The World’s Fastest Indian may be successful Australian director Roger Donaldson’s most personal film to date. That is, after you consider the illustrious director’s previous pick of eclectic flicks such as the Tom Cruise romance Cocktail (1988), sexy thrillers No Way Out (1987) and The Getaway (1994), even sexier sci-fi thriller Species (1995), and the political and critically acclaimed Thirteen Days (2000). The World’s Fastest Indian tells the story of New Zealander Burt Munro, who competed in Utah’s legendary Bonneville Flats race in 1967 at record speeding time. It teams Donaldson with Oscar-winning actor Sir Anthony Hopkins, whom the former had previously worked with in the film The Bounty way back in 1984. Donaldson, currently residing in Los Angeles, tells us why making a film about one of his personal heroes is so important to him.

Why The World’s Fastest Indian after the slew of bigger budgeted Hollywood films such as The Recruit (2003) and Dante’s Peak (1997)?
It’s one of my truest stories yet. In my 20s, I made a documentary about the life of Burt Munro, and it’s one that’s stuck with me all these years. His story is one that I can draw parallels to my life with—his obsessive nature and his love for both women and motorbikes. I mean, I love automobiles too, and my obsession with film is one that started a long time ago. The story also talks about the philosophies of life, and the prospects of growing old. It talks about all things that I value in life, basically.

It’s certainly one of your smaller and more personal films yet …
It’s good to make a film with a wonderful sense of humor, and one with a real personality. I mean, I like to make different types of movies—from sci-fis to epics, etc. I’m even exploring the prospects of making one using high definition video camera right now, and reading lots of scripts.

How do you choose your projects?
I like different genres, and I choose projects that I can best challenge myself with. But I don’t have a personal favorite. It’s like asking me to choose one of my favorite children out of my eight. The different films that I’ve done have been memorable for various reasons. The most important thing is in the creative process of making the films, really. Of course, the end product is important too, but the experiences making them is what I cherish most.

This film teams you up with Anthony Hopkins again after The Bounty. Were the rumors surrounding the tiff between you and Hopkins back then true?
(Laughs) Yes, they were true. The first time we worked together, it was extremely painful, but this time around, it’s a love fest! But you have to understand that the working conditions during The Bounty were rather demanding, especially since we shot the film in the tropics.

Are you surprised by all the positive reactions to The World’s Fastest Indian?
In a way, yeah. I didn’t set out to make a crowd-pleasing film. Even one of my daughters who saw the film enjoyed it, and said “Daddy, that’s you on screen!” She’s talking about the similarities between me and Burt Munro, of course. I have had lots of people writing to me about the film, more than any other film that I’ve directed—from old friends who’ve come out of the woodwork to various people from different age groups. So yeah, it’s been quite surprising.

With mushy love letters in hand and dressed in our Sunday best, we nervously chat up two dames from our very own local bands. A date with the feisty Ginette Chittick from Astreal or the cool Linda Ong from Lunarin is up for grabs in a charity auction, a highlight of the music event Broadcast. Ng Hui Hsien finds out what makes them tick.

Ginette Chittick:

What kind of vibes do you think you give out?
I’d like to think I’m pretty approachable, if approached in the right way.

So what’s so special about you?
Nothing much really, except for the fact that I can levitate.

How do you know when you are in love?
When I hold his hand and I get giddy. Like for real.

What is your ideal date like?
My fiancé brought me out for a beautiful date once. We went to the far end of the East Coast beach and set up camp near the woods. It was late afternoon. The sky was perfect, the weather was great, and we had clam chowder, which he made over a fire. We stayed till night fell and the stars came out. Just being there with my soulmate, I never wanted to leave.

What is the sweetest thing a date has done for you?
He brought me to a beautiful tree, read a book to me while I lay on his lap. It was one of the most perfect evenings.

Tell us a sure way to win your heart.
Be really funny and make sure you don’t smell bad.

Mummy’s boy or devilish biker?
Mummy’s devilish boy biker.

Are you more domineering or passive in a relationship?
Most of the time, it’s equal and I like it this way. I used to be the more domineering one when I was in my teens.

Tell us about your secret fantasy.
My secret fantasy is to be a militant animal rights activist. Like really militant. I once watched a documentary about a man who got himself a huge trawler with a crew and they’d go to the oceans and cut whaling nets and hose down whaling ship crews with giant jets of water. Brilliant!

How do you eat your ice cream—lick it till it’s gone, or swallow it whole?
I bite at it—hard.

Linda Ong:

What kind of vibes do you think you give out?
Depending on the situation, it can range from kid sister vibes, bad-ass lawyer from hell vibes or artsy pretentious philosophy student vibes. I am extremely adaptable to my surroundings.

So what’s so special about you?
Unlike most women, I have not discovered the wonders of manicures.

How do you know when you are in love?
When cartoons make me tear. I wept buckets when watching Finding Nemo.

What is your ideal date like?
An ideal date would be someone intelligent, has a wicked sense of humor and is not averse to alcohol.

What is the sweetest thing a date has done for you?
This sweet boy wrote me a note asking me to marry him after a date. I think I was eight years old at the time.

Tell us a sure way to win your heart.
Impress me with your knowledge of Tori Amos lyrics, red wines and Milan Kundera’s Immortality. I am a sucker for the aforesaid.

Mummy’s boy or devilish biker?
I am not sure, but I do know my boyfriend has five bikes …

Are you more domineering or passive in a relationship?
I prefer the phrase “collaborator/ partner in crime.”

Tell us about your secret fantasy.
Let’s just say it would involve a rooftop terrace, olive oil, a leash and small furry creatures.

How do you eat your ice cream—lick it till it’s gone, or swallow it whole?
Well, it depends. If it is creamy gelato I will lick it. If it is a Magnum bar I will chew it.

What percentage of your clients want their hair cut like the stars?
Not a lot. Many come to try out our skills because of the name of the hairdressing salon, which takes after my Japanese boss Shunji Matsu. All the stylists here are trained in Tokyo to cut like Japanese stylists. That’s what the customers come here for.

Is the Japanese technique a lot different than the local style?
There is a difference. The Japanese are more daring and more ahead of us. Teenagers there are like … wow! They are dressed to kill and very advanced. Sometimes it’s a bit too much.

What do you mean by too much?
It’s not practical. It’s not how it is in reality.

Would you say this Japanese sense of adventure is a good thing?
I think that’s why Tokyo is the trendsetter for the Asian region.

Have you ever been asked to style someone’s hair like Tina Turner’s or Cher’s?
Yeah, but that was a long time ago. At my previous salon where we have a lot of upper class customers—mostly Indonesians and the so-called tai tais. They usually like the big hairdos.

Do you wish the ’80s never happened?
I remember the ’80s well because it was my hardest time to learn. It was fun, but it wasn’t easy to do that big hairdo. The technique needed for blowing hair and cutting was very hard.

Do you have customers who still want the style knowing it won’t be exactly like a celebrity style?
Usually people are curious. Even though you tell them it’s not 100 percent they still want to try it.

Have you ever made any mistakes when styling?
Only when there is a communication breakdown. Mistakes also happen when a customer comes in not knowing what they want.

What was the client’s reaction?
I haven’t had customers who have reacted very badly—touch wood!

Do you sometimes feel like telling clients “that style just won’t suit you?”
We will tell them beforehand what the outcome will be. And if they’re ok with that, then we’ll just have to do it because, after all, they are still our paying customers. And it is their hair!

Would you like to create your very own hairstyle?
Of course. It can be done, but will it be practical? If you want to invent a haircut that is your very own, it has to be something special and daring. A daring haircut is the only way you can look more distinguished. And not everybody can carry a daring haircut, so it’s about finding the right model too.

“What makes you hot?”

Paravadee Wongdetsereekul, 38, accountant 
All the responsibilities of my newly promoted position, which require my full attention, creativity and dedication.

Rungsan Chanchoom, 43, sales 
R-rated movies anytime. Early nights are just perfect!

Sirirant Tangtaweetham, 20, student
Coyote girls in the buff, dancing along to beats in the club.

Nirut Bunmalert, 44, lawyer
Boobs in the sultry heat, ready for me to unwrap!

Kawapoj Chonprasert, 24, engineer 
A finely shaped girl in a tank top playing Songkran on Khao San, having powder daubed all over her body and shampoo bubbles spreading everywhere.

He almost got to play football for Liverpool, was awarded Face of the Year by Pride magazine and was a member of the heartthrob boy band, Blue. Being the first in the band to release a solo album, Simon Webbe proves himself to be more than just a pretty face, hot body and sugarcoated voice. With hits “All Rise,” “Fly By” and “One Love” under his belt, Simon has been termed the clever Jim Dandy of Blue with songwriting skill and a proven track record. His solo album Sanctuary also has a multitude of hit singles, including “Lay Your Hands” and “No Worries” on the top five of the UK charts.

Hip-hop is basically my background and that’s why people would expect me to do that for my first album. But I’m not just about hip-hop or R&B; this album isn’t really based on that. It is based on life and inspired by tragic situations in the world like 9/11, tsunami and the AIDS epidemic.

I don’t think there is much music out there that makes you feel good. I don’t know why but there is too much negativity in the world today. I just want to make music that will plug out a few of the harsh things in life.

I’ve lost friends through suicide in the past. Sometimes you can feel like life is beating you down, and you forget about your friends and the people that really matter to you. That’s what “Lay Your Hands” is really about. The song is a helpful track that says, “look at yourself, look at your friends, look at your loved ones,” just to check if they are OK.

“No Worries” is about life changing and learning to be patient. It’s the song I wrote for my daughter.

I want to dedicate this album to women to show how strong they are and how much they mean to men. Men know it well, but we don’t really say it because society has built us up to be macho figures that can’t show their feelings or sensitive sides.

If you think it’s a pop album, it’s a pop album. That’s fair enough for me as long as you like it and you get the message that I would like to share. But I call it urban folk.

I sacrificed my education for my dreams, and I’m a lucky one that is actually living the dream.

I used to think if I had to decide between playing for Manchester United or being with Blue, I would play for Manchester United. I’d always dreamt of being like Pele, scoring in the final goal of the World Cup with millions of people watching.

Music was never really my thing when I was growing up. I was always in the park, playing ball. That’s all I knew.

There’re a lot of people who have come to me and said “thank you” for this album and that my music has changed their life. Someone came to me with tears in their eyes telling me, “You know you helped me get through my husband’s death,” or “My dad and my mom got divorced when I was young but she still loves him. ‘After All This Time’ touches her and she keeps playing it and I know it’s about my dad.” If I were a footballer, I wouldn’t have that power.

It’s a lot of pressure being a solo artist, especially coming out of a boy band. Robbie Williams, Justin Timberlake—they are what every soloist who comes out of a boyband tries to be. You never know what will happen with you. I’m the only one who can let myself down.

I just feel like I’m meant to be here. I’m here to help people through music.

She’s occasionally a model, but most of her time is spent behind the bar slinging cocktails. She’s been around for a while, here and there, and was imported directly from Sweden to help us have more fun with delicious new alcoholic concoctions. Once you see her you’ll admire her creativity, attractiveness—or her cutie boyfriend. Meet the heartthrob mixologist of the Diplomat Bar at the Conrad Hotel, Sophie Antonie Fredriksson, 24, who is about to introduce every one of us to the martini all over again. See the many new and different ways you can enjoy this classic cocktail during the Diplomat’s Martini Hour, 5:30-6:30pm daily. Rumor has it she’s about to do her first Thailand swimsuit fahion shoot. We can’t wait to see it.

What is the difference between a bartender and a mixologist?
Basically, a bartender is a person who just makes drinks. A mixologist is a person who can make drinks and can create new drink recipes as well.

What is good and bad about being a mixologist?
You can taste all the alcohol that exists in the world for free. I haven’t tried them all yet, most of them anyway. The ugly side of working in this particular field is the smiling—you always have to keep it on your face, no matter what happened before you came to work. Once you are at the bar, smile. The late working hours is another thing, and it can be a tiring job sometimes. Not everyone can work behind the bar.

What are the difficulties of creating a new drink?
I personally prefer sweet drinks, so sometimes it’s hard for me to create bitter or sour drinks, but I can cope with it. It’s in the job description.

Any difficult drinks you’ve had to make so far?
It’s hard to make a drink that everyone likes. Some like sweet drinks but others don’t. That’s the most difficult part of the job. I hardly have complaints about the drinks, but sometimes I have to make them again to suit the customer’s taste.

What is the charm of the martini?
Some people think that martini drinkers are all James Bond, 007 types—old, too posh, that sort of thing. That’s why I love to break it down. The martini is a drink that blends very well with every other kind of drink. My colleagues and I have tried to reach out to as many types of people as possible, so we came out with a long list of new age martini drinks.

What is the best drink you have ever had?
To be honest, I’m a whisky drinker. The worst drink for me, personally, is campari. I hate everything with campari. It’s too bitter.

So how come you created martinis? Why not whisky drinks?
Well, you can put whisky in a martini, too. To be precise, martinis go very well with other drinks—every drink except champagne.

Any chance of seeing you doing some photo shoots soon?
I haven’t signed a contract with any company yet, but I’m planning on it. Just wait and see what the future holds.

What is your current state of mind?
Pure energy.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
In between showbiz and medicine, but I wasn’t sure which one made more money.

What inspires you?
Good energy and love.

What personal trait do you appreciate the most in others?
I appreciate people who give, who are honest and straightforward.

Do you have a cause or do you support one?
My own personal cause: I go to Ethiopia twice a year with my boyfriend, just to spend time there on our own, befriend the children and village folks, and travel and explore. It brings me down to earth and in touch with the realities of life.

Which living person do you admire most and would like to invite for dinner?
Woody Allen.

What are you reading?
A book my boyfriend gave me called Prodavnica Tajni (The Mysterious Boutique) by Dino Bucati, a famous Italian writer. I like it as it’s a collection of short stories that is easy to read.

How do you spend your Sunday mornings?
Sleep late and laze around till late noon, take it easy, go for brunch with my boyfriend, go out in our boat and chill out, watch the birds fly and enjoy a quiet lazy Sunday together.

What is your idea of hell?
War is hell.

What is your guilty pleasure?
None, as everything that is pleasurable should not be guilt-ridden. But oh, wait, there’s one: Coming to Singapore for the first time and staying just one day. Next time, I’ll have to stay at least two weeks and travel around Asia.

How do you recharge?
Going to Ethiopia and traveling for leisure, and not for work.

What’s playing in your Ipod/MP3/CD player?
Brazilian music, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits and Marianne Faithful.

What do you collect?
Jewelry.

Where would you like to live?
I’m happy to be living in New York now, and pretty much can live anywhere else, including Singapore.

What is your favorite item of clothing?
My shoes.

What accessory sets you apart?
Rings, jewelry and bags.

What about you scares others?
My energy.

If you had to play a character in a movie, which movie and which character?
An everyday person in a Woody Allen movie.

What did you believe at 18 that you wish you still believed now?
That life is perfect and once you’ve reached a goal, that’s it. But it’s not so, as we’re constantly working to the next thing. It never stops, life goes on.

Welcoming us sincerely as we entered the lounge at Raffles The Plaza, and ordering himself a Heineken (“No, wait … make that a Tiger!” he quipped), Doyle took a seat in the warm glow of the morning sun, where—with a pleasant yet contemplative look—he seemed like any other 54-year-old angmoh. But, having left Sydney when he was 18, and spending most of his life since in Asia as a cornerstone of the region’s eclectic film industry, Doyle prefers to think of himself as an “Asian with a skin disease.” “Basically, it was a delayed adolescence,” he elaborates. “I grew up in this space with these people, so therefore I belong to them. I feel very Asian.”

Despite working only on a select few Hollywood projects like Gus Van Sant’s disastrous remake of Psycho and M. Night Shyalamalan’s latest Lady in the Water, Doyle has been on the receiving end of much international critical acclaim. But mastering a craft so completely seems almost second nature to Doyle, who thinks of his work more as a “pleasure” than a job. “Right now, I have the greatest life in the world, because I will look at how the light changes on that cricket pitch,” he says, nodding towards The Padang, “and it will inform, every single minute of every single day, how I’m working. It’s an incredible gift, you know?”

Doyle chose to elaborate on the role of a cinematographer, not so much in broad technical terms, but with a poetic passion. “It’s not just about a style. It’s very much about creating space, and you create space through light, through trust with the actors, and the director,” he says. “Space means ideas, possibility, and colors. And I think that’s what we do. I think a cinematographer is the bridge between what’s happening in front of the camera and what’s happening in front of the audience. I think the reason I’m a cinematographer is to help give form, or give an image, to different ideas. So, the more different the ideas are, the more different the form is. And I think that’s why I’m a better cinematographer than I am a producer,” he says, then adds with a laugh, “Or I’m a better lover than I am a husband!”

Speaking specifically of Invisible Waves, Doyle’s reason for teaming up again with Thai director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang was a simple one: “I love him, obviously. Pen-Ek has always said that he only has eight films to make, which is facetious, I guess,” he adds with a smirk. “And what happened is that I have, like, 50 more films to make, at least, so he’d better get his act together.”

It’s this good humored nature that only adds to Doyle’s charm. With an outlook on life that seems perpetually optimistic, he described the themes of the film with a more personal approach than anything else. “I think the sea is a metaphor for possibilities,” he says fastidiously. “To me, the sea is a woman—or women in general. The sea suggests possibility, that there’s no horizon, or the embrace a woman gives to a man or a mother to a child. And this film is very much about the sea, so it’s very much about those themes. It’s very basic to what I feel—or what I hope—that life is about, which is embrace,” he adds.

As our time with this entrancing personality came to a close, we snuck in one last question to the illustrious Doyle: Whether, after all these years of critical acclaim, would he like something concrete—specifically an Oscar—sitting on his shelf. With his usual charming wit, Doyle replies with a sly wink. “Yeah,” he says, and then adds, “Because I’m going to accept it in Chinese.”

Read our movie review of Invisible Waves here

A soldier falls in love with an actress. The actress marries his uncle, who keeps a mistress. The mistress and the actress are attracted to each other. Years later, the actress gives birth to a child who grows to be a beautiful lady who in turn, falls in love with the soldier. Confused yet? We clear things up with the director of Aspects of Love, Monique Wilson.

What drew you to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Aspects of Love?
It has wonderful music and a beautiful story, qualities that will appeal to any audience. It’s always a challenge and very exciting to produce any musical, and to breathe life, passion and soul into it.

How does Aspects of Love set itself apart from other romance musicals?
It is strongly driven by a storyline, as opposed to it being a vehicle for the musical numbers. What sets it apart is also its unconventional plot. It talks about the different aspects of love such as the love between two women, between three adults, between father and daughter, and between an older man and a much younger girl.

Wow, that’s confusing. The plot seems to imply that love is complicated and painful. Did the play make you see love in a different light?
The show doesn’t necessarily imply that love is complicated and painful, although it certainly can be when love is deep. It opened my mind to the various possibilities of love, and how we cannot and should not box our definitions of love in any way, because it is fluid and different for every individual. It made me understand love and the art of loving deeper.

Like you’ve said, the musical explores unconventional concepts of love—for example, that of a libertine—which neither demand nor offer fidelity. How do you think the audience will react?
I think audiences may be initially shocked, but will eventually accept it—that’s life after all. A libertine’s kind of love is something which shouldn’t be judged or moralized on. It’s about adjusting how we view life and love, and opening up our minds, so as to be able to accept differences more.

You are the director and play the lead Rose. It must have been tricky handling both roles. How did you pull it off?
Having Dee Cannon as the co-director of this show makes a huge difference. I initially directed the show, worked on the foundation and assembled the creative, production team and cast. Dee then came to work more specifically on the scenes and made sure that the whole show came together as envisioned. 

There are some intimate scenes in the musical. How do you and the cast open up to one another?
We do lots of improvisations, intimacy and team building exercises to foster trust, and essentially just keep ourselves emotionally open for the demands of the show. Filipino artists are genuinely emotionally open people, trusting and very connected to their emotions, so this wasn’t difficult at all.

If there was anything you can change about the plot of the musical—what part would that be?
There isn’t anything I would change about the show. I think it genuinely and honestly reflects how people live and love. It is a sweet, powerful romance about youth and love, reminding us that love changes everything, and will never ever let us be the same.

New Zealand is more than just about baaing sheep and wide open spaces. It has a thriving theater scene as well. As part of the New Zealand Festival, Singapore Repertory Theatre and the Indian Ink Theatre Company shine the spotlight on two plays which have broken box-office records in New Zealand and the UK—The Candlestickmaker and Krishnan’s Dairy. We chat with Jacob Rajun, the playwright and the star of the two shows.

You are a writer as well as a performer. How did you get started in both areas?
I was in Teacher’s College when I first got into drama and theater. I later went to the National Drama School in New Zealand, and thought theater was something I really wanted to do. As an Indian actor in New Zealand, there wasn’t a lot of work. Thus, I decided to create my own work, and that’s where the writing comes in.

What inspired you to pen Krishnan’s Dairy?
In my final year in the National Drama School, I had to come up with a piece of theater. I researched on a number of corner shops and was inspired by this story about the Taj Mahal that my aunt told me. That’s how Krishnan’s Dairy came to be.

How about The Candlestickmaker?
The Candlestickmaker reflects my own experience as a young 16-year-old returning to India. I was staying with my grandma while I was there and was reading a book about astrophysics. This play is a tribute to Sudramanyan Chandrasekhar, an Indian astrophysicist who won a Nobel Prize in 1995.

Are there any underlying messages that you are trying to convey?
Both plays are talking about what it is in life that gives us happiness. The stories speak of love, happiness, fear and immortality.

You are the main character in both Krishnan’s Dairy and The Candlestickmaker. How do you remember all the different dialogues and movements?
Both plays involve mask play. The masks aid me. When I put the mask on, I undergo a degree of transformation subconsciously. I slip into the voice of a different person. When I change the mask, I switch to another character. There’s nothing spooky about it, really.

Both plays have been hailed as two of the most significant works in New Zealand theater of late. How do you feel about that?
I feel great. I guess they represent a new voice. The Indian voice in the New Zealand theater is very new, so the plays sort of carved a path in the scene.

Tell us more about the theater scene in New Zealand. How different is it from other countries?
Unlike in Europe and the UK, we don’t have centuries of tradition over here. When you have a large heritage of theater, there is a sense of rigidity and a right way of doing things. We don’t, and that’s refreshing. A lot of times, we are just making things up.

Lastly, any goals for your career?
We’re working on another play which will be performed next year. It’s a play about fear. Fear is something we want to address because with things like terrorism and bird flu, today’s society seems like a fearful one. This play will be a comedy, for we want our audiences to leave the theater with bellies full of laughter.