Deepa Mehta ropes in Big B and John for “Exclusion”

After the Shilpa Shetty – Big Brother issue, racism–”the hidden demon” has been brought on to the limegiht. Now, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Deepa Mehta will also explore racism in her new film “Exclusion,” inspired by a real life incident in which a shipload of Indians was turned back from Canada in 1914.

“The script is ready and we should begin filming by the end of the year,” Mehta, 57, told Reuters in a weekend interview.

Mehta, whose “Water” — about the oppression of women in India in the 1930s — has been nominated for the Oscars in the best foreign film category, has signed Bollywood’s iconic actor Amitabh Bachchan to play a Sikh nationalist who hires a ship(Komagata Maru) and sails to Canada with hundreds of Indians in search of a new life.But the passengers of the Japanese “Komagata Maru” are turned back from Vancouver by Canadian authorities using new exclusion laws aimed at keeping Asian immigrants away.It was then forced to return to Hong Kong.

Mehta says what appealed to her in the “Komagata Maru” incident was the passengers’ fight for dignity. It is described as one of the most notorious “incidents” in the history of exclusion laws in Canada and the US designed to keep out immigrants of Asian origin.

“Most of my films are about human dignity, be it “Fire” or “Water.” “Exclusion” also tells about a 58-year-old Sikh revolutionary with a very strong sense of dignity,” said Mehta, who has lived in Toronto since the age of 23.

Asked on why Big B was casted in the role . Mehta said she picked Bachchan to play the Sikh revolutionary and businessman, Gurdit Singh, because he “can show power without screaming.”

“Amitabh and I met in Toronto when he was there to promote Karan Johar’s film (Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna). I was there with Water. He was interested in Exclusion. Now we met again at his office on Friday and he has said yes. I’m too delighted for words. It’s been a dream to direct him,” she said.

Besides Amitabh Bachchan star actor John Abraham, who was also a part of Water,  will also feature in Exclusion.

First Mira Nair’s , “Shantaram” and now Deepa Mehta’s “Exclusion”, Amitabh Bachchan seems all geared out to explore new domains.