Mother Teresa now on film

George Iype in Kochi

Nearly five years after her death, the life and times of Missionaries of Charity founder Mother Teresa are being canvassed, for the first time, into a full-fledged feature film.

Kolkata's most memorable, loving woman who picked up the destitute and orphans and tended the poor has captured the imagination and hearts of millions across the world all these years. Ever since her death in 1997, K J Jacob, a devout Catholic, has been preoccupied with Mother Teresa because he wants to spread her mission of love and charity in a different way.

Two years ago, Jacob, 44, who runs a travel agency in the southern India state of Kerala, stumbled on what he calls "a breakthrough" on Mother Teresa: "Why should you not produce a film on the life history of Mother Teresa?" an inner voice constantly told Jacob. The next day, Jacob set up Divine Creations, a film production company. He also withdrew all his life's savings to produce India's first commercial film venture on Mother Teresa.

Titled The Gift Of God, the film shooting is complete and all set for release.

Director Shaji Thaikkadan, who has produced documentaries and serials for television channels in Kerala, says The Gift Of God is a completely different film: "The film talks about brotherhood and love, which are lacking in this modern world. What better story is there in the world other than Mother Teresa?"

Jacob, who has scripted the film and is spending a lots of time fine-tuning its technical nitty-gritty, says watching a BBC documentary a few years ago ultimately forced him to decide to spend all his life's savings in the new film. "The documentary denigrated Mother Teresa as the Devil's agent. I want to show people around the world that Mother Teresa was God's agent from heaven," says Jacob, who has converted his large bungalow in Fort Kochi, Kerala, into a film location.

Ever since the film idea cropped up in his mind, Jacob has been to Mumbai a number of times discussing with many Hindi film experts on how to go ahead with his celluloid venture: "I am a novice in film production. I did not want to suffer any setbacks because I am spending over Rs 10 million on the project to begin with."

The film, according to Jacob, is not a religious one: "It is a clean commercial film that begins with the Mother's life from the age of eight in Albania. It ends with her death in Kolkata."

"I have packed eight songs in the film to make it colourful. It will be a two-and-a-half-hour cinemascope feature film about the life history of Mother Teresa. I don't think anyone has attempted such a technically perfect, complete film on Mother's life," says Jacob.

The first half of The Gift Of God shows Mother's childhood from the age of eight with her family members in Albania. It also depicts the incidents that prompted her to come to Kolkata to become a nun and create a congregation of her own to serve for the poor, sick and orphans.

Jacob adds, "We decided against going to Albania -- there is nothing much left of her home and family members there." Instead, he and Thaikkadan are recreating Mother Teresa's childhood by setting up Albania-type locations in Fort Kochi.

The greatness of the film, according to them, is that Malayalam film actress Mini Nair, 24, plays Mother Teresa from the age of 18 till her death. "At each stage, we have transformed her with the modern makeup ingredients that we imported from the United States," points out Jacob.

In the last one year, Jacob and Thaikkadan have carried out elaborate shootings schedules in Kolkata, in the streets and slums of the city, to depict the noble charity works of Mother Teresa. Jacob is planning to dub the Malayalam film into English and other foreign languages to appeal to an international audience: "Language is not a constraint to understand the love and charity of Mother Teresa."