It should have been released right around middle or late 2004. Not bad if you can get it out soon, but looking at your track record with film making, I doubt if it would be a timely release with maximum natural effect. Regardless, this sounds like a much needed sequel.

Are you ready for pro-Gibson crowd?

Dear Shekhar ... Hey thanks for sharing with us on how your new venture is going. I read that your last movie was nominated for many Oscars, so I bet this one will be a hit as well. Good luck! Love, Char

shekhar
wow
loved Elizabeth - look forward to it ? when can we see it ?

History has so many lessons. This sounds like an incredible and powerful story/movie. I look very much forward to its release. It has an incredible message for our time indeed. Interesting, but in history, it is said that the Irish, who were up to that time carrying mostly Viking genes with blond and red hair and blue eyes, received the gene for dark hair and dark eyes, because of the visits from the sailors from the Spanish Armada. I know..I have both in my Irish family. I wonder what will our progeny say about the times we are living in...unless we possess a Third Eye, we will not know the full ramifications of the current events we are witnessing; we can only guess. My prayer is that events, no matter how difficult, how horrid, are leading us toward our full human potential and a world where we all cooperate. In the meantime, as Elizabeth found, at times we must stand up to tyrants and demagogues, and sometimes that means greeting the aggressor with force and strength.
Elizabeth was a remarkable leader...courageous to the core.
Cheers and Good Luck,
Susan Grace

"Elizabeth" is one of my fav films of all times and Cate was completely robbed of the Oscar. I look forward to seeing your new one.

All the best Shekhar. I loved what you did with Elizabeth and can hardly wait to see this one.

Hi Shekhar,Thank you for sharing that.Sometimes I wonder how a film is made. It is nice to know your perspective. Not too long ago I was watching a documentary on astrology. In the documentary they showed how an astrologer predicted Elizabeth would one day become a very popular queen.No one believed him initially including Elizabeth(during bloody Mary's reign).Then ofcourse he was proven right.Take care. All the luck with the film. God bless.

Shekar, Elizabeth was an awesome movie. Under your splendid direction (off course with Cate Blanchette's innate talent) I was so sure that she would win the Oscar for Best Actress in 98'. I was so disappointed to see her not get the award. Hopefully this time around both of you will end up with the award/s. Best wishes on your new venture.

hey shekhar

elizabeth was aphenomenal pice of film-making, quite simply phenomenally well told / crafted. can't wait to see the golden age. also what's happening with the mandela biopic / paani??

also, it'd be interesting to see your thoughts on the rising. i've written a critique on it / commentary on diaspora movies:

www.futuremovies.co.uk

we love to hear your thoughts, so please keep blogging!!

kindest regards,

Raam

Good luck on your new venture, Shekar. I was very impressed by the "Bandit Queen" and the gritty realism of that movie.

Your movie certainly sounds interesting and while I'm also a student of Shakespeare and of history (especially ancient history - Rome, Greece), I'm not that familiar with the history of Europe around that particular time and will be sure to check your movie out when it's released.

I'm currently working on editing the sequel to my first novel, which is taking up most of my time and I'm glad that there are blogs such as this where I can take a break from the tedious task of editing (I tell you, as a writer, this is even worse than writing the novel). I'm sure you feel the same way about editing a film.

Years ago, I spent some time in the editing room with a friend of mine who was directing a short film and we spent hours editing a scene lasting two or three minutes. At the time, I wondered why and now, editing my novel, I can appreciate the effort as it all boils down to the clarity of vision and how you want to convey that to an audience. I didn't get it then but I certainly get it now.

Dear Shekar,

Total Digression: Cate Blanchette was recently in a movie, The Missing, with Tommy Lee Jones. Mr. Jones is my favorite actor; I just wondered if you have heard any Tommy Lee Jone’s stories? Patzi

Dear Shekhar,
I wish you the best of luck with this new film! If anyone can do it, you can!!

Joanie

Your Elizabeth of one of my most favorite films, ever!! I wore out the tape I owned. I'm greatly looking forward to Golden Age. Great news!

hey, your movie is sure to meet grand success, going with your keen cinematic sensibilities. Just to digress a little, if you ever wish to make a film on 'synchrodestiny', I have the script ready for it. needs a sensiblity like yours. Just posting my intention!

you are the director of Elisabeth???

really ???

WOW !!!!!

What a joy this is for me ...

just saw the movie this last week and it was as if time stood still and I was at awe ...

so many profound threads ... so much bravery and courage to rise above ...and stand tall ...

above betrayal and her needs as a woman ...

the scene when she cuts her hair and surrenders to her destiny ...

the painfull price of her ultimate sacrifice ...

to become one of the greatest leaders of all times ...

I absolutely adored this movie ...

I am so very happy ...

like a child in ecstasy ...

thank you ... thank you .. thank you

I am so very touched by this synconicity I could cry my eyes out ...

you should have seen me ...

so glued to every scene it was as if I was right there ... breathing is all in ... moment by moment ... no distractions allowed ... totally focused and profoundly evoked ...

her warrior spirit capturing me in every turn ...

defying every obstacle...

with such dignity ...

I wanted more and more of her

to show up ...

inside of me ...

I am so grateful right now ...

Gods presence

in ways I just know ...

is calling me home ...

I gotta see these movies!

And Shekhar, if you anytime need a professional skateboarder for a movie, on or off the board, someone who is ageless, just go to www.switchevents.com and contact me. I am also into amatuer theater right now and also work as an announcer.

Stefan

Dear Shekhar,

Thanks for this fantastic site! I liked Elizabeth… was cool! I am a wannabe filmmaker and have chosen 3D animation as a medium for the same. Are u looking forward to produce something in CG/3D animation...like some animated short?? We are a group for Artists/3D animators with just ideas in our pockets!

Let us know..

Warm Regards,
Ashutosh

The 1570's WOW! looking forward to it...and good luck in the process of it's completion Shekhar.

In light and Love,

Sharon

Hero!
Man to superman.... The transformation or,in today's terminology,the makeover which every individual seeks or rather awaits in his/her life!!!
Yet most just wait;at first for the opportunity and then for the voice.As in the daily grind of life , we forget what we desire most...a little peace, a little love & loads of compassion. Ironically enough, I think isn’t that called humanity?
So be it Elizabeth in 1570 to Batman in films to Gandhi and Nelson…or to the man who guided me in shoulder length water of Mumbai flood… It is the extra ordinary lying within the ordinary which from time to time intrigued us and inspired us. Isn’t that what all great nations, leaders, values or stories all about?
all the best for your film shekhar!!
luck and love

Yeah!!! Remember, no compromises.
Peter was right.

Thanks for introducing me to this blog. Keep reading it often.
Sheena

still at awe that I actually engaged with teh creator of Elisabeth ...

so so so so very happy ...

clearly my child in charge ...

wanting to dance and sing and jump up and down ...

YES.....YES ... YES

GOD LOVES ME ... GOD LOVES ME ... GOD LOVES ME

AND ABOVE ALL GOD TALKS TO ME ...

yeahoo!!!!

I have spoken to such a wonderful creator ...

of Elisabeth of all people ...

now that was so very neat ...

yes yes yes ...

dancing I am ...

committed to stop whining and do the work ...

yes no more compromises ...

no more baby talk ...

in truth I have tears right now ...

so profoundly touched ...

even if not clear what this is all about ...

THANK YOU ...

Love seeing the picture each time I come in ...

with the tiger further down ...

a play field for my magical child ...

no doubt ...

aware somehow of some profound paradox ...

but that is another story ...

Shekhar,
What is it about english history that fascinates you to be attempting another colossal one? Perhaps a previous birth connection? or are these compulsions of the "market"?
This may seem like a personal comment but I was curious. Maybe its to do with a subjective tunneled vision. You see I graduated In history of England specialising in the constitution of England ,right fron the Magna Carta to modern times. It wasa maddening as you can imagine But I pretty much pulled it off, considering I topped the Bombay University in the exams. But I was never fascinated with it. The french revolution interested me more.

Coming back to you. This is just a random thought. Aamir repeated the british -Indian saga in Mangal Pandey.. Couldnt quite pull it off. Not his fault though. The story and screenplay lacked the huge canvas one would have expected Also,in my humble opinion. audience's first inclination was to compare it to Lagaan since the similarities were glaring. So it suffered in comparison.

Like I said, just a ripple of a thought.

You deseve the best

Looking forward to knowing the progress. It would be nice to know where exactly it is that you can take cinematic librties.Weaving human drama into an essentially political saga maybe quite a task.You must be very inclined to view it from the emotional quotient angle a lot more I
guess.Carry on the good work

It's because she's a woman! :)

I am very excited to hear that this next race of U.S. presidency might be among women! I hope it happens!! It would do wonders for women and for peace! Not only for America but worldwide as well.

Dear Shekhar uncle,

you are more mysterious than the middle-class indian girl - you keeps showing us different sides and shades to you and then never give us more?! Being a filmmaker myself - I do understand what you're doing. But pls also deliver on atleast a few of your promises. We are still waiting for more on your nelson mandela project, dalai lama project(?!), paani (?!) and god-alone-knows-what-else-you've-announced.

Vincent (remember me?)

Agree with Vincent. It can be so bloody frustrating for an audience whose appetite has been whet to discover one fine day that the film has been 'shelved'. I have grown up reading about all those fascinating films that Shekhar never made. Time Machine , Tara rum pum pum,mandela,paani etc..and now we hear of Buddha
(for gods sake shekhar we dont want no ash rai)

And as somebody suggested your views on recent films woould be greatly appreciated. theres some promising stuff coming out of India these days..maqbool, iqbal,etc

Hope it comes out in my life time, although I am just 27.

Ok u guys that wait for my films that get announced. I promise to make a film soon - so u will nto have to wait too long. I guess I am too independant and rebellious - and that individuality is getting less and less apreciated as film making gets more and more expensive

but also i beg and beg everyone not to announce films till they are ready to go. It takes ages to write a script and get it right - take Mandela for example. How do u get a script right for a man who is alive, an Icon of our times and do it in two hours - a whole unfinished lifetime ?

I guess people announce their films in order to egt funded - but yes - I am a very very difficult director to work with - and want to go only with my instinct.

I had a terrible experience in my last film - four feathers, and swore I would never make a film again. My daughter was just born and I decided to devote time to her instead - but I am getting itchy - time to make one of those movies

and hey - how do u write a script on the Buddha without making it a biopic, make it relavent, make it about the search for the self, a film where the anatagonist and the protagonist are the same person - and not upset the Buddhist purists while u do it ?

shekhar
I dont

I hv not seen any of the films that you've acted in. But I just heard you as the voice of Gandhi in the audiobook production of Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography. Brilliant would be an understatement. I was also told that you are quite "undirectable" and everything I heard was pretty much entirely your doing.

So I wonder whether the actor in you remains unfulfilled and is at odds with the filmmaker.

dear shekhar "uncle"

you wrote: "I guess I am too independant and rebellious - and that individuality is getting less and less apreciated..."

quite the opposite - it's because you are individualistic and have a mind of your own that people like me wait to see your films. otherwise how long do you think the charm of seeing an indian director doing english/hollywood films would last?

you wrote: "how do u write a script on the Buddha without making it a biopic"

I don't know. but maybe, just maybe, looking at a common guy on the streets today - seeing the buddha within him might just be a way out. coz to me, everyone's fighting himself/herself. everyone's looking for a way out - from perpetually shifting point of views, morality of convenience and the whole confusion that's surrounding us everyday - that hits us every now and then like glimpses from another world. glimpses that most people probably don't want to see or admit to seeing - because it disturbs them, forces them to consider things that might upset the nice cocoon they live in.

buddha to me was a guy very similar to some of us today - difference is, he had the courage to admit to his doubts, his questions. he had the courage to leave everything in search of an answer, he was looking for a way out.

Shekhar

You have always been an amazing film maker. Truely who makes fantafabulous films.

How about some films for the Indian audience like your Mr India and others which were excellent. Your English mvoies are for the urban crowd but then the full country loves your movies and so yeh dil maange more.

Once again signing off

Bharat

I absolutely love, true stories and historical movies!! : )

I went to rent the movie the other day, and realized I"d already seen it(blush)...watched it again anyway, and added it to my Christmas Wish List(even though I don't have a Santa)....

Mr. Kapur!! Awesome job!! (((clapping)))

Indeed, I agree, you and Cate were robbed of the Oscar that year!! It was so marvelously done; the costumes, the makeup, the sets, the acting so superb!!

I am so anxious to see The Golden Age!! Ms. Blanchett is one of the most talented actress's I've seen in a very long time; and I rent every movie she is in; b/c she does NOT disappoint! : ) I also adore Winona Ryder; whom tragicly, has slipped out of the limelight...

Can I ask a silly question of you Mr. Kapur?

QUESTION: How does a Director choose a script to make into a movie? DO you choose by personal preferance? DO you choose by "story" ?

After The Golden Age is completed, will you plan to make a movie on the UK's "Black Plague?" era??

Lastly, have you ever worked in Canada?

Lady Tao

hello spiritnorth,

yes i was in toronto a couple of months ago to direct a film callled Solace - w/bruce willis
unfortunately bruce and the studio had a misunderstanding and the film fell thru - shekhar

thank u vish,

I have not heard the book yet,
but look forward to it
i am sure i will be far more critical of my performance than you are !

shekhar

I pulled the following from

http://movies.msn.com/beacon/editorial1.aspx?ptid=c3c65104-e27f-436a-b79e-de355009f4fd>1=6940

Casting News: Will Blanchett Be Queen Again?

News of movement on the long-in-the-works sequel to director Shekar Kapur's "Elizabeth" broke last week. According to Variety, Clive Owen and Geoffrey Rush (who starred in the first film) have come on board "The Golden Age" for Working Title Films and Universal Pictures. The trade paper also reported that star Cate Blanchett, who received an Oscar nomination for the original, was set to reprise her role. However, that may not be, as Blanchett told Australia's Herald Sun she wasn't sure the second installment was necessary.

"There's so much there if it were to happen, but my initial instinct is, why?" she said.

........ maybe she is right?

Maybe you should make a film on Katrina ... a beautiful, angry woman who destroyed a city. Anyway, I think that there is a message there on how WE treat the poor.

Dear Shekhar,

I am no a great fan of “Elizabeth"; simply because it's always near to impossible to capture the life and times of characters. Somehow, the antecendants of the character and collective memory of the viewer manage to conspire against the narrative. In the end .... there's no story to tell.

'Lawrence of Arabia' is another fine example of this. What splendour, yet it leaves me dissatisfied.

Aneways, all the best wishes for your venture 'Golden Age'.

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