After Akon, it's Peter Gabriel, the iconic British rock musician who is all set to score music for a Hindi film. The film to be directed by the I Am Kalam maker Nila Madhab Panda will feature Richard Gere and Freida Pinto in the lead.
The entry of Gabriel stirs the great Indian musical melting pot in a new flavour of globalisation. Apparently Panda whose film is about ecological imbalances in nature, is negotiating with Peter Gabriel who has in principle, given his nod to scoring music for the film.
When contacted, Panda who is currently wrapping up his second feature film Jal Bin Jalpari is reluctant to reveal his plans. He finally lets out, "Yes, Peter Gabriel is my great God of music. To discuss this would be premature at the moment. But Gabriel is the only musician who can do justice to this film."
The film, says Panda, is about the cruelty we inflict on nature. "It spans over a time period between 2002 and 2020. Richard Gere plays the Sutradhar, a foreigner in India. I'm looking at Freida Pinto in a major role."
It has been a long journey from making I Am Kalam to roping in Peter Gabriel. "In this short period of my life from a poor tribal background in Orissa I've become a globetrotter, travelling to as many as over 50 countries with I Am Kalam.
My writers are always surprised that I never give reference to any cinema when I develop a script. The Richard Gere project will also be original." Panda was scheduled to leave for the UK to meet Gabriel after January 1.
Music mania
Gabriel was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of progressive rock group Genesis in 2010.