It's advantage Amritraj

Ashok Amritraj is expanding his base in Asia. The reality show Gateway is a step forward in this direction.

By the time I write this story, Ashok Amritraj's private jet would be circling Thailand. After all, it's in that country that Hyde Park Entertainment, Amritraj's production company, proof of his 27 years of existence in Hollywood, is, in association with 20th Century Fox, completing a shooting schedule for Street Fighter, an action-packed film.

Directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak, maker of Romeo Must Die, Street Fighter has been in the news for two years, ever since its launch. With the shooting in place, the film is expected to release sometime in mid-2008.

The idea, based on the immensely popular video game, came to Amritraj from unlikely quarters: his children. "I don't usually get much free time, but whatever time I do is spent with my family," he says. Sometimes these interactions lead to viable business ideas.

"My 13-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son are very fond of video games. Thanks to them, I'm now working on Street Fighter," he tells me. He'd also have us believe that the brand new animation division of Hyde Park Entertainment is a brainchild of his children, who innocently bounced off the idea to their dad.

The first venture from Hyde Park Entertainment's animation division, Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (for which there's a tie-up with Toonz Animation, India) will, in all probability, hit the silver screens worldwide by Christmas next year. Amritraj, in association with Warner Brothers, is also producing Mandrake the Magician, one of his favourite characters from his childhood.

Besides, he also announced Hyde Park Entertainment's Asian division barely two weeks ago, a clear indication of the tycoon hoping to expand his base in the Asian market. If all goes according to plan, this division will produce six to eight movies per year as part of crossover cinema and for specific local regions.

He's already roped in Shriya Saran, who starred opposite Rajanikanth in Sivaji last year. Saran will now be seen in The Other End of Line, produced by Amritraj, costarring Jessee Metcalfe (of Desperate Housewives fame), to be released in late 2008. In addition, Amritraj's also struck a three-film deal with Adlabs. "I want to make a Hindi film but it's too early to comment," he tells us.

That's not all. To reach out to a wider audience, Hyde Park Entertainment, in association with PIX, has introduced a reality show to reach out to Indian audiences. Called Gateway, it's a talent hunt show, in search of the best film director, who, in turn, will get a chance to direct "" what else "" a film produced by Hyde Park Entertainment.

"When I tried breaking into Hollywood, I found it very difficult. I was an outsider. With Gateway, I'm hoping to give a genuine platform to genuine talent and introduce the winner to Hollywood," says Amritraj, who adds that despite being a low budget film, it'll promise a significant start for the winner of the show.

With Indian cinema undergoing a drastic change as multiplexes introduce audiences to newer genres, and low budget films with authentic storylines and scripts succeed at the box office. Amritraj too has been noticing the trend.

"It's a reason why I've got new-age directors, Rajat Kapoor (of Raghu Romeo and Mithya fame) and Anurag Basu (Life in a Metro) on board as jury members of Gateway," he says. It's also a reason why one sees the likes of S Balki, Nagesh Kukunoor, Santosh Sivan and Sudhir Mishra ("they don't take money to come on the show," Amritraj mentions) as special guests.

"There's a new breed of filmmakers and scriptwriters breaking out of the clutter, creating a niche for themselves and believing in what they eventually offer to audiences," says Amritraj.

Sunder Aaron, senior VP, PIX, says, "When I met Ashok one and a half years ago, he had Gateway as a concept. As a channel, it is an effort to localise some of the content. With Gateway, PIX has achieved just that."

Amritraj, with this show, is closer to enveloping the Asian entertainment market into his fold. "I was pleasantly surprised when I first met him," says Kapoor, who admits he doesn't really relate to the sort of cinema that Amritraj has produced so far but immediately believed in Gateway's concept.

It's understandable not being able to relate to some of Amritraj's films, specially as he began his career with low budget thrillers, making modest revenues at the box office and gradually growing his "mini-studio" from tie-ups with major production houses, including 20th Century Fox, MGM and Warner Brothers.

"My production model sustains itself from mega tie-ups. Let's face it, with the sort of budgets needed sometimes for films, it's what helps us to sustain ourselves," he says. "The industry (Hollywood) can eat you up and I've had a longer career than some of my contemporaries thanks to collaborations."

For someone who reached Hollywood courtesy tennis, Amritraj barely finds time to practice it today. "I hobnob with Hollywood stars, the media talks about my life replete with private yachts and planes and parties, but there's a balance which I try hard to maintain," he says.

With LA as his base, Amritraj moves to different continents almost on a daily basis for meetings and discussions. And tennis? "Saturday mornings, if I'm in LA, Dustin Hoffman, Pierce Brosnan and I meet at my house, play tennis and round off friendly matches with a good Indian meal. But otherwise," he adds, "it's work, being with family and more work."