Being a part of Amazon Obhijaan makes me happy: James

Kolkata:  South African actor David James, who plays the role of pianist and explorer Marco Florian in Amazon Obhijaan, said he enjoyed his collaboration with director Kamaleshwar Mukherjee and looks forward to working with him again. The actor said that shooting an adventure film in three different continents was no mean feat and Mukherjee has done a commendable job with the script, James said.

“Kamalda (director) tells a big, adventurous and grand story that stretches over three continents and falls in the period between 1914 and 1920… It is not a small feat,” James said. The actor, known for his role as Koobus Venter in the Oscar-nominated science fiction film District 9, said the director was sensitive to his ideas and needs during the shoot.

“Kamalda was very sensitive to the fact that I was out of my comfort zone. I was fortunate that he allowed me to approach him with my ideas for my character. I really would like to work with him again,” James told PTI.

The actor said people from different cultures and nationalities should exchange ideas and work together to come up with better products.

He, however, refused to compare Indian productions with international ventures. James said he has worked in just one Indian film and he would not be fair on his part to rate Amazon Obhijaan by international standards.

“I have worked with a great many films outside but only one Bengali production in India. I wish to work with other Indian productions before rating or comparing Indian productions with international ventures,” he said.

Recalling that the cast and production team members spoke in different languages — from English, Bengali and Hindi to Brazilian, Portugese and Spanish, he said communication was a challenge but the team overcame it without much hassles. “All said and done, we got the work done and it truly felt like an international collaboration,” the actor asserted. Asked about his co-actors in the film, James said he knew from the very beginning that Dev is one of the sought-after actors in Bengal.

“It was clear to me from day one that the hero of the film Dev knew what was expected of him. He knew the style and the technical demands of the film... That he is a big Bengali star.” About his upcoming projects, James said he has just finished principal photography for ‘Sew the winter to my skin’, a South African-German co-production directed by Jahmil XT Qubek.

“Hopefully it will be ready before the Cannes film festival,” he said. Amazon Obhijaan, a sequel to Bengali blockbuster Chander Pahar, will hit the theatres on December 22.