Indian director's farewell gift to George Bush

Mumbai, Nov 22 (IANS) Filmmaker Kunal Roy Kapur, whose directorial debut "The President Is Coming" is about a bunch of young Indian achievers who decide to meet George W. Bush when he visits India, says his film won't be affected by the US president's forthcoming exit.

"No such thing," Kapur who has earlier directed the same plot on stage, told IANS. "The film is not so much about Bush. It's about what he represents in the minds of people. Now that the president is going, my president is coming. This is my farewell gift to George Bush."

Konkona Sen Sharma, Ira Dubey, Namit Das, Anand Tiwari, Satchik Puranik, and Vivek Gomber are in the cast. The film has been directed on stage with the same cast, barring Konkona.

But how would it look when the characters keep referring to 'President' Bush?

"It won't be that difficult. For one, the film is set in 1996. Then, as I said, George Bush is more a state of mind than a person in my film. We never see him on screen the way we did in Apoorva Lakhia's 'Mission Istaanbul'. I don't have an actor impersonating Bush the way 'Mission Istaanbul' did.

"Let's put it this way. George Bush is an idea rather than a living person in my film. Not that we don't show him in the film. And, besides, Bush would still be in power until January, wouldn't he?

"I've done the same story on stage and it is an unqualified success. Anubhav Pal wrote 'The President Is Coming'. It's more about the fixation we in this country have with international celebrities than a comment on global politics," said Kapur.

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The President Is Coming