Lahore director signs Hulk cinematographer

Two National Awards winner Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan plans to shoot in India, Russia, Luxembourg, China and the US in the first quarter of 2011 for his debut sci-fi.

Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan, who bagged two National Awards for his debut film Lahore, has just returned from the US, having convinced Frederick Elmes to jump on board for his desi sci-fi venture. Elmes, who is the cinematographer behind Hollywood hits like Hulk, The Namesake, Blue Velvet, Blood Brother and Wild At Heart among others, will be shooting his film, primarily in India and partly in Luxembourg, Russia, China and NASA and other space centers in the US.

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“I will go on a recce with Frederick in the first week of January to the interiors of North and South India. We’re looking to exploit locations never seen on screen before. He wants to capture mystical India in all its glory,” beams Chauhan, upbeat at having locked a topnotch Hollywood cinematographer. “Most of those associated with our films earlier have been second-line technicians and operative cameramen. But Fredrick is a big name, I’m lucky he was impressed with my script and debut film.”

Chauhan has also signed Wayne Sharp to compose the background score, and has roped in Golden Globe winner Lisa Gerrard (Gladiator, Mission Impossible II) and Senegalese singer-guitarist Babba Maal (Black Hawk Down) for the vocals. For Lahore, he had Master Tony Leung Siu Hung, Rob Miller, Lisbeth Scott, and Wayne Sharp on his crew and believes that the script and the technicians are the biggest stars of his film, which will boast of Bollywood and Hollywood names.