GRAND ANGLE
“FOR US EUROPEANS, COMING TO YOUR ISLAND AFTER SUCH A LONG FLIGHT,
MAKES US FEEL LIKE WE’RE AT THE END OF THE WORLD, WHEN IN FACT IT IS
RATHER THE WORLD THAT IS PRESENT IN MAURITIUS!”
CHARLOTTE RAMPLING
destinations. Mauritians are amazing, very friendly, without ever doing
more than what is needed. The hospitality afforded is sincere, true and
driven by a touching desire; and there is also the pride of sharing the
love for the island.”
You’ve got it right: Charlotte Rampling loves Mauritius and
the Mauritian people altogether. Despite her confession that she
does not know so much about Mauritian culture, She is very
enthusiastic about this beautiful diversity…and the proliferation
of high-quality events such as the Festival Ile Courts: “In general,
the tourism industry may evolve thanks to cultural, creative and
unifying cultural events, as well as to the fact of generating
interactions among people from diverse horizons. Held more and
more frequently, these festivals represent a fantastic initiative.
Mauritius is an exciting multicultural blend between India,
Europe and Africa. The whole world lives in Mauritius. For us
Europeans, coming to your island after such a long flight, makes
us feel like we’re at the end of the world, when in fact it is rather
the world that is present in Mauritius!”
Meeting Charlotte Rampling of course implies talking about
cinema. A Mauritian cinema which is closely tied to Bollywoodian
India cinema, whose films are very popular across the island. To
our knowledge, Charlotte Rampling – who is used to appearing in
Hollywood movies or French productions – has never expressed herself
on the subject. It was, therefore, an ideal opportunity to get her insights! :
“Bollywood is, of course, a very vast and beautiful cinematic world, full
of life, dynamism, tenderness and poetry. It’s a style of scriptwriting that
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differs from ours, but this is exactly what makes it interesting. During
the 2006 film festival in Berlin (Charlotte Rampling was then the
president of the Berlinale jury), I met a famous Bollywood producer,
Yash Chopra (also a jury member). He had asked me if I would be
interested in getting a role in one of his productions. I always reply
‘why not?’ to such proposals. It all depends on the role and the plotline.
Bollywood would be for me an original experience. Unfortunately, my
friend Yash Chopra passed way (in 2012), and the opportunity did not
come to fruition.”
To conclude our interview and keep alive with a smile the tradition
of Mauritian hospitality, we have brought up the possibility of shooting
a film in Mauritius. And this actress who has appeared in more than 70
films would not say no to such an experience! : “The African cinema is
experiencing a beautiful revolution; it is very inventive. If I was offered
the opportunity to shoot in Mauritius, I would give the same answer:
why not? It is not about the money. I may say yes to a film director
who has a low budget but great ambitions. I am bold; I like adventure.
As I said earlier: I like going against the current... and the perspective
of shooting in Mauritius is a rather pleasant one! I have in fact once
played in a movie whose plotline took place on an island. It was in the
Dominican Republic for a film directed by Laurent Cantet, Heading
South (in 2005). I enjoyed the atmosphere of the shooting. Everything
is always more intense on an island. So, yes, why not one day in
Mauritius? It’s a wonderful idea.” Azim Moollan or David Constantin
to lead the great Charlotte Rampling in the streets of Port-Louis...
That could be a very nice prospect indeed!
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