THE CRÈME OF INTERNATIONAL TALENT DESCEND UPON THE UK TO ANNOUNCE THE CROSSOVER FILM OF 2011
Friday 23rd of September, London: Today saw some of the most lauded and iconic stars from American, Canadian and Indian cinema and entertainment take to the stage in London to promote one of the most exciting Hollywood crossover films to emerge in recent times, ‘Speedy Singhs’, releasing in the UK on Friday 30th September 2011.
International comedy sensation, Russell Peters, and rising star of cinema, Vinay Virmani, joined fellow cast and crew members including much adored comedian/actor Gurpreet “Ghuggi” Singh and co-producer Ajay Virmani as they addressed the audience and conducted a Q&A session with media in attendance.
Russell Peters entertained the media with his witty comments and perfect comic timing as he spoke about his experience of working in the film. He commented, “I always worry about what people will think of my films but I actually LOL’d (laughed out loud) when I saw this. I actually got teary eye when I saw the film at the Toronto International Film Festival where it premiered. The film is shot, directed and cut extremely well.” Indian comedy king Gurpreet “Ghuggi” Singh added, “I have never seen or experienced anything like Speedy Singhs before with its combination of Hollywood and Bollywood. It was great to work and share a screen space with Russell.”
Debutant star Vinay Virmani has received rave reviews from journalists and critics alike for his performance as Rajveer Singh. In commenting on the mass appeal the film will have crossing cultural and generational boundaries, he said, “Everyone can relate to the film, it is something everyone, of all ages, can enjoy. Every time I look at the Speedy Singhs poster, it shows that people have come from all over to be in this film from all industries, not confided by any boundaries. To sum, Speedy Singhs is about love, life and laughter.”
Speedy Singhs tells the story of Rajveer Singh essayed by Vinay Virmani caught between two cultures and two sets of ideals. The film speaks of the sports genre underdog, but in this case, the underdog reflects issues of assimilation that immigrants deal with daily as they strive for acceptance in their new home country. The entire cast highlighted the backdrop of the script as it explores the issues of race relations, migration and cross-cultural tensions while superbly balancing both tenderness and humour for the silver screen.
Vinay Virmani and Russell Peters both reflected on their own experiences growing up in suburban Canada when Vinay mentioned “there are elements in the film that are from my experience”. Co-producer Ajay Virmani echoed this saying, “Speedy Singhs is a very simple movie made from the heart and carries a message of all the struggles families from India go through. The story is based on personal experiences, about coming of age and trying to find a balance between being Indian and Canadian.” As a surprise treat for the audiences and to highlight the success of the film’s music, in true hearty Punjabi style, “Ghuggi” and Vinay shared a musical moment as they Bhangra’d to the hit song Ne Aaja Ve.
Directed by Hollywood filmmaker Robert Lieberman (‘D3: The Mighty Ducks’, ‘Table for Five’) and produced by First Take Entertainment and Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar’s Hari Om Entertainment, ‘Speedy Singhs’ is a gripping, cross-cultural hockey drama set in the Indo-Canadian community of suburban Toronto, Canada. Other stars in the film include Hollywood heartthrob, Rob Lowe; the demure Camilla Belle (‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’, ‘10,000 BC’); and veteran of Indian cinema Anupam Kher (‘Bend it like Beckham’).
A galaxy of other exciting cameos are provided by the likes of recording artist and actor Aubrey “Drake” Graham and Grammy Award winning rapper Chris “Ludacris” Bridges.
Ludacris added his vocals to the cross-urban music track of the year, “Shera Di Kaum”, the promotional song for ‘Speedy Singhs’, where he also features in the video.