Breaking barriers

Breaking barriers

Indian actors, producers and directors are slowly creating their own space in Hollywood. Deepa Mehta, Mira Nair, Shekhar Kapur, Irrfan Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Ritesh Batra, and a few others are global names. And there are many Indian-origin film personalities who are working in fields like animation, production and direction too.

Mumbai girl Mubina Rattonsey, along with Rohini Singh, Manmeet Singh and Armaan Zorace, has secured a $100 million funding for their Hollywood production house — Zero Gravity Partners. The New York-based company, says Rattonsey, will develop and produce films, TV and digital content. “Our intention was to form a very positive and formidable slate. Our first project is a first-of-its-kind horror film titled Wraith, to be directed by Armaan Zorace. It’s about a couple who are surrounded by evil presence and will feature Muslim exorcism. We are creating a very unique genre. The films that we are producing are about ordinary people in extraordinary situations and highlight their ability to survive. That’s a very special quality for us,” she says.      

Their other projects include Gamma Man, a superhero film about a teenager who acquires supernatural powers when he is exposed to a meteor shower; The Aryan Papers is a war-drama about a Polish musician who embarks on a journey in search of her fiancé during Second World War. There are also reports about Baywatch helmer Seth Gordon directing a film for the production house. 

Rattonsey adds that each story has to have the quality of being very different yet universal. “We are looking at creating a wide range of projects and we want them to do well not just in Hollywood but across the globe,” she adds. 

Wraith will be shot across Seattle and Abu Dhabi starting early next year and the makers plan to release it later next year. They are also in talks to sign a mainstream Indian actress to play the lead.   

Rattonsey says that though they will produce content for all three platforms, she has a never-ending love for films. “Films are everything for me. Having said that, we are going for different kinds of content and for different mediums. It’s such a great and compelling time for the film industries across the world. Even in Hollywood, storytelling is the heart and soul of it, so I think if you have a great and fantastic idea, the market is open to it. Production houses and companies want to tell different stories,” she says.    

Her dual role
Will her role in the company be more of a content creator, or she is going to focus only on the business aspect? The writer-producer says that it’s all of it and much more. “As a producer, I am hands-on and look at every aspect of the company, specially the areas where I can contribute. Definitely, I am creating content. That’s true of the partners too as we are working together.” 

Throwing light on their joint collaboration, Rattonsey says, “It’s been an amazing collaboration with everyone having similar ideologies and goals. It’s a team effort. One of the key things is the balance of power in the company and we are proud of it. We wanted to bring about gender balance. We want to put out and encourage filmmakers who have their own voice. There is an enormous talent in India as well as across the globe and we are inviting them to come and join us.”    
    
She also runs her independent film production company — Zero Gravity Motion Pictures, which she launched recently and the focus is the same. 

Breaking the ice
Most know her as Priyanka’s best friend but Rattonsey, before shifting base to Hollywood, has produced several Indian films too. In the past, she has co-produced Kaminey, which starred Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka. Her Malayalam and Tamil productions, Urumi and Ceylon, received positive response at the prestigious Busan International Film Festival. Her other critically acclaimed projects include Before the Rains, Tahaan — A Boy with a Grenade, and Prarambha, a short film for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Was it difficult to get into Hollywood? “With the A-league of Hollywood, you can’t be having boundaries clashing and envelope pushing. I got here with every bit of conviction and courage I had and that’s why I built my independent production house. There is a serious lack of mainstream producers from India and it’s therefore our endeavour to build collaborative force from India and across the world.” 

And why is there a lack of Indian storytellers in Hollywood?  “Everyone has their own reasons or their comfort zones. Hollywood film industry is very self sufficient; they do not need anything from outside but people from other countries are reaching across to them. I think there is a lack of people who are pushing and breaking the barriers,” she concludes.

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