‘I miss the old Madras’

Renowned Hollywood producer and thoroughbred Chennaiite, Ashok Amritraj who hails from the first tennis family of India is in the city to celebrate two major milestones. On the professional front, he has completed 100 films as a producer in a career spanning almost 30 years. And on the personal front, which he says holds greater significance, Ashok will be joining the entire Amritraj family in celebrating his parents’ 60th wedding anniversary on December 29.

Ashok says, “There’s nothing like the feeling of being back in my hometown. The Safire and Anand theatres hold such great memories for me.

“I remember seeing Enter the Dragon at Anand as a child and admiring Bolo Yeung, who played the villain. Several years later I came full circle when I cast him as a villain in my blockbuster film Double Impact.”

When asked if the success of films like Slumdog Millionaire has made things easier for Indians to enter Hollywood, Ashok says, “The film industry is always a difficult place to break into. Nevertheless, the acceptance has grown considerably with actors like Naveen Andrews, Freida Pinto and Kal Penn breaking through.”

Ashok is currently busy working on his upcoming projects that include the Robert Rodriquez-directed Machete and the Nicole Kidman starrer Trespass.

Ashok has fond memories of playing tennis in Chennai. “My brothers and I used to regularly train at the Island Grounds after returning from Don Bosco school. I would buy myself a piece of cake and a chocolate from CVK Brothers Bakery. Sometimes we’d head to Jaffers Ice cream parlour for a triple layer treat. I miss the innocence of the old Madras when Spencers used to be lit up in a spectacular way days before Christmas.”

Ashok, who recently congratulated Rajinikanth on the eve of his 60th birthday and is planning to catch up with the superstar and Kamal Haasan during his stay here, says, “It’s going to be a hectic schedule, but I am trying to squeeze in as much family time as possible. My wife Chitra and kids Milan and Priya arrive here on Sunday and I am also planning to catch up on Avatar with them. I had seen a 20-minute footage from the film at James Cameron’s studio and I thought this movie is as significant to this generation as Star Wars was to mine.”

Ashok says he’ll miss the Chennai Open as he’s leaving to LA early. But he’s buoyed by the news that his daughter has won her school tennis championship in Division 1 in California. And his son Milan is also quite a tennis aficionado.