We featured Sanjay Sanghoee about a little over a year ago and his success and reach have grown so rapidly that he is now heading into production for the film version of his hit book of the same name, Merger.

We caught up with Sanjay to get the low down on what he's doing and what it takes to make a Hollywood movie. Read on and get an inside look into the brain of a creative soul who has the passion to go with it.

Harsid Vaidya: What allowed you to think of such an incredible plot, which features corporate crime, mystery, violence and suspense?
Sanjay Sanghoee: I have a twisted mind to begin with and when Enron and WorldCom happened, I was so disgusted by the whole thing that I wanted to write a hard hitting story that exposes the harmful impact of corporate crime. People think white collar crime is basically harmless but it's anything but that. The violence was a deliberate choice on my part to show readers that they are wrong if they think corporate criminals won't kill to get what they want simply because they are from ivy league colleges and blue chip firms.

HV: Are you bringing any personal knowledge or experience into your book and now this upcoming film?
SS: I was an investment banker so the answer is yes. I know the world of Wall Street. On the film side, I made a short film recently and have written several scripts in the past.

HV: How has your teaching in the Indian culture influenced the storyline of this novel and movie, if at all?
SS: Well, one of the major characters is Indian so there is a lot of cultural influence in there. However, it's subtle. MERGER isn't about a powerful Indian, it's about a powerful man who is an egomaniac who happens to be Indian and has some quirks due to his cultural background. The international nature of the plot also lends itself easily to cross-cultural influences. This is especially true of the movie, which I am confident will appeal to global audiences.

"...Amitabh Bachchan, Christian Bale, Jennifer Connelley, Andy Garcia and several others..."

HV: What actors and actresses do you have in mind for the movie based on your book?
SS: Amitabh Bachchan, Christian Bale, Jennifer Connelley, Andy Garcia and several others. There are some very juicy supporting roles in the movie which are perfect for star cameos.

HV: Do you have any big names that you already have associated with the movie?
SS: Brillstein Grey Entertainment, which produced TROY, THE DEPARTED and THE SOPRANOS, is Executive Producing the film. Also, we are working with Eros Entertainment on the Bollywood side. We intend to cast the Indian role out of Bollywood.

HV: So tell us, what are some of the obstacles you are facing in the pre-production of this movie or in the financing of the movie? How did you go about getting financing?
SS: Investors like to see actors attached and big actors want financing in place before attaching themselves, so it's the chicken and the egg. We already have some investors lined up but are looking to close the financing with investors from India and the Middle East.

HV: As is common in films that are based on books, how true will your film remain to the character and depth of the book?
SS: It's true in spirit. However, what plays well on the page doesn't always work well on the screen. So I adapted my screenplay by tearing it down and then building it back up. The first few drafts of the screenplay were produced by a very talented Indian writer by the name of Neeraj Chaudhury who shares my vision of the project.

HV: Have you thought of the audience and who will want to see this movie as you are planning the production? How will you reach around the business demographic and get families to enjoy the movie as well?
SS: MERGER is not just about Wall Street. It's about suspense, violence, terrorism, human drama and emotion, so the potential audience is wide. The characters are very rich and universal so people in Japan and India can relate to them as well as those in the U.S. Also, the movie examines issues of internal human conflict and fear which are very universal in nature.

HV: When are you planning on releasing this movie?
SS: We hope to shoot in the spring of 2008 and release by winter.

HV: Where do you see yourself a year after the movie has released?
SS: I'm finishing up a second novel which is also a thriller and hope to get that published soon. On the film side, I would like to Produce and Direct more films as soon as I am done with MERGER.

HV: What else is in the works for you at the moment?
SS: I have a TV pilot that I am developing on corporate crime and am pitching that to few select companies. However, I am keeping my focus firmly on MERGER for the moment.

Something quite interesting to look forward to from this talented banker turned writer turned filmmaker. To keep up to date on Sanjay and his progress with the making of Merger into a Hollywood film, check out www.relentlesspics.com.

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