March 5, 2004 VNN8571
Srila Prabhupada Coming To The Silver Screen
BY EX ORIENTE LUX
USA, Mar 5 (VNN) — HRISIKESH - The Motion Picture of Life Times
The extra-ordinary life story of Srila Prabhupada disciple Hrisikesa dasa is set for the Silver Screen. The 600 page pre-production Script is completed and Asia's Pacific Film Works (20th Century Fox) has given the green light. The 6th Sense director M. Night Shyamalan is under consideration to direct the movie, which will be filmed on location using local production services in California, London, Nepal, India, Thailand, and Bali.
In the movie, tentatively named Hrisikesh, His Divine Grace is a major character. Srila Prabhupada may be played by famous Indian actor, Amrish Puri (who looks very much like Srila Prabhupada). Ben Kingsley may play HDG Srila Bon Maharaj. Josh Hartnett is under consideration to play Hrisikesh. Within two years the movie may be seen on main line cinemas around the globe. Featured in this movie are reincarnation, Krishna consciousness, Srila Prabhupada, Srila Bon Maharaj, Gaudiya Vaishnava Ashram life, Gaudiya siddhanta (mostly question and answer), the subplot of tug-of-war between Srila Prabhupada and Srila Bon Maharaj is also a feature. It is also a Rock 'n' Roll movie about The Misunderstood, it is a fugitive - escape movie, it is a culture shock movie, it is a war movie, and it is a thriller!
First he gets murdered, then his adventure begins: This movie begins in 1947 with Hrisikesh as an 80 year old sadhu getting shot during partition riots and then reborn in America as Richard Shaw-Brown. It features Hrisikesh as a rock 'n' roll star fugitive meeting devotees in San Francisco (1967) and becoming a disciple of Srila Prabhupada; it also features the philosophy of Lord Chaitanya, and the early days of the Hare Krishna Movement, also featured will be Vrindavan, and Mount Govardhan, and Varshana, and Nandagram, and Jaipur, and Karoli, and Delhi, and Bombay, and swinging 60s London, the extraordinarily great band, The Misunderstood, and it's unfair plight and super music, and exotic Bali; also the VN draft and Boot Camp (with Uncle Sam demonized as the Devil and Vietnam war as hell), state of the art technology will be used to create FX reincarnation scenes that will be a roller-coaster ride for the viewers, Shyamasundar & Mukunda Maharaj are chief characters, as is Srila Krishna Das Babaji; it is also a Katmandu movie, a 1967 Summer of Love hippy movie, and an ANTI-WAR MOVIE! It is a story of East meets West.
To read a synopsis click http://www.hrisikesh.net/Synopsis.htm Richard Shaw Brown, who co-wrote the screenplay, will be a consultant in several countries to help with the story boards and other details of costumes, procedures, etc.
This is a 1st for Srila Prabhupada himself to be featured in a big budget Hollywood movie. And on the pretext of telling Hrisikesa's story, Lord Krishna's philosophy is revealed. Password holders are welcome to download the entire script as a pdf.file before it goes beyond pre-production and a line producer breaks it up into lighting script, cameras script, sets script, costumes script, above and below the line actors scripts, make up script, locations script, etc. This film should be a BIG boost for Gaudiya Vaishnavism, and help make Srila Prabhupada much more famous. Just as Mel Gibsons's Passion is reviving so much interest in Christ, so hrisikesh can create a global revival of Srila Prabhupada and Gaudiya Siddhanta.
For more information visit the official site at http://www.hrisikesh.net