Friday, January 9, 2009
OSCAR PATEL
I'm not going to get an Oscar: Dev Patel
London: He could hop on to a bus even today and no one would recognise him. Yet Britain-born Indian actor Dev Patel is tipped to scoop up an Oscar for his outstanding performance in his debut film 'Slumdog Millionaire'.'Oh, no! I'm not going to get an Oscar. I'm not even going to think about it. It is too mind-boggling,' Dev told mirror.co.uk.
Directed by Danny Boyle, the underdog movie has been nominated for four Golden Globes as well as the prestigious Screenwriters Guild awards and critics say Dev is a good bet for the ultimate accolade for his performance, an Oscar.
Based on Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup's novel 'Q&A', the movie about a young slum dweller winning the TV reality show 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?' has opened to rapturous reviews in the US. Also starring Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor and debutante Freida Pinto, the film is releasing in India Jan 23.
Dev, 18, was crowned the most promising newcomer for his role in the film at the recent British Independent Film Awards (BIFA).
'I don't know if luck is on my side, but I do feel very lucky. Sir Ben Kingsley shook my hand, Sir Ian McKellen and James McAvoy were there. Before I had even laid hands on my first script, these people were making Oscar-worthy films and, here I was, sharing the same air! It was crazy. I just could not believe it. I was there with my mum and she was so proud,' Dev said.
Dev was bitten by the acting bug when he played Sir Andrew Aguecheek in a musical production of Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night' in school. He was an instant success and received a little plaque for the best actor of the year at the age of 11.
However, his big break came with sitcom 'Skins', about a bunch of drug-taking, sex obsessed teenagers.
Dev says he was thoroughly 'embarrassed' watching the series with his parents.
'It's not the sort of thing to sit down and watch with your parents. I made the mistake of watching it with mum and dad and I was literally buck-naked throughout the whole of the second series, which was mortifying and so embarrassing,' he said.
'I'm still a baby in my parents' eyes and they were surprised that their little son was doing all these crazy scenes. They weren't at all angry as they know it's just acting - although mum did say, 'Don't bring that character home,' he added.
Not many know that Boyle was looking for a skinny underdog to portray his perfect 'loser' for the film and it was the director's 17-year-old daughter and 'Skins' fan Caitlin, who suggested Dev to her dad.
As for real-life, Dev doesn't have any answers to what he plans to do next. School was put on hold and he isn't sure if he'll go back to pursue the A-levels.
Dev has two agents - one in Hollywood and one in London - but says 'scripts aren't exactly flooding in yet'.
However, as 'Slumdog Millionaire' has yet to open in most parts of the world, Dev has been crisscrossing the Atlantic in recent months to promote the film like a seasoned old pro.
London: He could hop on to a bus even today and no one would recognise him. Yet Britain-born Indian actor Dev Patel is tipped to scoop up an Oscar for his outstanding performance in his debut film 'Slumdog Millionaire'.'Oh, no! I'm not going to get an Oscar. I'm not even going to think about it. It is too mind-boggling,' Dev told mirror.co.uk.
Directed by Danny Boyle, the underdog movie has been nominated for four Golden Globes as well as the prestigious Screenwriters Guild awards and critics say Dev is a good bet for the ultimate accolade for his performance, an Oscar.
Based on Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup's novel 'Q&A', the movie about a young slum dweller winning the TV reality show 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?' has opened to rapturous reviews in the US. Also starring Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor and debutante Freida Pinto, the film is releasing in India Jan 23.
Dev, 18, was crowned the most promising newcomer for his role in the film at the recent British Independent Film Awards (BIFA).
'I don't know if luck is on my side, but I do feel very lucky. Sir Ben Kingsley shook my hand, Sir Ian McKellen and James McAvoy were there. Before I had even laid hands on my first script, these people were making Oscar-worthy films and, here I was, sharing the same air! It was crazy. I just could not believe it. I was there with my mum and she was so proud,' Dev said.
Dev was bitten by the acting bug when he played Sir Andrew Aguecheek in a musical production of Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night' in school. He was an instant success and received a little plaque for the best actor of the year at the age of 11.
However, his big break came with sitcom 'Skins', about a bunch of drug-taking, sex obsessed teenagers.
Dev says he was thoroughly 'embarrassed' watching the series with his parents.
'It's not the sort of thing to sit down and watch with your parents. I made the mistake of watching it with mum and dad and I was literally buck-naked throughout the whole of the second series, which was mortifying and so embarrassing,' he said.
'I'm still a baby in my parents' eyes and they were surprised that their little son was doing all these crazy scenes. They weren't at all angry as they know it's just acting - although mum did say, 'Don't bring that character home,' he added.
Not many know that Boyle was looking for a skinny underdog to portray his perfect 'loser' for the film and it was the director's 17-year-old daughter and 'Skins' fan Caitlin, who suggested Dev to her dad.
As for real-life, Dev doesn't have any answers to what he plans to do next. School was put on hold and he isn't sure if he'll go back to pursue the A-levels.
Dev has two agents - one in Hollywood and one in London - but says 'scripts aren't exactly flooding in yet'.
However, as 'Slumdog Millionaire' has yet to open in most parts of the world, Dev has been crisscrossing the Atlantic in recent months to promote the film like a seasoned old pro.
rich indians
Rich Indians eyeing second homes abroad
The realty industry is one of the worst-hit sectors globally following the financial meltdown, but for the well-heeled in India, this is excellent tiding. With real estate prices at an all-time low across borders, buying property abroad is suddenly making sense to affluent Indians.'The property slump is not just confined to India. Prices have crashed considerably in the US, the UK and the Middle East and many Indians are seeing this as an opportunity to buy property there,' Rajesh Goenka, chairman of Axiom Estates, the London-headquartered provider of property services in India, told IANS.
So much so, high net worth Indian investors are spoilt for choice: sea-facing villas in picturesque Mauritius, studio apartments and country cottages in Britain, condominiums in Singapore, and super-luxury homes in the Gulf.
But of all foreign locales, Dubai is the most sought after, say brokers familiar with the latest fad.
'Dubai is the hottest destination for celebrities and the rich on the hunt for a dream home. However, real estate prices were so steep all these years that very few could afford property there. Now as the slowdown has hit the Dubai realty market also, rates are down by 30-50 percent,' Goenka said.
'Buying property in Dubai attracts no government tax and even if you put your property on rent, the income is completely tax-free,' said Syed Mazaz, the Mumbai representative of Dubai-based real estate brokerage, Better Homes.
According to him, property prices in Dubai are comparable to those in Delhi or Mumbai - starting from as low as Rs.3 million ($62,000) for a studio apartment in the International City project in Dubai to Rs.15 million ($309,000) for a two-bedroom luxury apartment facing the sea.
'Tell me, can you get a similar bargain in Delhi or Mumbai? I'm getting many enquiries and about one-third of them end up buying a home in Dubai,' Mazaj told IANS.
In Europe, Britain is the favourite destination for Indians planning property investment.
'The UK has a huge NRI population and attracts a large number of Indian professionals. No wonder people are buying property there. We alone are receiving at least 100 queries for the UK every week, leave aside other consultants,' Goenka said.
'However, in most European countries and the US, the preference is for studio apartments and two-bedroom sets,' he added.
One such interested buyer is Noida-based businessman Subham Agarwal. 'Both my children are studying in the UK and I feel that they may ultimately settle down there. So taking a house there is not a bad option when property prices are at an all-time low,' Agarwal told IANS, adding: 'I am planning to buy a studio apartment for my children.'
Countries such as Singapore, Mauritius, Thailand and Malayasia - where prices have dropped up to 30-40 percent in recent months - are also attracting Indian investors.
In Thailand, a two-bedroom apartment costs around Rs.2.4 million ($49,000), and can go up to Rs.40 million ($824,000) for luxury apartments. In Singapore, this would be in the range of Rs.2.6 million-Rs.26 million ($54,000-536,000) for similar accommodation, while it will be between Rs.3 million ($62,000) and Rs.12 million ($247,000) for two-three bedroom apartments in Malaysia.
In Mauritius, super luxury villas are going for Rs.20-30 million ($412,000-618,000).
Apparently, for India's affluent circles, these are 'steal deals' - getting a second property abroad at domestic rates.
Explains Jaideep Singh, head of the India desk at global property consultant Knight Frank: 'People are buying property abroad because these are as expensive or sometimes even cheaper than in India, which makes it perfect for getting a second, or a third home.'
The realty industry is one of the worst-hit sectors globally following the financial meltdown, but for the well-heeled in India, this is excellent tiding. With real estate prices at an all-time low across borders, buying property abroad is suddenly making sense to affluent Indians.'The property slump is not just confined to India. Prices have crashed considerably in the US, the UK and the Middle East and many Indians are seeing this as an opportunity to buy property there,' Rajesh Goenka, chairman of Axiom Estates, the London-headquartered provider of property services in India, told IANS.
So much so, high net worth Indian investors are spoilt for choice: sea-facing villas in picturesque Mauritius, studio apartments and country cottages in Britain, condominiums in Singapore, and super-luxury homes in the Gulf.
But of all foreign locales, Dubai is the most sought after, say brokers familiar with the latest fad.
'Dubai is the hottest destination for celebrities and the rich on the hunt for a dream home. However, real estate prices were so steep all these years that very few could afford property there. Now as the slowdown has hit the Dubai realty market also, rates are down by 30-50 percent,' Goenka said.
'Buying property in Dubai attracts no government tax and even if you put your property on rent, the income is completely tax-free,' said Syed Mazaz, the Mumbai representative of Dubai-based real estate brokerage, Better Homes.
According to him, property prices in Dubai are comparable to those in Delhi or Mumbai - starting from as low as Rs.3 million ($62,000) for a studio apartment in the International City project in Dubai to Rs.15 million ($309,000) for a two-bedroom luxury apartment facing the sea.
'Tell me, can you get a similar bargain in Delhi or Mumbai? I'm getting many enquiries and about one-third of them end up buying a home in Dubai,' Mazaj told IANS.
In Europe, Britain is the favourite destination for Indians planning property investment.
'The UK has a huge NRI population and attracts a large number of Indian professionals. No wonder people are buying property there. We alone are receiving at least 100 queries for the UK every week, leave aside other consultants,' Goenka said.
'However, in most European countries and the US, the preference is for studio apartments and two-bedroom sets,' he added.
One such interested buyer is Noida-based businessman Subham Agarwal. 'Both my children are studying in the UK and I feel that they may ultimately settle down there. So taking a house there is not a bad option when property prices are at an all-time low,' Agarwal told IANS, adding: 'I am planning to buy a studio apartment for my children.'
Countries such as Singapore, Mauritius, Thailand and Malayasia - where prices have dropped up to 30-40 percent in recent months - are also attracting Indian investors.
In Thailand, a two-bedroom apartment costs around Rs.2.4 million ($49,000), and can go up to Rs.40 million ($824,000) for luxury apartments. In Singapore, this would be in the range of Rs.2.6 million-Rs.26 million ($54,000-536,000) for similar accommodation, while it will be between Rs.3 million ($62,000) and Rs.12 million ($247,000) for two-three bedroom apartments in Malaysia.
In Mauritius, super luxury villas are going for Rs.20-30 million ($412,000-618,000).
Apparently, for India's affluent circles, these are 'steal deals' - getting a second property abroad at domestic rates.
Explains Jaideep Singh, head of the India desk at global property consultant Knight Frank: 'People are buying property abroad because these are as expensive or sometimes even cheaper than in India, which makes it perfect for getting a second, or a third home.'
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