Shekhar Kapur hopes to rope in Hollywood biggies Richard Gere [Images], Sharon Stone [Images] and Goldie Hawn for his Rs 500 crore film on Buddha. The yet-untitled film is scheduled for a 2006 release.
According to the president of the Mahabodhi Society of India, Dr Bhupendra Kumar Modi, the script is nearing completion at Dharamshala [Images], abode of the Dalai Lama [Images], as Kapur wanted to back his project with 'authentic and in-depth research.'
"The film, co-produced by MCorpGlobal, aims to be an honest and authentic portrayal of the life of the Buddha through his childhood as Siddhartha, as a monk and as Tathagat after he attained enlightenment," Modi said.
The movie, he added, would not ruffle any feathers in the Buddhist community; Kapur's earlier ventures like Bandit Queen and Elizabeth have courted controversy.
The film, which has been given a formal approval by the Dalai Lama, would uphold the Buddha's message of equality and peace.
The script for the over two-hour long film is being readied by Buddhist scholar Dr Deepak Chopra, American writer Melissa Mathison and Kapur himself.
While Modi's firm will chip in with $10 million, and the rest will come from other sources. Negotiations are on with Sony for global distribution rights.
