Actor-Director Helms ‘Khel Kood Aur Bhoot,’ First Hindi Film Shot in Kingdom of Bahrain

Bollywood has arrived in the Kingdom of Bahrain. While Switzerland has been the go-to international destination for big budget Hindi film productions, actor-director Adnan Malik hopes Bollywood will have a new place to film beyond India’s borders: the Kingdom of Bahrain. Known as the “Pearl of the Arabian Gulf,” Mr. Malik’s Khel Kood Aur Bhoot highlights much of the Kingdom’s beauty and hot spots. The mere fact Mr. Malik filmed in Bahrain has, according to him, opened the floodgates to other Hindi film productions seeking to shoot in the Kingdom.

 

A one-time journalist and public relations professional who turned actor and director, Mr. Malik talks to Buzzine Bollywood about his career path, filming in the Middle East, and working in Hindi cinema.

 

Parimal M. Rohit: First, the easy question: Who are you and where are you from?

 

Adnan Malik: I’m Adnan Malik, the guy who has successfully tried, tested and abused God’s leap of faith option and one who believes anything you believe you can achieve. Now hoping God doesn’t revoke this rewarding scheme.  I’m a Bahraini of Indian origin and hail from the beautiful Kingdom of Bahrain, popularly known as the “Pearl of the Arabian Gulf.”

 

PMR: How did you get to where you are from where you were?

 

AM: Wanted to take a break from the realism of hardcore news agency journalism and public relations job, which was equally daunting. Quit my job, had faith in God and in my dreams, packed my bags, took the flight to my ancestral homeland, the land of opportunities, India.

 

PMR: You were once a journalist. You are now a filmmaker. What was the biggest change in jumping from one creative field to another?

 

AM:  I think the changes were many both in terms of geographical, demographical, political, in terms of pollution and standard of living.

 

In term of creativity had to understand the nuances of acting and filmmaking. Having said that, I believe strongly that being a journalist actually enables a smooth transition to any creative field as it teaches one how to learn and grasp things quickly.  Today, we have many journalists world-over who have moved from journalism to public relations and even the world of cinema. I quote in verbatim best put by Amy Berg who directed the amazing 2006 documentary Deliver us from Evil, “Having a journalistic sensibility transcends the constraints, whatever storytelling style one chooses.”

 

PMR: On the same note: What do filmmakers and journalists have in common?

 

AM: Both are as good as their last story.

 

PMR: Let’s get into your film, Khel Kood Aur Bhoot – great title! What is the film about and how long did it take you to develop it?

 

AM: Thank you. The title Khel Kood Aur Boot, or “Fun Frolic and Ghost,” is about six friends and an evil spirit.  I had the concept for several years in my head and I partly narrated the story to even my acting class in Mumbai. It freaked them out. The title came up thanks to my mom. But I seriously delved into the script last year after waking up one morning brimming with creativity and deciding to produce, direct and act in my own film. I wrote the script in the month of Ramadan and soon after we started shooting now we completed shooting in the Muslim holy month, which ended in August this year.

 

PMR: I see the film is inspired by true events? What can you share with us about those true events?

 

AM: Well what I can disclose now is that the true events are based on a personal experience me and my friends shared while we were up to some mischief in our teenage days. What followed were some really scary paranormal experiences. This story is based on those occurrences and, of course, dramatically sprinkled with some Bollywood masala – the usual songs and dances to add commercial value. Our movie has already attracted a lot of interest as we now have sponsorship support from several brands, including McDonalds (Bahrain), Ritz-Carlton (Bahrain), Columbus Café (Bahrain), Citi Centre Mall (Bahrain), Yellow Chilli restaurant (Bahrain), Lost Paradise of Dilmun water theme park (largest in the Middle East and believed third largest in Asia), Score Bar (Mumbai), (and) 72 Degrees North (Mumbai).

 

PMR: This is the first Bollywood film to be shot in Bahrain. First, why get into Bollywood? Second, how did you decide to bring Bollywood to Bahrain? Third, do you think KKAB will open the door for more films to come to the Kingdom?

 

AM: Yes this is the first Bollywood film to be ever shot in Bahrain – home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet. Being a Bahraini, I always want to promote Bahrain to the world and feel movies are the best medium for that. Also the first shoot in the country gave us an automatic USP (Unique Selling Point). I am extremely grateful to the Information Affairs Authority Bahrain President Shaikh Fawaz Al Khalifa who went out of his way to support me, granting me the necessary permissions, and giving me logistical support to complete the desired 50 percent shoot there.

 

Bahrain has a rich history and culture and has one of the most noble, educated, tolerant and visionary leadership in the region. The Gulf state has the most modern infrastructure, including a Formula One track, comparable to anywhere in the developed world. Also, of the 1.3 million residents, the country has nearly 400,000 Indian dwellers. Bollywood movies have been shot in neighboring Dubai just less than an hour flight from Bahrain so I could not understand why no Hindi films were ever shot in the Kingdom. On the political front, both Bahrain and India eagerly push for each other’s seat in the UN Security council. I am confident that more and more Hindi films will be shot in Bahrain in the near future. In fact, I was informed that following the news of our successful shoot the authorities in Bahrain have received queries from other Bollywood filmmakers.

 

Why Bollywood: Why not??? Bollywood is a force to reckon with. The Indian film industry cannot be ignored anymore. It is growing exponentially both in terms of revenue generation and profits. It has not only managed to attract global audiences, film-makers and actors but also Western production houses such as Disney, Warner Bros., 21st Century Fox, etc., to name a few, who are reaping the rewards of their investments. In recent years, you find Indian satellite channels playing Hindi films dubbed in various languages to cater to the needs of the burgeoning global viewership. For example, Zee Aflam, a free-to-air 24-hour Hindi movie channel, has Hindi movies dubbed in Arabic for its Gulf audience.

 

PMR: Describe the casting process. What did you see in the actors you selected? What kind of performances can we expect to see?

 

AM: I have felt divine intervention in this project from the word go. The casting of the movie can be very detrimental to the success and failure of a movie, especially when it’s a flick with completely new faces. Finding a break in Bollywood can be very tough in light of the competition and talent. So the whole idea was to give new talent a chance, find new and unknown faces for the movie. I believe horror movies have better impact on the audience when they see unfamiliar actors. What kind of characters I wanted was very clear in my head. The easiest character to pick was myself as I felt I could portray the non-resident India or the popular NRI term as you may know with ease and for finding our niche. All other characters were selected either through auditions or someone I accidentally bumped in the street and that I felt fit the character like a glove.

 

For example, there is a 7-foot tall character (Madan Singh) in this movie whom I bumped into in the train while I was going for location hunting outside Mumbai. I offered him the role and he kindly obliged.

 

The actors all fit their characters like it was tailor-made for them. This movie is where talent meets opportunity and I am confident the audience will like the performances as they came about very naturally.

 

PMR: Shifting gears, you also are in the film as an actor? Which hat do you prefer wearing: actor or director? Or do you see yourself going the route of Ben Affleck?

 

AM: I’ll answer the second question first. I’m a big fan of actor/director Ben Affleck and with Argo he has just proved what a great director he is.

 

I wanted to debut as an actor and eventually move toward direction. Now, I think I’m the luckiest guy in the world to be able to do this in the very first movie that I debut as an actor, writer, director and producer.

 

PMR: Who has had the greatest influence on your career as a journalist? As a filmmaker?

 

AM: The ultimate director God and thanks to him that he has also scripted my life this way. I’m a huge fan of Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, Woody Allen, Steven Spielberg, Mel Gibson, Sam Raimi, Aditya Chopra and Satyajit Ray.

 

PMR: Where do you see yourself after KKAB releases? How about in one year? Five years?

 

AM:  Predictions are for analysts and fortunetellers. I’ll let the palmist near DuPont circle in Washington D.C., who told me I’ll be in showbiz one day, answer this one for me.

 

PMR: If you had to select one film or character that best represents you as a person, who or what film would that is?

 

AM:  I am adventurous and can also be a prankster at times, so I will choose KKAB as that one film. I think my character in KKAB will be the best representation of self.

 

PMR: Let’s finish with a banter question: The world is becoming smaller, which means there are more films available to see, be it from Hollywood, Europe, India, or Asia. Just the same, the audience more discretionary about the films they choose to watch. Where is Bollywood’s place in the international lexicon of films?

 

AM: I think the Indian film industry has thrived and will continue to grow as its audience base expands. With the growing popularity of Bollywood films, the Indian film industry is well placed to bring the competition home. It’s only a matter of time when Bollywood will hit a home run or a six (in cricketing terms) … at the Oscars and maybe one-day host the ceremony Inshallah (God willing). Yes Bollywood has a lot to catching up to do with Hollywood, but with the market opening up for new directors and fresh talent Indian cinema will pass with flying colors.

 

PMR: Where can fans find out more about you and KKAB?

 

AM: We are constantly updating developments about KKAB on the social networking sites.

Twitter: @mentertainmentm or @bornmalik

Facebook: www.facebook.com/KhelKoodAurBhoot

 

‘Khel Kood Aur Bhoot’ stars Mr. Malik alongside Poonam Mohapatra, Deepika Khanna, Pranav Verma, Shahrokh Buhariwala, Sherry Dsouza, Vijaya Shanker, and Madan Singh. It will release in 2013.