Furious with the lack of funds, progress and initiative and determined to complete and release what she considers a remarkable work of cinema, Shilipa Shetty’s intrepid mother has taken over the production of her daughter’s Indo-Chinese production The Desire: A Journey Of A Woman. She has apparently edited the film down to 95 minutes and is readying the film for various international film festivals. When contacted Sunanda Shetty admitted, “The websites claim Tracy Shiyun is the co-producer. Not true. She went to court and lost. I am the sole producer of this project. We’ve made changes for the betterment of the movie. If I had to turn producer I wanted the film to be what I as a member of the audience would like to see. Yes, we’ve cut the length down. ” If Shilpa Shetty’s mother Sunanda Shetty has turned producer Lord knows there was enough provocation to do. Apparently the ambitious film about an Indian girl quest for spiritualism through her Odissi dancing was on the verge of being shelved when Mrs Shetty agreed to step in as producer. Says a source, “The Desire …had gone grossly over-budget and had also become too long. When Mrs Shetty stepped in the length of the film was unmanageable at 2 hours 25 minutes. Mrs Shetty cut the film down to size at 95 minutes and is sending it off to various international film festivals. She also had areas of dispute with the director R Sarath on several counts. ” Says Mrs Sunanda Shetty, “When I decided to step in as producer the film was in serious trouble. It was stuck for over a year. But I immediately saw the potential in it.I was told there was just a few weeks’ shooting left when in fact we had to shoot for a good six months more. But it’s been worth it. It’s a beautiful story and has a great role for Shilpa. My daughter warned me not to turn producer now when I had desisted from doing so all these years. But somehow more than the concerned mother it was the film buff in me that realized the potential of this film. I jumped into the ocean without knowing how to swim. ”The proud and protective mother makes it very clear that she took on the onus of being the sole producer of this film because of her darling daughter’s sake. “What appealed to me in the film is the fact that a girl could lead her life on her own terms without adhering to the so-called dos and don’ts. I strongly believe a girl child should be allowed to follow her heart. ”
