Big B to host Depp during his India visit

Big B to host Depp during his India visit

Hollywood star Johnny Depp will be visiting India next month and during his trip, he will be hosted by Amitabh Bachchan at his villa in Juhu, Mumbai – Jalsa. Depp plays the title role in Mira Nair's Shantaram, an adaptation of the Gregory David Roberts' novel by the same name. Big B co-stars with the Pirates of The Caribbean series star in the film.

"Depp is visiting India to familiarize himself with the set up and visit locations where the film is to be shot. On the ageing Bollywood superstar's request, he has agreed to be hosted by the Bachchans at Jalsa. Abhishek Bachchan, who will be shooting in Namibia for pal, Goldie Behl's Drona would be back by the time Depp arrives in Mumbai. Aishwarya too will be present as the Boston shooting schedule of her Hollywood film, The Next Pink Panther will be over by then," a source tells us.
According to the source, there are many scenes between Depp and Amitabh in Shantaram as Big B plays his best pal Kadar Bhai in the film. The Pirates star has already expressed his excitement about acting with the Bollywood legend and is eager to spend time with him before the shooting starts.

High on the list for Depp's India visit is the film's set being currently constructed at the Nitin Desai Studios in Karjat. The entire South Mumbai area (on which the film is set) is being recreated in this studio.

The art director of the film Nitin Desai states, "We are presently working on the sets for the film. I am confident it will turn out to be very authentic and true to life and no one will be able to make out that we are actually shooting 100 kilometers away from Mumbai. Depp will definitely be impressed when he visits. I have been given a lot of creative freedom by Mira Nair and it is a challenge for me to match the Hollywood standards of Depp's popular films."

Johnny Depp has also expressed his keenness to visit Café Leopold, which finds a special mention in Roberts' novel. After his short trip to India, Depp will be back again for the actual shoot of the film which begins from January 19 next year.
The film is based on Roberts' journey from being an escaped convict from an Australian prison to landing in Mumbai leading to his adventures with the city's powerful mafia and much more.