Status: Complete

Nandana misses a Broadway play!

Even while Nandana Sen readies for the release of her Marigold where she’s cast with Salman Khan, the actress is busy with international projects which are literally a second career to her. Recently, when she was in New York for the release of one of her films, the actress was even offered a Broadway play. “I was offered a couple of films and a prominent Broadway play, but unfortunately I couldn’t spare the dates,” says the disappointed Sen. As for us, we don’t see what the actress has to complain about. With a film with Amitabh in her resume (‘Black’ and a Salman starrer on the way, she’s gonna have to get used to refusing offers. Right?

Vikas Bhalla on his role in Marigold & Salman.

On being a superstar in Hollywood’s Marigold: “I am gung ho about my role in the Hollywod project Marigold. Salman Khan is the leading man while I play Raj, an Indian superstar, who thinks he is God’s gift to women. Willard Caroll is directing the film. The film abounds with funny sequences involving Salman and me. Salman plays a choreographer. I think Salman is in every way true Hollywood material. It has been quite a nice experience working with him. I feel he has the most mind-blowing sense of humour ever! He’s a very chilled out dude. The best thing about Salman is that his stardom did not come in the way at all while he executed his scenes. Believe it or not, for a 9.00 o’clock shift he would arrive at 8.00 o’clock sharp. And, he used to travel all the way from Bandra to Madh Island.”

On Salman recommending him for Marigold: “I frankly do not know what made the filmmakers select me for the part. Of course, I had auditioned for it and after two weeks I was told that I was on. I also do not know whether Salman Khan had a hand in casting me for it. He was very supportive on the sets.”

http://www.gmagazine.com/magazine/october2005/telechipz.asp

Bollywood seen through an American’s eyes!
07th July 2005 20.05 IST
By Nitika Desai

Hollywood director Willard Carroll says his forthcoming movie ‘Marigold’ aims to show Bollywood to the world through an American’s eyes.
The movie starring Bollywood’s Salman Khan and Hollywood actress Ali Larter is being described as the first film to bring together the two big movie making industries of the world.
Marigold – An Adventure in India stars Larter as an American actress Marigold Lexton who gets stranded in Mumbai and is forced by circumstances to work in a Bollywood movie. Salman plays her dance instructor Prem.
Although ‘Marigold’ has several ingredients of a typical Bollywood potboiler – the film has seven songs, for instance – its director claims that the movie is not a Bollywood film made in English, like Gurinder Chadha’s Bride and Prejudice was. Rather, Carroll says that his movie is a proper Hollywood film about Bollywood.
An entertainment site quotes Carroll as saying: “Marigold was my way of bridging the gap between Indian and American cinema. My assumption is that people in America don't know what Bollywood is. In Marigold, they'll be seeing it through an American's eyes.”
Carroll says he got interested in Bollywood after seeing the Salman-starrer Chori Chori Chupke Chupke about three years ago. He says he conceived the idea of making ‘Marigold’ keeping Salman in mind as the hero.
Salman says he has no plans of working in Hollywood films regularly, and he did Marigold “ only for Willard Carroll.”
Apparently, actress Ali Larter had difficulties during the film’s shooting in getting right the tempo of Indian songs initially, but Salman (who plays her choreographer in the film) came handy on the movie’s sets too and helped her get her dance steps right.
‘Marigold’ was shot in Rajasthan, Mumbai and Goa. The one-hour-fifty-minute film is slated to release in the US in January 2006.

'Marigold': Sneak Peek
By Vickey Lalwani ©2005 Bollyvista.com

There is immense curiosity on Salman Khan's debut appearance in Hollywood, specifically, 'Marigold'.

Here's a sneak peek into what the film is about: 'Marigold' is a romantic comedy about American actress Marigold Lexton (Ali Larter), who gets stranded in Mumbai. The real adventure begins when she bags a small role in a Bollywood musical, comes to India, has some issues, meets Prem (Salman Khan), the film's choreographer and undergoes a transformation of sorts. The film has been directed by Carroll, known for his Sean Connery and Angelina Jolie starrer, 'Playing By Heart'.

Salman Hollywood film to release in Jan
By: Agencies
July 1, 2005

Amsterdam: Aishwarya Rai may be making waves abroad but when it comes to starring in a mainstream Hollywood flick, actor Salman Khan has pipped her to the post.

Shooting for American filmmaker Willard Carroll's 'Marigold', billed the first Indo-US co-production ever, is complete and the film is slated for a January 2006 release in the US.

But lead actor Salman is happy doing Hindi films and has no plans to shift base to the world's movie capital.

"I did this film for Willard and Willard alone. I am not doing any other Hollywood film," he says.

Salman's present stance might change depending on the film's performance at the US box-office, but emoting in English might have had something to do with his decision.

"We do speak English in real life, but to do that consistently in front of the camera on sync sound was challenging," he says.

'Marigold' is a romantic comedy about an American actress Marigold Lexton (Ali Larter) who gets stranded in Mumbai. The reel adventure begins when she bags a small role in a Bollywood musical and meets Prem (Salman Khan) who is the film's choreographer.

"It's about a woman who comes to India, has some issues and undergoes a transformation for which Bollywood is a sort of catalyst," explains director Carroll, known for his Sean Connery and Angelina Jolie starrer 'Playing by Heart.'


'Marigold is a proper Hollywood film'
Tony Tharakan | July 01, 2005 14:21 IST

Aishwarya Rai may be making waves abroad but when it comes to starring in a mainstream Hollywood flick, her ex-boyfriend Salman Khan has pipped her to the post.

Shooting for American filmmaker Willard.

Carroll's Marigold, billed the first Indo-US co-production ever, is complete and the film is slated for a January 2006 US release.

But lead actor Salman is happy doing Hindi films and has no plans to shift base to the world's movie capital.

"I did this film for Willard and Willard alone. I am not doing any other Hollywood film," he says.

Salman's present stance might change depending on the film's performance at the US box-office, but emoting in English might have had something to do with his decision.

"We do speak English in real life, but to do that consistently in front of the camera on sync sound was challenging," he says.

Marigold is a romantic comedy about American actress Marigold Lexton (Ali Larter), who gets stranded in Mumbai.

The reel adventure begins when she bags a small role in a Bollywood musical and meets Prem (Salman Khan), the film's choreographer.

"It's about a woman who comes to India, has some issues and undergoes a transformation for which Bollywood is a sort of catalyst," explains director Carroll, known for his Sean Connery and Angelina Jolie starrer, Playing By Heart.

"Marigold was my way of bridging the gap between Indian and American cinema. My assumption is that people in America don't know what Bollywood is. In Marigold, they'll be seeing it through an American's eyes," he says.

On a visit to Chennai three years ago, a chance viewing of the Salman-starrer Chori Chori Chupke Chupke introduced the US filmmaker to the magical world of Bollywood.

Mesmerised, Carroll bought around 150 DVDs of Hindi films and spent hours watching them. Friends and family members thought he was 'insane.'

"I returned to the US and made people, in groups of 20, watch films like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Dil Chahta Hai and Hum Saath Saath Hain at my home. At that time, I had a vague idea of doing a movie," he says, adding that the movie was specifically written with Salman Khan in mind.

"I was obsessed with the idea of introducing Bollywood to a wider audience. Indian films are big hits in the US, but mainly among NRIs," says Carroll.

But hasn't filmmaker Gurinder Chadha already succeeded in popularising desi films abroad with the Aishwarya-Rai starrer Bride And Prejudice? "Bride and Prejudice is a sort of Bollywood movie in English. But Marigold was always a proper Hollywood film, which uses Bollywood as a backdrop," says Carroll. "I want the film to kindle all those emotions in American audiences that Bollywood films had done to me."

For Ali Larter, better known for her roles in Final Destination and Legally Blonde, working in Marigold turned out to be a bit of a challenge.

"The dancing was really hard. It involved a lot more work than I had thought. But Salman made it fun for me," says the blonde actress.

Salman agrees. "Although she hated me at first, we got along well later on," he says.

Marigold was shot in the beautiful locales of Rajasthan, Mumbai and Goa. At just 10 minutes short of two hours, the film even has seven songs, composed by musical trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, and written by Javed Akhtar.
But the director denies that the songs hamper the film's storyline. "Bollywood elements have been heightened but they are realistic, they never go over-the-top," says Carroll.