. I don't know what was the story. There was one director who even spent two years animating few things but they fall apart. It finally came to me. I think every movie has its own fate.
"When I started doing the movie I felt like I had a sense of belonging. I started longing to be a part of it and the movie became mine. I don't look at the previous history or the future."
The trailers of the film show some stunning images of India and the cultural aspects of Pondicherry, the setting of the story. Lee worked hard to get the cultural aspects right.
"I came here and I did my research, only then I started to think about structuring the story. I started putting pictures in my head about the Indian part in the film. We shot in Pondicherry, Munnar for the Indian segment and spent around a year to improve visualisation and computer animation for the ocean part," he says.
The most difficult decision for Lee probably was to shoot the movie in 3D. It was a risk since most of the film is set in the ocean. The cost went up, making the studio jittery.
"I thought it was impossible to shoot in water in 3D... it looked impossible and was expensive. Filmmaking is about new media. It is a new illusion so I started thinking about that. Later, I realized 3D did wonders with water. You really feel like you are there with Pi in the ocean," Lee says.
The Taiwanese-born American director, 58, built a studio in his country for the water scenes. "We had to built a wave tank to simulate open ocean."
Lee recalls how it almost did not get made when he opted for 3D technology. "The studio thought it was very expensive. They said it is not going to happen. But for me, if I start anything and I don't finish, it kills me. So once I got hooked I did not want to hear no," he says.
Lee also decided to forgo big names from Hollywood to pick up an international cast. He chose a 17-year-old newcomer Suraj Sharma to play the lead role of Pi and Indian actors Tabu, Irrfan Khan and Adil Hussain for other key characters. The only big name Spider-Man actor Tobey Maguire's scenes were chopped off and Lee reshot them with Rafe Spall.
Though he has shot some portions of the film in India, Lee has not followed Indian cinema. "I don't watch many Indian movies but I remember some 10 to 15 years back I saw Sholay."
The film releases in India on November 23.
"There is nothing more important to me than this movieright now. I hope it works. I will go around the world tointroduce Pi. I am looking forward to how the audience playthe movie in their head. I don't have a control over it but Ihope they like it," said the mild-mannered director in aninterview.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker, who is behind genre-defyingmovies like Sense and Sensibility, Crouching Tiger HiddenDragon, Hulk and Brokeback Mountain, believes destinyplayed an important role in getting him to direct the movie,which changed hands with many directors before landing Lee.
The project has been in the making for almost a decadeand directors like M Night Shyamalan, Alfonso Cuaron AND JeanPierre Jeunet were involved with it briefly. Finally, Foxapproached Lee in February 2009.
"I read the book when it first came out and four yearsago, Fox Star Studios approached me to direct it. Iimmediately got hooked and knew that I was undertaking a hugeresponsibility," said Lee, who is on a promotional visit here.
Talking about his predecessors, Lee says, "They backedoff for different reasons and some never got involved. I don'tknow what was the story. There was one director who even spenttwo years animating few things but they fall apart. It finallycame to me. I think every movie has its own fate.
"When I started doing the movie I felt like I had a senseof belonging. I started longing to be a part of it and themovie became mine. I don't look at the previous history or thefuture."
The trailers of the film show some stunning images ofIndia and the cultural aspects of Pondicherry, the setting ofthe story. Lee worked hard to get the cultural aspects right.
"I came here and I did my research, only then I startedto think about structuring the story. I started puttingpictures in my head about the Indian part in the film. We shotin Pondicherry, Munnar for the Indian segment and spent arounda year to improve visualisation and computer animation for theocean part," he says.
The most difficult decision for Lee probably was to shootthe movie in 3D. It was a risk since most of the film is setin the ocean. The cost went up, making the studio jittery.
"I thought it was impossible to shoot in water in 3D...it looked impossible and was expensive. Filmmaking is aboutnew media. It is a new illusion so I started thinking aboutthat. Later, I realized 3D did wonders with water. You reallyfeel like you are there with Pi in the ocean," Lee says.
The Taiwanese-born American director, 58, built a studioin his country for the water scenes. "We had to built a wavetank to simulate open ocean."
Lee recalls how it almost did not get made when he optedfor 3D technology."The studio thought it was very expensive. They said itis not going to happen. But for me, if I start anything and Idon't finish, it kills me. So once I got hooked I did not wantto hear no," he says.
Lee also decided to forgo big names from Hollywood topick up an international cast. He chose a 17-year-old newcomerSuraj Sharma to play the lead role of Pi and Indian actorsTabu, Irrfan Khan and Adil Hussain for other key characters. The only big name Spider-Man actor Tobey Maguire'sscenes were chopped off and Lee reshot them with Rafe Spall.
Though he has shot some portions of the film in India,Lee has not followed Indian cinema."I don't watch many Indian movies but I remember some 10to 15 years back I saw Sholay."
The film releases in India on November 23.
