Indo-Argentine film on Tagore-Ocampo bond to begin next year

In a unique collaboration, Argentinian director Pablo Cesar has joined hands with Indian producer Suraj Kumar for a feature film on the bond between celebrated writers Victoria Ocampo and Rabindranath Tagore.

Titled "Thinking of Him", the film will be shot in both India and Argentina in 2016 and will feature scenes in black and white, as well as colour, Cesar said.

"'Thinking of Him' is a film that will showcase the relationship between Ocampo and Tagore. Pre-production has already started and we will begin shooting this film next year," Cesar said at a seminar titled "Remembering Victoria Ocampo" here on Friday.

Ocampo, a celebrated Argentinian literary figure and the first woman to be made a member of the Argentine Academy of Letters, met Nobel Laureate Tagore in 1924 during the latter's visit to Buenos Aires.

She was already a patron of Tagore's works, through a French rendition of "Gitanjali", and her meeting with one of India's greatest literary figures initiated a lasting and much discussed relationship in academic circles.

"We are yet to finalise the cast for the film. We are still searching for the actor who would portray Tagore and Ocampo," Cesar said.

He added that he is in talks with an Argentinian actress for the role of Ocampo, but refused to divulge details.

"We will visit Shantiniketan next week to see how the place is now. Whether it is modernised or it is the same. We will also search for the local crew, technicians, costume designers etc," Kumar said.