Harry Baweja makes Mumbai world class

Harry Baweja’s Love Story 2050, which depicts a futuristic Mumbai, has attracted the attention of the Remaking of Mumbai Federation

Glass-facade highrises, skywalks, hovercrafts, monorail flyovers, freeways and flying cars criss-crossing the city... these are the images of Mumbai that filmmaker Harry Baweja depicts in Love Story 2050.

Though the producer-director is taking recourse to special effects from an Australian company to recreate the city 42 years from now the Remaking of Mumbai Federation hopes to translate this celluloid image of the city into reality.

Developers fancy it

Love Story 2050, which is slated for a July release, is Baweja’s son Harman’s launch pad. The movie’s trailers were released last week and the film’s publicity posters and trailers have caught the fancy of the city’s developers.

Says Baweja, “I was approached by the Remaking of Mumbai Federation. They have evinced keen
interest in how we have portrayed the metropolis and I have offered to help in whatever way I can.”

In dialogue

Lalit Gandhi, chairman of the Federation, adds, “When we saw the film’s images, we were interested in knowing how the city had been depicted. We got in touch with the film’s makers to have a dialogue with them.”

Love Story 2050 has recreated the future through technology around Mumbai’s prominent landmarks. “There was no point showing any futuristic city and saying this is what Mumbai would look five decades on. To make it believable, we have taken places like Flora Fountain, Marine Drive, Gateway of India and changed the landscapes,” explains Baweja.

Untouched

He adds, “The Flora Fountain statue and heritage buildings remain. That cannot be touched as it is quintessentially Mumbai. So also with the Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal hotel; but around it, structural changes unfold.”

The director offers Dubai and Hong Kong as examples. These cities have changed their skylines over the years. “If all us make concerted efforts, we can make Mumbai better.”

Adds Mayank Gandhi, secretary of the Federation, “Love Story 2050 is a fantasy, we hope to make it a reality.”

Shaheen Parkar, Mid-Day