Jab We Met inspires a Hollywood flick!
It's usual for B-town to seek inspiration from their cousins abraod. But it's rare for a Hollywood movie to adapt an Indian script. Amy Adams starrer Leap Year, is said to be based on Imtiaz Ali's Jab We Met.
In fact, the Leap Year synopsis on the Universal Film News homepage clearly states: 'The film is loosely based on Jab We Met, a 2007 Bollywood film.' Directed by Anand Tucker, the film stars Amy Adams, Matthew Goode and Adam Scott. Amy was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress In A Supporting Role for Doubt (2008).
Shot in Ireland, the movie's settings have been adapted to local customs. According to Irish legend, a man who is proposed to on a leap day must accept, thus the title.
The film tracks the journey of a girl who is out to meet her boyfriend who she feels is the right man for her. Enroute she meets a guy who helps her in her journey which ends in her making a connection with the stranger. Keeping in mind the Irish landscape, most of her journey is through road and waterways. In Jab We Met, the mode of commute was road and train.
Filmmaker Anand Tucker, who is based in London, was born to an Indian father and German mother in Thailand but has made UK his home. His films include And When Did You Last See Your Father (2007) and Shopgirl (2005).
Imtiaz Ali though does not have clue about Leap Year's plot, he's glad that his movie is inspiring West. He tells a daily - "I have not heard of it," he says. "But I am happy about it. I am not complaining. It is a good sign. I am glad that Jab We Met is serving as an inspiration to others - that too in the West."
He adds, "I would love to watch Leap Year. Jab We Met was remade into Tamil as Kandein Kadhalai by director R Kannan. Bharath and Tamannah starred in it. "They had bought the remake rights from producers Ashta-vinayak and it was a hit in the south," informs Imtiaz.
