The write angle

Though Britain had been battered by one of the worst storms to hit the country for many years leaving fallen trees blocking railway lines and traffic gridlocked the Bombay Palace restaurant was heaving with the cream of the British Indian community for the launch of Ashok Amritrajrsquos book Advantage Hollywood in London on Monday October 28 at a dinner hosted by the Indian Journalistsrsquo Association Achievement Amritraj was releasing his memoirs which he has already promoted during its release in India Some of what he said would have familiar to anyone who has followed his 30year career in Hollywood where the youngest of the Amritraj brothers Anand and Vijay are his seniors ndash switched from tennis to movies in 1980 But a surprising number appeared genuinely taken aback by the extent of his achievement Ashok Amritrajrsquos book of memoirs Advantage Hollywood is launched by Racheline Paul wife of the Acting Indian High Commissioner PicRaj D Bakrania Amritraj was on the whole very complimentary about the Indian film industry but the 57yearold Hollywood movie mogul did want to emphasise one point In India actors and directors were greatly valued he said But now the time had come to give writers their due he suggested Director Gurinder Chadha Ashok Amritraj Lord Swraj Paul Lady Aruna Paulu00a0PicRaj D Bakrania Idea ldquoIndian cinema is so iconic in what it has donerdquo he acknowledged ldquoThe only thing I would love to say is that every time I go to India I get pitched by actors and directors but I never actually get pitched by writersrdquo Acting Indian High Commissioner Virander Paul with Ashok Amritraju00a0PicRaj D Bakrania He said he had the greatest regard for writers ldquowhether you write a screenplay or a novel the idea is perhaps the most important thing the idea of how you tell the storyrdquo he continued ldquoDirectors and actors are given so much attention in India that I think writers need to be paid more and given a lot more attentionrdquo Ashok Amritraj receives the Soul of India award for his services to India from Rami Rangeru00a0PicRaj D Bakrania Pride To date he has made 109 movies with the latest Life of Crime starring Jennifer Aniston and Tim Robbins closing the Toronto Film Festival and opening the one in Abu Dhabi on October 24 L to R Journalist Dhiren Basu Lord Navnit Dholakia Lady Anne Dholakia Kartar Lalvani Surina Narula Lord Swraj Paulu00a0PicTania Payne ldquoWe are so very proud of what you have achieved in Hollywoodrdquo said the acting Indian High Commissioner Virander Paul while his wife Racheline formally launched the book everyone was gifted a copy which the author patiently had to sign L to R Surina Narula Palvi HariaShah Jay Thaker Shelly Sahayu00a0PicTania Payne Amritraj had asked along Roger Spottiswoode who directed the 1997 Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies The latter confirmed he was working on a film A First Class Man based on the relationship between the Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan and his Cambridge colleague G H Hardy Names The British Academy of Film and Television Arts BAFTA sent a message welcoming Amritraj to Britain It was read out by long time BAFTA member director Ahmed Jamal whose credits include the Emmy nominated documentary on the killing of Daniel Pearl The Journalist and the Jihadi Lord Bilimoria L talks to Ashok Amritraj with Surina Narula C looking onu00a0PicRaj D Bakrania Amritraj received a ldquoSoul of Indiardquo award for services to Mother India from tycoon Rami Ranger who last honoured Salman Khurshid Indiarsquos External Affairs minister L to R Shelly Sahay Surina Narula writer Farrukh Dhondy actor Madhav Sharmau00a0PicTania Payne There was fair representation from the House of Lords Swraj Paul Navnit Dholakia Karan Bilimoria House of Commons Barry Gardiner who has invited Narendra Modi to visit Britain and the business and corporate world the director of Tata UK David Landsman Kartar Lalvani There were British Indian directors Gurinder Chadha actors Madhav Sharma writers artists and course many journalists Ashok Amritraj receives the Certificate of Excellence award from journalist Shiv Pandeu00a0PicTania Payne The formal proceedings was wound up by Surina Narula whose family company Ozymandias Productions has made a movie about cancer Decoding Annie Parker It deals with the BRCA gene that persuaded Angelina Jolie to undergo a double mastectomy Actress Selina Hotwani who starred in Patiala Houseu00a0PicTania Payne India ldquoThe lessons that I have learnt in India from my parents have stood the test of timerdquo Amritraj told his receptive audience ldquoEverything that I do stems from the fact that I am integrally Indian The principles and discipline and focus come from India and from my tennis backgroundrdquo L to R Lord Karan Bilimoria Acting Indian High Commissioner Virander Paul Rachelina Paul Ashok Amritraj journalist Daljit Sehbai Surina Narulau00a0PicRaj D Bakrania ldquoI have great great friends in India and I think the Indian cinema industry is one of the great cinema industries with extraordinary talent in front of and behind the camerardquo he said commending the directors of photography and designers and the costumes ldquoI keep calling it Indian cinema and not Bollywood for a reason because it encompasses a lot more than just Bollywood ndash and Bollywood just feels like a little bit of a rip offrdquou00a0