Paris Hilton? Mother Teresa? A Tale of Polar Opposites

By Linda Orlando

Director T. Rajeevnath, a 54-year old director, is well-known in India for his Malayalam-language films including "Moksham" and "Thannal." His movie "Janani" ("Mother"), a tale about seven nuns who care for an abandoned baby, won a national award. "Mother Teresa" will be his 11th commercial film, and he has already sold the idea to a few international production agencies, including First Serve International, a company based in the United States.

"Her features resemble Mother Teresa," Rajeevnath said. Hilton is on his shortlist after a computer-generated image showed that her features closely match those of Mother Teresa. A meeting with the millionaire hotel heiress is scheduled for the end of April to see how she feels about portraying the Albanian-born nun who lived in poverty. Perhaps Hilton’s experience in the US reality show called "The Simple Life" is what makes Rajeevnath feel she can portray a nun who really did live a simple life. "My agents in California have contacted Paris Hilton," Rajeevnath said. The English film will be shot mostly in West Bengal in several other foreign countries on a budget of just over $11 million. The preliminary script is close to completion.

The cast for the movie will include Mithun Chakravarthy, Kamal Haasan, Mohanlal, and several other Indian actors. Veteran cameraman Santosh Sivan has also agreed to help, and the Ramoji Rao Film city has pledged full support for the venture. The film would include a thorough portrayal of former West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu, who shared a close association with Mother Teresa. Rajeevnath told reporters, "The proceeds of the film would go to the Missionaries of Charity. By June this year, the groundwork for the film would be complete, and I propose to begin shooting in early 2007."

The director said he was impressed by an article about Hilton that said the blonde socialite had refused to pose nude in Playboy magazine, so he decided to contact her. He said that there are several actresses willing to play the role of "the most widely respected and loved person," and the history of the actress who is finally selected will be "analyzed thoroughly" before she is chosen. He expects to get the blessings of the Pope for the film.

Mother Teresa, who died in 1997, lived and worked with the Missionaries of Charity among the poor in the crowded slums of Kolkata, formerly Calcutta. A Nobel laureate, Mother Teresa was beatified by Pope John Paul in 2003, a significant step on the road to sainthood in the Catholic Church. Paris Hilton’s prior movie experience, in addition to appearing in several Hollywood low-grade B-movies, includes appearing in a former boyfriend's homemade sex video that was widely circulated on the Internet.