… a movie to be proud of  says President Ramotar
PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar and First Lady, Deolatchmee Ramotar, were among the many patrons at the National Cultural Centre (NCC) Sunday evening for the second night’s screening of the latest Guyanese movie, ‘A Jasmine for a Gardener’. The Bollywood type movie, which featured six timeless, classical Indian songs, is the second movie produced by Mahadeo Shivraj and the Dramatic Arts Academy.
The Head of State, in an invited comment, said that the film was well-made and is comparable to a lot of movies that he has seen and come to love over the years.
He commended the entire cast for their outstanding performances, urging Guyanese to make an effort to see the film.
“It is something we can all be proud of….we should encourage more of this in Guyana, so that we can eventually build a good film industry which will promote our culture.”
The movie tells the story of a girl who was compelled by her parents into marriage for the convenience of wealth, but, defied their wishes and followed her heart and the quest for happiness.
Shivraj, who is the producer/director of the film, also plays the lead role. The cast also includes Neaz Subhan, Nazim Hussain, Rajan Tiwari, Mark Kazim, Bhavana Samtani, Gem Madhoo-Nascimento, and Dimple Mendonca.
At the premiere on Saturday evening, Subhan, who heads the Dramatic Arts Academy, spoke of the successful collaboration between his agency and Shivraj’s production.
“This is the second movie we are showing at the National Cultural Centre, under the Mahadeo Shivraj production and the Dramatic Arts Academy, the first being ‘Till I Find a Place’ in 2010, and, as usual people, will be calling us for DVDs.  They want to see it in their homes, of course we can’t do that, because all of our investments will go to waste; we wouldn’t be able to make back what we would have invested.”
Subhan, who plays the role of a psychoanalyst, told the audience that after almost two years, the DVD ‘Till I find a place’ is on sale.
A Jasmine for a Gardener was screened eight times in New York and was ranked by the viewing audience as the best Guyanese and Caribbean movie ever made thus far. It will be taken to Essequibo and Berbice shortly.