Recession isn’t so bad: Deepa Mehta

Internationally acclaimed film-maker Deepa Mehta says recession in the United States has proved to be a boon to some extent for small scale cinema makers as actors have slashed their astronomical fees and have become more accessible. Born in India, Deepa is now a film director and scriptwriter staying in Canada.

“Recession has hit in a major way and the condition is not very good but there’s a flip side to it too and it isn’t so bad. The stars, who used to charge enormous amounts before recession, are all doing reality check and are cutting down prices as there is hardly anyone offering them the astronomical figures they were used to charging before,” Deepa told DNA.

She adds: “The stars have also become very accessible as they know the importance of doing good work and even if they are not getting paid so much as they used to, they need to work don’t they? So, small film-makers can now reach a big star who they might have longed to work with for god knows how many years. And to their big surprise, if the script is dazzling, they might see their favourite star acting in their project too. So, recession’s not all that bad after all isn’t it?”

Deepa also revealed that she has completed scripting her forthcoming film Exclusion which stars Akshay Kumar in the lead. It is based on the historical Komagata Maru incident which saw a Japanese steamship by the earlier mentioned name that sailed from Hong Kong carrying 376 passengers from India was not allowed entry into Canada as per the exclusion laws practised in Canada and the US to keep out immigrants of Asian origin into their land.

“I’m really excited as I have finally finished writing my script and I can’t wait to begin my project. I have Akshay in my film and casting is going on for the other roles too. It is a great subject and it really intrigued me when I took it up,” she ends.