Roadside Romeo

The heat has been catching up with animation movies in Bollywood lately and this time around it is Roadside Romeo that is making noise. The debutante Jugal Hansraj who has acted in movies such as Papa Kehte Hain, Mohabbatein and Salam Namaste is now venturing into direction with his debut Roadside Romeo. The movie will mark the first animated film that is an India-US co-production of Yash Raj Films and Walt Disney Company. The film will be produced by Aditya and Yash Chopra under Yash Raj Films, scheduled to release in October 2008.

The cast includes Saif Ali Khan, Kareen Kapoor and Jaaved Jaffrey, the former two lending their voices to animated characters for the first time. The story is about a rich, laid back, spoilt brat of a dog Romeo which is abandoned on the evil streets of Mumbai. He is left to face circumstances he has never faced before. He is confronted by dangerous, crazy characters, the likes of which he has never met before. From great mansions to streets, from five course meals to five courses of scraps, from cushiony beds to piles of garbage, from champagne to tap water, the audience is taken through an adventurous journey of the life of Romeo and how he turns out to become a ‘Roadside Romeo’.

The movie is typical of Yash Raj films featuring music, dance, songs and romance, with music score given by Salim-Sulaiman. What is worthy of mention is that the film has utilized state-of-the-art computer animation technology and is done entirely in India. According to sources, 60% of the film’s work is completed and the release is eagerly awaited.