Richard Gere is known for his roles in romantic-comedy dramas such as Pretty Woman and whodunnits such as Primal Fear, among other films. Gere has a decorated career in Hollywood, which includes a Golden Globe for his performance in Rob Marshall's Chicago. However, the actor recently revealed that he desperately wanted to work with director Shekhar Kapur.
After watching Shekhar Kapur's Bandit Queen, based on Phoolan Devi's life, Gere literally begged to work with the legendary filmmaker. Speaking recently to The Daily Eye, he said, "After seeing Bandit Queen, I went down on my knees, pleading, ‘Shekharji, please let me do a film with you.' But he has been casting me off. He just goes, ‘Pooh’, at me, as if I was a mendicant, a beggar on the street."
Shekhar Kapur himself confirmed the veracity of the story by tweeting about it earlier today.
Interestingly, also known for making films such as The Four Feathers, starring Heath Ledger, Wes Bentley, and Kate Hudson, and Elizabeth, featuring Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush, Shekhar Kapur wanted to work with Richard Gere. However, Shekhar's plan did not materialise, and his path never crossed with Gere ever again.
Gere, known for his belief in Buddhism, was part of the production team of the filmmaker's planned project about Buddha. The actor even tried to land an important role in the film. Unfortunately, however, the project did not take and was shelved eventually.
Gere has been fewer projects of late, reportedly due to his priority on family life over his film career. While he still has an active career and is not necessarily retired, he has been choosing films selectively in the recent past. On the other hand, Shekhar Kapur is planning a sequel to his iconic 1983 film Masoom.
