He transformed a has-been heroine, Queen Latifah, into Hollywood’s hot property. He is Walt Disney’s pampered producer, bringing millions into the company’s kitty every year. India-born Hollywood producer Ashok Amritraj is now hunting for a hot female star in Bollywood for his next international venture.Seated at the lobby of Hotel Renaissance overlooking the placid Powai lake and currently hosting Frames 2004, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries’ global convention on the business of entertainment, Amritraj talks about his new-found love for the Hindi film industry.‘‘I am planning a film with a female lead from Bollywood and a male lead from Hollywood. One-third of the film will be shot in India while the rest will be completed in the US,’’ says Amritraj, whose Bringing Down The House was one of the most successful Hollywood flicks of 2003. ‘‘We spent US $ 34 million on it and the film grossed around US $ 250 million.’’Amritraj, who played tennis with brother Vijay (Ashok even played the Junior Wimbledon Championship in 1974), joined Hollywood in the 1980s, producing his first major hit Double Impact starring Jean-Claude Van Damme in 1991. ‘‘It has been an uphill task. When I told my parents I wanted to produce films, they thought I was crazy. Nevertheless, they stood by me,’’ explains Amritraj.Having produced over 80 films and having worked with major stars like Bruce Willis, Steve Martin, Angelina Jolie and Sylvester Stallone, Amritraj’s next film Walking Tall starring WWF star The Rock hits theatres on April 2 this year.Reminiscing his days in Mumbai in the 1970s, he says he misses the train journeys. ‘‘I would travel from Chennai to Mumbai by train and live in dormitories near Bombay Gymkhana. Mumbai has always been exciting,’’ he raves. Never missing out on his tennis, Amritraj plays every Saturday at his Los Angeles home.Then, he had stars in his young eyes. Today, he makes stars out of others.
