HOLLYWOOD INCREASES FOOTPRINT IN INDIA

India has drawn many international celebrities over the years whether its for work, pleasure or both and 2013 saw many Hollywood A-listers taking a trip to the country. Actors like Susan Sarandon, Michelle Yeoh, filmmakers Atiq Rahimi and Majid Majidi were recently in India to promote their work at various film festivals. Sarandon and Iranian director Majidi were the guests of honour at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2013, while French-Afghan filmmaker Rahimi's 'The Patience Stone' opened the Soul of Asia section at IFFI. At the screening, Rahimi had said that he wished he was born in India as he is fond of the country. "I love India and whenever I leave this country I have tears in my eyes. It's like going away from your mother," Rahimi had said. Majidi, whose films 'Children of Heaven', 'The Colour of Paradise' and 'The Song of Sparrows' have found love from Indian cinema lovers, will shoot his next in India titled 'Floating Gardens'. Yeoh was also a guest at IFFI, where her documentary film 'Pad Yatra: A Green Odyssey' was screened. This was Yeoh's second trip IFFI. Mumbai International Film Festival saw the presence of Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi and legendary Greek-French filmmaker Costa-Gavras this October. Farhadi screened his latest 'The Past' at the festival while Gavras, who has been behind celebrated political dramas like 'Z', 'Missing' and 'The Confession', was given a lifetime achievement award. Hollywood divas Sharon Stone, Hilary Swank and Kesha were in attendance at the inaugural amfAR gala in Mumbai. While Swank and Kesha's trip was short, Stone made the most of her India visit by taking a trip to Varanasi and Agra. Demi Moore was spotted in McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, attending a spiritual conference under His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She was accompanied by her Sikh guru Hargopal Kaur Khalsa during the trip. It is said that her trip was a "soul searching" one as she was in the middle of finalising her divorce from Ashton Kutcher. Moore had previously come to India with Kutcher in 2011.
Singer-songwriter Mick Jagger and his longtime girlfriend L'Wren Scott holidayed in Jodhpur, India in October. They were snapped at the Mehrangarh Fort and a 19th Century Temple. 'Pretty Women' star Richard Gere is a regular visitor to India and this time around he was on a five-day trip to Sikkim in April. Before leaving the country, he is said to have attended a close friend's wedding in Gangtok. Matt Damon was on a work trip here and visited Pondicherry, Chennai and Bangalore to check on Water.org's projects. Co-founded by Damon, the organisation works toward providing clean water and sanitation to villages. Hollywood filmmaker Steven Spielberg made his first trip to India in 30 years while 'Godfather' star Robert De Niro visited the country after a gap of 35 years. Spielberg and his partner at Reliance DreamWorks, Stacy Snyder, were here to look for a casting director to shoot their first Hollywood film against an Indian backdrop. The 'Lincoln' helmer last visited India in 1983 for 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' which starred Amrish Puri in a negative role. Spielberg met Bollywood personalities like Amitabh Bachchan, Ramesh Sippy, Shyam Benegal, Anurag Kashyap, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Raju Hirani and Ashutosh Gowariker. Academy-award winner DeNiro, who was accompanied by his eldest daughter, attended a conclave in Goa. DeNiro met Amitabh Bachchan and many Bollywood celebrities at his 'Silver Linings Playbook' co-star Anupam Kher's acting school in Mumbai. Popular TV series 'Mad Men's' protagonist Jon Hamm was on a work trip to Mumbai. His movie 'Million Dollar Arm' by director Craig Gillespie features Suraj Sharma of 'Life Of Pi' fame and 'Slumdog Millionaire' actor Madhur Mittal.