I’m in total awe of Bollywood, says Coffin, the voice of the Minions
Are you a fan of the Despicable Me series and the super-cute Minions? What if their next adventure is set in India? Filmmaker and voice artist Pierre Coffin thinks that’s quite possible, given his love for Bollywood.
“I really hope that one day I make a musical that’s strongly inspired by Bollywood. That’s my dream and goal. I’m in total awe of Bollywood; I love its spirit, but not all of Bollywood, just the stuff we get [in France],” says the French filmmaker, who’s the co-director of the Despicable Me series and the voice of the Minions, as well as the creator of their mishmash language.
“I saw Bajirao Mastani on YouTube,” he says, “and thought ‘My God, where did that come from?’ I searched for it online. I don’t know what this movie is about, but I love the imagery where there are soldiers, [and one man] surrounded by a hundred guys. The [film’s] music was awesome. They had comedy plus they had coolness to it, and when I saw the movie I felt ‘My God, it’s so beautiful… like wow!” adds Coffin.
He also watched Enthiran (2010), starring Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. “The action scenes in it were awesome!” he feels. “So you’ve got a way of pushing comedy or coolness that I’m not really used to. I wish I could do this thing… I have a couple of friends who’re totally film geeks, who pass on to me the DVDs that I have to see because they become such cult movies... I even try to find Indian movies online, and have to sometimes wait to be on the plane to be able to see them,” he adds.
Any plans to visit India? “I really hope that one day I will get to visit... I hope that within the next three years, I do my dream project, which is a musical, and it makes me travel to India,” he says.