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Mike Meyers to Bollywood: I'm your man Arthur J Pais | June 19, 2008 12:54 IST
Mike Myers, the writer and actor in the outrageous comedy The Love Guru, which some Hindus have found to be offensive, wants to star in a Bollywood musical. And he is very serious about it. The actor plays crazed guru in The Love Guru, which opens in America and Canada [Images] this Friday. He has famously lent his voice to a swamp-loving ogre in the Shrek movies, and played a caricature of James Bond [Images] in the Austin Powers films. "I grew up in Toronto watching Bollywood. I go to a party, come home, put on Channel 47 and be transported to this world of colour, story, passion and music," said Myers, the son of working class migrants from Liverpool, United Kingdom. "On weekends, I would love to visit the holy sites and all the wonderful, magical places of India," the actor-director said. "I want to go to India; it's been my fantasy for many, many years. In fact, one incarnation of this movie was that I was going to do a film of going to Bollywood. So if any of you guys know a Bollywood director..." Won't his friend Deepak Chopra help him? "That would be fabulous," he said, with a broad smile. India also meant special to him because of George Harrison, and the latter's passion for sitar, Myers said. "My favourite Beatle was George Harrison," he continued. "I was fascinated with him. I have the last letter that George Harrison ever wrote to anybody. You can pinch me in a moment: I don't know how that happened. I'm an idiot from Toronto and then I get a knock on the door on the day that he died and the letter says, 'I was looking all over for you, I couldn't find you though, thank you very much for the funny movies. Your fan, George Harrison.' "In an ABC special, I had mentioned how I was fascinated with A Hard Day's Night [the hit movie featuring the Beatles]. At the end of that movie, a helicopter takes off and I cried every time it took off. I wanted Austin Powers to have that same kind of anarchic fun," Meyers added. Myers, who sings in the new film while playing the sitar, said, "I've always loved the sitar. It is a magical, transformative and emotive instrument and sensitive to music. I grew up in a very musical house. I got a chance to play it in the movie." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||