2016 will see the release of a few Hollywood films with either an Indian story or an Indian face. One of the upcoming Hollywood films is Heartbeats by Duane Adler, who wrote the screenplay for the Step Up series of dance-based movies. Indian actor Amitash Pradhan from the Tamil Film industry of Chennai has bagged a lead role in Heartbeats, which will be shot mostly in India.
Duane Adler’s Heartbeats is a musical dance drama in which hip hop will meet Bollywood dance of India. Heartbeats will depict a triangular love story of an Indian choreographer, an American dancer and a budding dancer in India. South Indian actor Amitash Pradhan will play the Indian choreographer who meets the American hip hop dance during a wedding function in India, introduces her to the dance heritage of India, and eventually falls in love with her.
Actress Krystal Ellsworth has been roped in to play the American hip hop dancer on a visit to India. Krystal Ellsworth herself is a dancer in real life. The third character in the triangular love story of Duane Adler’s Heartbeats will be essayed by Aneesha Joshi from India. Los Angeles based Krystal Ellsworth has essayed the role of a dancer in most of her Hollywood films. She played a park dance in Breaking Through, a secret high dancer in No Strings Attached, and an Ironette dancer in Iron Man 2.
Tamil cinema actor Amitash Pradhan debuted into acting with the character of a villain in Velai Illa Pattathari (Unemployed Graduate). Amitash earned critical acclaims in this blockbuster of 2014. He is sanguine about his role of an Indian choreographer in Heartbeats by Duane Adler who is known for his screenwriting for such music & dance films as Step Up and Save the Last Dance.
Duane Adler’s Heartbeats is expected to be a dance euphoria by two of the finest choreographers in the world: Tessandra Chavez, an Emmy award-winning choreographer, and Champa Gopikrishna, one of the choreographers in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani. Chennai based actor Amitash Pradhan feels honored to be working with the eminent designer duo.
Sriram Das and Karine Martin are coproducing Duane Adler’s Heartbeats. Sriram Das is a well-known Indian American producer in Hollywood. A Harvard University graduate from New York, Sriram Das has produced and coproduced several Hollywood films including The November Man, Premium, Blue State, and Veronica Decides to Die.
2016 will also see the release of a Hollywood biopic on Rabindranath Tagore, India’s first Nobel Laureate in literature, by eminent Argentinian filmmaker Pablo Cesar. Hollywood will see veteran Indian actor Anupam Kher in Mark Williams’ The Headhunter’s Calling alongside Gerard Butler. – IndianEagle
Travel Beats is a Cultural publication for Indian diaspora by IndianEagle, a U.S. based international travel organization. Travel Beats publishes the latest stories about India, USA, Canada and NRIs.