The 2003 Grammy heavyweight and daughter of Indian sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar, 26 year-old Norah Jones is set to make her debut on film. The film titled currently as “My Blueberry Nights”, being directed by Hong Kong's Wong Kar-wai is likely to be filmed in America.
An artsy project, it is Wong's first film in the English-language and is likely to follow his usual style of being shot sans a script with the actors possibly inclusive of Jones working without knowing much about her character. His previous films 2046 as well as Fa Yeung Nin Wa made it the Cannes festival, nominated for the Palme d'Or award.
Apart from directing Norah Jones, Wong has another film project titled “Lady from Shanghai” featuring Nicole Kidman that has been delayed until 2007 owing to the non-identification of an appropriate male lead. Understandably the project is on as subject that Wong dealt with on a short film some years ago. However, very little is known about either the storyline or the other key actors being cast. There have been reports from some quarters that the film would deal with Hurricane Katrina, while counter-reports have trashed this idea.
Wong, acclaimed for subtle and beautifully filmed movies is known to favor melancholy tracks in his films and difficult themes like a story of gay love. Norah Jones, on the other hand after taking eight Grammys for her debut album “Come Away With Me” in 2003, has continued to hog the charts with her unique jazz-pop style. Her second album “Feels Like Home” is a bestseller.
Jones is also involved in a side-project titled “The Little Willies”, which features the fun and spirit of New York club shows. Formed as group by the same name with Lee Alexander, Jim Campilongo, Richard Julian and Dan Rieser, Jones plays both the piano and lends her vocals to western style songs. Back to 2003, when relatively unknown, Norah and her four friends performed at The Living Room in New York striking a common thread in classical American music despite diverse backgrounds.
For Jones a piano major, who has long experimented with music, “My Blueberry Nights” is a different sort of way to express her self. It is not the limelight but the art of expression that draws her to the film medium. Why else would she choose a director who does not spin the usual Hollywood yarn for a first movie move? She probably is as excited about having to emote a character she does not truly know, for a plot that is equally mysterious. Say, it adds a touch of tantalizing mystery to an artist whose lyrics and music describe so many different emotions in such a down-to-earth way.
