SPECIAL REPORT: ONE DOLLAR CURRY

One Dollar Curry is the new Indo-Franco-British film written and directed by acclaimed author and director Vijay Singh. The ingredients for this crossover film include Vikram Chatwal, Gabriella Wright, Smriti Mishra and Trevor Stephens.

The film is the story of Nishan (Vikram Chatwal), a street-smart Indian who reaches Paris in search of political refuge. He produces a kitchen on wheels called "One Dollar Curry" to survive. Ironically, Nishan knows nothing about cooking, but knows plenty about serving up fun and laughter with the help of his new friends. In the midst of trying to get by, Nishan is trapped between two gorgeous women, one his Indian fiancé (Smriti Mishra) and the other, his French lover (Gabriella Wright). Nishan uses his imagination and sense of humour to win the battle of life.

The creator Vijay Singh is a well-known Indian writer - filmmaker living in Paris. His last feature Jaya Ganga, released here in 2000, received positive press response in the UK and France. Jaya Ganga ran in Paris cinemas for a record 49 weeks. One Dollar Curry is his second feature film (www.vijaysingh.net)

Vikram Chatwal, the chilli powder in One Dollar Curry, is a New York-based actor and a leading hotelier. When Vijay Singh saw talent, chutney, chaat, masala, all beaten into one good-looking young man surrounded by beautiful women, he became a natural choice to play Nishan, the male lead in One Dollar Curry. Vikram has finished shooting for two films since One Dollar Curry - Hope and a Little Sugar by Tanuja Chandra and Ek Ajnabee by Apoorva Lakhia with Amitabh Bachchan.

Gabriella Wright, the garam masala in the 'dish', is the daughter of the famous sculptor Paul David Wright who designed sets for Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones. The gorgeous actress who is new to the world of cinema describes herself as "a perfect mixed vegetable curry" being ¼ English, ¼ Irish, ¼ Portuguese and a ¼ Mauritian. Gabriella plays the role of Nathalie, the female lead in the film. Following One Dollar Curry, Gabriella has played in Abel Ferrera’s latest film, Mary.

Smriti Mishra, the cumin powder to add to the flavours of this artistic creation, is a well-known Indian actress. She was discovered by Vijay Singh as the female lead of his previous film Jaya Ganga. As a result of her sensitive performance in Jaya Ganga, she was praised by the entire world press. After Jaya Ganga, Smriti has completed about ten other films in both India and abroad. Smriti plays Yamini in One Dollar Curry, Nishan's Indian fiancée.

Trevor Stephens, the taste of tamarind in Vijay Singh's curry, is the son of a Panamanian father and a Jamaican-Cuban mother. Trevor made his debut in cinema with Gerard Oury's The Brain. His films include Street of No Return and Run Away Baby besides twenty other international films. Trevor plays 'Fixer,' Nishan's partner in this ‘garam masala’ comedy.

A truly global film, Vijay Singh has brought in talent from the world over for the completion of One Dollar Curry, including musical maestro Zakir Hussain, who composed the music score for the film. A classical tabla player of the highest score, Zakir has accompanied artists such as George Harrison, Ravi Shankar and John McLaughlin.

One Dollar Curry successfully ran in Paris for over 11 weeks and was shown to house-full theatres in India for several weeks. It has received enthusiastic response from critics both in France and India. One such review from a critic in Paris describes the film perfectly: "This charming tale portrays, with tenderness and humour, the immigrant Indian community in Paris. It is funny, unusual, full of colour, joy and music."