Tina Turner visited India to explore 'Goddess'

New Delhi, May 25

Tina Turner, who had Indians across generations dancing to songs such as “What’s Love Got To Do With It”, was all set to play “Shakti” in a film to be directed by Ismail Merchant and visited Varanasi and Kerala for an exploratory trip.

But the film, announced in the early 2000s, was not to be. And the queen of rock ’n’ roll, a practising Buddhist who died at the age of 83 in her Switzerland home on Tuesday, spoke eloquently about the project, “The Goddess”, and its “cosmic energy”.

“The cosmic energy of Shakti attracted me to this film and the film to me. It signifies new energy, new abilities and new beginnings. I fed the desire in me which wanted me to feel the energy of thousands of people in a stadium. Now I want to go to another message,” Turner had told the Eastern Eye in an interview in 2004.

Turner, who was 64 at that time, said her belief in “prayer” and the healing power of faith pushed her to say yes to the character.

Titled “The Goddess”, the film was to be made under Merchant-Ivory Productions, named after the filmmaker and his partner-collaborator James Ivory.

The film could not lift off with Ismail Merchant’s sudden death in May 2005 after a surgery. — PTI

Toured Varanasi

• Tina Turner was all set to play “Shakti” in a film to be directed by Ismail Merchant
• She visited Varanasi and Kerala for an exploratory trip; the film was announced in early 2000s
• The film could not lift off, with Merchant’s sudden death in May 2005 after a surgery