Urmila to star in Benegal classic Matondkar will play Carmen in an Indianised version of the legendary Oscar Hammerstein musical
Subhash K Jha It's final. Kareena Kapoor's loss is Urmila's gain. While Kareena dillydallied over the role in Shyam Benegal's forthcoming woman-oriented musical, the exacting director was forced to look elsewhere. And the winner of Benegal's new venture is Urmila Matondkar who has been role-hunting, herself. Urmila has just accepted the lead in Shyam Benegal's adaptation of the Oscar Hammerstein musical, Carmen. Oh I'm so excited, Urmila said on Thursday, before flying off to the US and Canada for her stage shows with Sunny and Bobby Deol. The girl in Carmen has so many shades. And Shyam Babu is so good with the heroines. Look at Karisma Kapoor in Zubeida. Or Shabanaji in Ankur and Smitaji in Bhumika. Wow! This is a dream come true, says the actress, who in recent times has delivered great performances in Bhoot, Pinjar and Ek Hasina Thi. Actually I'm at a stage in my career where I don't mind seeking out roles. I actually went to visit Shyam Babu and told him I wanted to work with him. We immediately clicked, and why not? We worked together years ago, remember? she says drawing attention to her stint as a child artiste in Benegal's Kalyug, where she played Rekha's little son! She is obviously looking forward to it I had heard how much grief some stars have given Shyam Babu. I think he's quite disgusted with Bollywood's star system. I heard about Carmen from fellow-actor Rajit Kapur who insisted I meet him. So I finally did. Incidentally, Urmila's performance in her next release, Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara, is being talked about in muted tones. Those who have seen the rushes speak highly of Urmila's performance. The actress is just back from San Francisco's Independence Day parade, where she served as a grand marshall. It was wonderful to connect with the Indians in the US. I made a speech about cultural continuity which gelled well with both the first and second generation Indians. Then guess what? The youngsters danced to a medley of my songs. To just sit back and be part of the audience was a good change for me. All about Carmen In 1942 Oscar Hammerstein, American writer and producer of musicals, adapted Georges Bizet's 1875 opera, Carmen. It is the love story of Carmen, a beautiful and seductive factory worker, and a soldier, Joe. When Joe kills his sergeant during a fight, the lovers attempt to escape the police. But Carmen's faithlessness and selfishness cause her to eventually reject Joe for another man. The displaced lover can't let her go, and his obsessive love ultimately leads to tragedy. "We neglect our cities at our peril. For, in neglecting them, we neglect the nation." -John F. Kennedy ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> <font face=arial size=-1><a href="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12h7pdo76/M=362335.6886442.7839733.3022183/D=grplch/S=1705331874:TM/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1125023252/A=2894366/R=0/SIG=138c78jl6/*http://www.networkforgood.org/topics/arts_culture/?source=YAHOO&cmpgn=GRP&RTP=http://groups.yahoo.com/";>What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater? Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good</a>.</font> --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Explore, Experience, Enjoy A.R.Rahman - The Man, The Music, The Magic. Only at arrahmanfans.com - The definitive A.R.Rahman e-community. Homepage: http://www.arrahmanfans.com Admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arrahmanfans/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
