Latest news with #NeilBurger
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'Limitless' director Neil Burger expresses admiration for SRK, Indian cinema: I'm fascinated with India
(Picture Courtesy: Facebook) Filmmaker Neil Burger , who is known for his projects like 'The Illusionist', and 'Limitless', expressed his admiration for Indian cinema , Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and shared his shooting experience in the national capital for his film 'Inheritance'. In a conversation with ANI, he said, "I love Delhi. I like Mumbai as well. I really like everywhere. I'm fascinated with India and there's so much to explore. But, you know, we chose to shoot in Delhi to set the story or part of the story in Delhi." He added on what he liked about the country, saying, "What was exciting about it... there's sort of this sense of mystery and wonder in India, certainly for a Western person are people who are incredibly friendly and incredibly generous. And there was an excitement on the street and that's what we were looking for in the movie to get this kind of energy of life as lived. And, I think we were very successful with that. " 'Inheritance' is an American espionage thriller film directed by Neil Burger from a screenplay he co-wrote with Olen Steinhauer, starring Phoebe Dynevor and Rhys Ifans. While expressing his admiration for Indian food, its culture and people, the ace director added, "Our experience was incredible. Actually, it was I mean, I love Indian food. So that was amazing. I don't think I'm enough of an aficionado to know the difference between, Delhi food and, some other cities food. We had a great crew and fantastic actors. Then just the setting is so cinematic, so visual and and so dynamic. So our experience was phenomenal. " 'The Illusionist' director opened on the family bond with the country and why India is so special for him and his wife, Diana Kellogg, "My wife is an architect and designed a very beautiful girls' school in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. And so she's been working on that for 10 years and coming to India over and over. And India has been and its people have been so welcoming to her and so generous with her. And I think that she is just has a love affair. So we feel like we have this special relationship with India. I love Indian food like naan and roti. And so it was important to me to set this particular sequence in India because of it." He added that he is fond of Indian cinema and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, "I do." follow Indian cinema, and actors like "Shah Rukh Khan". "I've seen lots of (Indian) movies and I'm fascinated with them," he shared. He spoke about his film, 'Inheritance' and how he conceived the idea behind it. Burger came up with the idea for the film during the Covid-19 pandemic, and it has an international scope despite being shot completely on an iPhone. "It really came out of Covid originally, I wanted to see, like how the world was being affected by Covid and what the new normal was, I didn't want to make a documentary. I'm a narrative filmmaker. So I wanted to create a story that kind of took us to these different cultures just to see how people were reacting. Now, films take a long time to get we created this story that went around the world from New York to Cairo to New Delhi to Seoul and then back to New York. " The filmmaker, who shot the thriller with an iPhone, shared, "When you travel around with a film crew, lots of trucks and lots of equipment and lots of people you disrupt the normal kind of routine of life. And so people end up looking at you. Whereas I wanted to, from this original idea, see the world, look at the world. I came up with this idea that I would shoot it on an iPhone , not as a gimmick, not merely as a substitute for a motion picture camera, but because we could walk through a crowded Delhi market and nobody would look at us because no no lights, no boom mics, just like somebody walking seemingly next to their friend. For all anybody knew they were shooting some social media, something rather. And it was a very effective way to do it. A very small crew kept the crew away. We were very quick with what we were doing. So it was a unique way to shoot it and it has a unique energy because of that." He recalled working with Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper in science-fiction thriller film, 'Limitless', saying, "Working with De Niro, who has always been a hero of mine, it became very, suddenly you're in the room and he's right here and you're giving him direction. And all you're thinking about his incredible roles. The amazing thing about Robert De that he wants to collaborate. He's not in a place where he's like, well, I just know what I'm doing and I know what what's the right thing. He actually wants to, work with the director and build a character together. And then with Bradley Cooper, we were doing there's a crazy stunt where he like runs in front of a truck and almost gets hit by it. And he ran in front of a truck and almost got, hit by it. And so it's fantastic, this sort of commitment that these guys make. And it was one of my favorite films that I've made. And it was it was amazing to make it." On talking about his other projects, he shared, "I made a movie called 'The Illusionist' (2006) a number of years ago with Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, and Jessica Biel and I and I'm actually turning it into a TV series, expanded it into a TV series. So I'm actually writing. And now I'm sort of working on the next episodes, which have been really fun..." Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
Mint
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Limitless director Neil Burger expresses admiration for SRK, Indian cinema, shares shooting experience in Delhi for Inheritance
New Delhi [India], May 24 (ANI): Filmmaker Neil Burger, who is known for his projects like 'The Illusionist', and 'Limitless', expressed his admiration for Indian cinema, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and shared his shooting experience in the national capital for his film 'Inheritance'. In a conversation with ANI, he said, "I love Delhi. I like Mumbai as well. I really like everywhere. I'm fascinated with India and there's so much to explore. But, you know, we chose to shoot in Delhi to set the story or part of the story in Delhi." He added on what he liked about the country, saying, "What was exciting about it... there's sort of this sense of mystery and wonder in India, certainly for a Western person are people who are incredibly friendly and incredibly generous. And there was an excitement on the street and that's what we were looking for in the movie to get this kind of energy of life as lived. And, I think we were very successful with that." 'Inheritance' is an American espionage thriller film directed by Neil Burger from a screenplay he co-wrote with Olen Steinhauer, starring Phoebe Dynevor and Rhys Ifans. While expressing his admiration for Indian food, its culture and people, the ace director added, "Our experience was incredible. Actually, it was I mean, I love Indian food. So that was amazing. I don't think I'm enough of an aficionado to know the difference between, Delhi food and, some other cities food. We had a great crew and fantastic actors. Then just the setting is so cinematic, so visual and and so dynamic. So our experience was phenomenal." 'The Illusionist' director opened on the family bond with the country and why India is so special for him and his wife, Diana Kellogg, "My wife is an architect and designed a very beautiful girls' school in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. And so she's been working on that for 10 years and coming to India over and over. And India has been and its people have been so welcoming to her and so generous with her. And I think that she is just has a love affair. So we feel like we have this special relationship with India. I love Indian food like naan and roti. And so it was important to me to set this particular sequence in India because of it." He added that he is fond of Indian cinema and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, "I do." follow Indian cinema, and actors like "Shah Rukh Khan". "I've seen lots of (Indian) movies and I'm fascinated with them," he shared. He spoke about his film, 'Inheritance' and how he conceived the idea behind it. Burger came up with the idea for the film during the Covid-19 pandemic, and it has an international scope despite being shot completely on an iPhone. "It really came out of Covid originally, I wanted to see, like how the world was being affected by Covid and what the new normal was, I didn't want to make a documentary. I'm a narrative filmmaker. So I wanted to create a story that kind of took us to these different cultures just to see how people were reacting. Now, films take a long time to get we created this story that went around the world from New York to Cairo to New Delhi to Seoul and then back to New York." The filmmaker, who shot the thriller with an iPhone, shared, "When you travel around with a film crew, lots of trucks and lots of equipment and lots of people you disrupt the normal kind of routine of life. And so people end up looking at you. Whereas I wanted to, from this original idea, see the world, look at the world. I came up with this idea that I would shoot it on an iPhone , not as a gimmick, not merely as a substitute for a motion picture camera, but because we could walk through a crowded Delhi market and nobody would look at us because no no lights, no boom mics, just like somebody walking seemingly next to their friend. For all anybody knew they were shooting some social media, something rather. And it was a very effective way to do it. A very small crew kept the crew away. We were very quick with what we were doing. So it was a unique way to shoot it and it has a unique energy because of that." He recalled working with Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper in science-fiction thriller film, 'Limitless', saying, "Working with De Niro, who has always been a hero of mine, it became very, suddenly you're in the room and he's right here and you're giving him direction. And all you're thinking about his incredible roles. The amazing thing about Robert De that he wants to collaborate. He's not in a place where he's like, well, I just know what I'm doing and I know what what's the right thing. He actually wants to, work with the director and build a character together. And then with Bradley Cooper, we were doing there's a crazy stunt where he like runs in front of a truck and almost gets hit by it. And he ran in front of a truck and almost got, hit by it. And so it's fantastic, this sort of commitment that these guys make. And it was one of my favorite films that I've made. And it was it was amazing to make it." On talking about his other projects, he shared, "I made a movie called 'The Illusionist' (2006) a number of years ago with Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, and Jessica Biel and I and I'm actually turning it into a TV series, expanded it into a TV series. So I'm actually writing. And now I'm sort of working on the next episodes, which have been really fun..." 'Inheritance' premiered on Lionsgate Play. (ANI)
India Gazette
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India Gazette
'Limitless' director Neil Burger expresses admiration for SRK, Indian cinema, shares shooting experience in Delhi for 'Inheritance'
New Delhi [India], May 24 (ANI): Filmmaker Neil Burger, who is known for his projects like 'The Illusionist', and 'Limitless', expressed his admiration for Indian cinema, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and shared his shooting experience in the national capital for his film 'Inheritance'. In a conversation with ANI, he said, 'I love Delhi. I like Mumbai as well. I really like everywhere. I'm fascinated with India and there's so much to explore. But, you know, we chose to shoot in Delhi to set the story or part of the story in Delhi.' He added on what he liked about the country, saying, 'What was exciting about it... there's sort of this sense of mystery and wonder in India, certainly for a Western person are people who are incredibly friendly and incredibly generous. And there was an excitement on the street and that's what we were looking for in the movie to get this kind of energy of life as lived. And, I think we were very successful with that.' 'Inheritance' is an American espionage thriller film directed by Neil Burger from a screenplay he co-wrote with Olen Steinhauer, starring Phoebe Dynevor and Rhys Ifans. While expressing his admiration for Indian food, its culture and people, the ace director added, 'Our experience was incredible. Actually, it was I mean, I love Indian food. So that was amazing. I don't think I'm enough of an aficionado to know the difference between, Delhi food and, some other cities food. We had a great crew and fantastic actors. Then just the setting is so cinematic, so visual and and so dynamic. So our experience was phenomenal.' 'The Illusionist' director opened on the family bond with the country and why India is so special for him and his wife, Diana Kellogg, 'My wife is an architect and designed a very beautiful girls' school in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. And so she's been working on that for 10 years and coming to India over and over. And India has been and its people have been so welcoming to her and so generous with her. And I think that she is just has a love affair. So we feel like we have this special relationship with India. I love Indian food like naan and roti. And so it was important to me to set this particular sequence in India because of it.' He added that he is fond of Indian cinema and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, 'I do.' follow Indian cinema, and actors like 'Shah Rukh Khan'. 'I've seen lots of (Indian) movies and I'm fascinated with them,' he shared. He spoke about his film, 'Inheritance' and how he conceived the idea behind it. Burger came up with the idea for the film during the Covid-19 pandemic, and it has an international scope despite being shot completely on an iPhone. 'It really came out of Covid originally, I wanted to see, like how the world was being affected by Covid and what the new normal was, I didn't want to make a documentary. I'm a narrative filmmaker. So I wanted to create a story that kind of took us to these different cultures just to see how people were reacting. Now, films take a long time to get we created this story that went around the world from New York to Cairo to New Delhi to Seoul and then back to New York.' The filmmaker, who shot the thriller with an iPhone, shared, 'When you travel around with a film crew, lots of trucks and lots of equipment and lots of people you disrupt the normal kind of routine of life. And so people end up looking at you. Whereas I wanted to, from this original idea, see the world, look at the world. I came up with this idea that I would shoot it on an iPhone , not as a gimmick, not merely as a substitute for a motion picture camera, but because we could walk through a crowded Delhi market and nobody would look at us because no no lights, no boom mics, just like somebody walking seemingly next to their friend. For all anybody knew they were shooting some social media, something rather. And it was a very effective way to do it. A very small crew kept the crew away. We were very quick with what we were doing. So it was a unique way to shoot it and it has a unique energy because of that.' He recalled working with Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper in science-fiction thriller film, 'Limitless', saying, 'Working with De Niro, who has always been a hero of mine, it became very, suddenly you're in the room and he's right here and you're giving him direction. And all you're thinking about his incredible roles. The amazing thing about Robert De that he wants to collaborate. He's not in a place where he's like, well, I just know what I'm doing and I know what what's the right thing. He actually wants to, work with the director and build a character together. And then with Bradley Cooper, we were doing there's a crazy stunt where he like runs in front of a truck and almost gets hit by it. And he ran in front of a truck and almost got, hit by it. And so it's fantastic, this sort of commitment that these guys make. And it was one of my favorite films that I've made. And it was it was amazing to make it.' On talking about his other projects, he shared, 'I made a movie called 'The Illusionist' (2006) a number of years ago with Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, and Jessica Biel and I and I'm actually turning it into a TV series, expanded it into a TV series. So I'm actually writing. And now I'm sort of working on the next episodes, which have been really fun...' 'Inheritance' premiered on Lionsgate Play. (ANI)
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Neil Burger on how Phoebe Dynevor's 'Inheritance' breaks away from Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone's female-led spy roles
With Inheritance, director Neil Burger crafts a tense, globe-spanning espionage thriller rooted in something more intimate than most spy sagas: identity, family, and unresolved legacy. While the film traverses New York, Cairo, Seoul and Delhi, at its core is a daughter trying to make sense of her father's secrets—and her own place in the world. In this exclusive conversation with ETimes, Burger reflects on his experience shooting in India, the power of female-led thrillers, and why filming with an iPhone was the perfect choice for a story about hidden truths. Q: What was your experience shooting this globe-trotting adventure that takes you through the crowded streets of Delhi? Neil Burger: It was amazing shooting in Delhi. We shot all over the world—New York, Cairo, New Delhi, Seoul, and back to New York. I'm in love with India, and my family has a history there, so it was very important for me to make one of the stops on this round-the-world thriller in India. And it didn't disappoint. The crews were great. The actors were great. The locations were amazing. Q: Compared to other locations, what made shooting in India so necessary for the story? Burger: The movie is about a young woman unravelling her father's professional, personal and political secrets. In Egypt, we're literally excavating history with the pyramids. In Delhi, it's about humanity—rubbing shoulders with so many people. Delhi made perfect sense for this part of her journey. There's this raw, vibrant energy. And then Seoul had its own vibe. Q: The Indian locations looked intense—what was it like filming in those tight bylanes? Burger: We shot the movie on an iPhone, not as a gimmick, but to gain access. We could walk through a crowded Delhi market, and nobody would look at us because everyone has a phone in their hand filming something. We didn't want the disruption of a full film crew. A very small crew let us move through locations unnoticed. We wanted to see the world—not have the world see us. Q: No one recognised Phoebe Dynevor during those shoots? She has quite the Bridgerton fan following here. Burger: Every once in a while someone did. But generally, no. We were very quick. We'd sweep in, shoot, and be gone. A little bit in the true spirit of the spy theme—we called it a 'stolen aesthetic.' Q: Spy thrillers are a popular genre globally. What makes Inheritance different? Burger: In Inheritance, the espionage isn't institutional, like John le Carré's stories. It's personal. It's a daughter questioning whether her father was good or bad—and what that says about her. Is she a black sheep? Where does she fit in? That personal angle is what sets this apart. Q: What's your take on the rise of female-led spy thrillers? Burger: All genres are shifting more towards women's stories. This one is about a woman catapulted into an international conspiracy, but it's still very personal. That's exciting. Q: Spy stories often come with an expectation of sex appeal, especially for female leads. In India, we've seen a wave of female-led spy thrillers too with actors like Alia Bhatt (Alpha), Deepika Padukone (Pathaan), and Priyanka Chopra (Citadel). However, Phoebe's character isn't sexualised, was that deliberate? Burger: Yes. Someone told me they never looked at Phoebe as an object—and that's exactly what we aimed for. Phoebe, even though she's very beautiful, they were never looking at her like as an object. We never objectified her. We really wanted to be in her point of view the whole time. I think that our filming technique kind of did that. It wasn't sort of a documentary, docudrama, but we very much wanted to be in her shoes, in her mindset, in her eye, in her point of view. So we really never objectified her and she doesn't use that. She just uses her wits. She's a sexual creature, but she's not using it in any kind of way. Q: You cast local Indian actors instead of known faces—why? Burger: We wanted it to feel real. She walks into real situations with real people. We weren't making a documentary, but we did want that immediacy. The actors helped us ground the film in authenticity. Q: If you had to send a celebrity on a spy mission today—Blake, Justin, or Diddy—who would it be? Burger: I think they'd be the targets, not the spies! Spies blend in. Those guys wouldn't get away with anything—they need attention. Q: What's next for you? Are you really working on Bride of Frankenstein? Burger: That's an old rumour, no. But I've just been working on another spy series called The Agency, with Michael Fassbender , Jeffrey Wright, and Richard Gere. It's based on the French show Le Bureau and has just aired in the U.S. Q: What's the difference between working with younger actors like Phoebe or Shailene Woodley, and seasoned stars like Fassbender or De Niro? Burger: The experienced ones show up and deliver. But the best still want direction—they want to collaborate. The younger ones, like Shailene, are eager and open. They'll keep doing take after take until you're happy. Sometimes I prefer that openness—they're less set in their ways. Streaming on Lionsgate Play from May 23, Inheritance stars Phoebe Dynevor, Rhys Ifans , Ciara Baxendale and Kashyap Shangari. Shot across four countries on an iPhone, the film offers a fresh, immersive take on the espionage genre—where the biggest secrets aren't global conspiracies, but the ones hidden in your own family. Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
