Tarsem Singh
Encyclopedia
Tarsem Dhandwar Singh known professionally as Tarsem, is an Indian
director who has worked on films, music videos, and commercials.
-American
and was born in Jalandhar
, India. His father was an aircraft engineer. He attended the Bishop Cotton School, Simla
, Hans Raj College
, Delhi
, and is a graduate of the Art Center College of Design
in Pasadena
, California.
Tarsem began his career directing music videos, including those of "Hold On
" by En Vogue
, "Sweet Lullaby
" by Deep Forest
and R.E.M.
's smash hit "Losing My Religion
," the latter of which won Best Video of the Year at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards
. He has directed dozens of commercials for brands such as Nike and Coca-Cola
. Tarsem's feature film directorial debut was The Cell
(2000), starring Jennifer Lopez
. His second film, The Fall
, debuted at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival
and was released theatrically in the United States in 2008. His third film was 2011's Immortals. He is directing an adaptation of the Brothers Grimm
story of Snow White
called Mirror Mirror
.
commercials to date. It combines a gladiator theme with the hard rock
Queen
's "We Will Rock You
". The stars involved in this commercial include Enrique Iglesias
in the Europe/US version and Amr Diab
in the Middle East version. In Enrique's version, he plays the role of an emperor hoarding Pepsi, Britney Spears
, Alecia Beth Moore (Pink) and Beyonce Knowles
, all playing similar roles of gladiatrices about to engage in combat for the emperor's and crowd's enjoyment. Ultimately the gladiatrices turn against the emperor and throw him from his seat. On the other hand, Amr Diab's version show the gladiatrices being attacked by a lion after the emperor realized their intentions. Tarsem was commended within the "Making of the Pepsi Commercial" video on several occasions by Beyonce Knowles, Enrique Iglesias, Amr Diab and Pink.
Indian people
Indian people or Indisians constitute the Asian nation and pan-ethnic group native to India, which forms the south of Asia, containing 17.31% of the world's population. The Indian nationality is in essence made up of regional nationalities, reflecting the rich and complex history of India...
director who has worked on films, music videos, and commercials.
Life and career
Tarsem is a SikhSikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and was born in Jalandhar
Jalandhar
Jalandhar is a city in Jalandhar District in the state of Punjab, India. It is located 144 km northwest of the state capital, Chandigarh...
, India. His father was an aircraft engineer. He attended the Bishop Cotton School, Simla
Shimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
, Hans Raj College
Hans Raj College
Hans Raj College is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Delhi. This co- educational Institute offers education in all the three streams- arts, science and commerce, and is located on the Mahatma Hans Raj College Road, Kamla Nagar, in the Delhi University’s North campus, and...
, Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, and is a graduate of the Art Center College of Design
Art Center College of Design
Art Center College of Design is a private college located in Pasadena, California, and was cited by BusinessWeek as one of the 60 best design schools in the world. The college’s industrial design program is consistently ranked number one by both DesignIntelligence and U.S...
in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, California.
Tarsem began his career directing music videos, including those of "Hold On
Hold On (En Vogue song)
"Hold On" was the debut single from En Vogue's debut album, Born to Sing. It reached number one on the Hot Black Singles chart. The single became one of 1990s' biggest hits in the US and also a major hit in the UK . It also reached #1 on the U.S. Dance chart...
" by En Vogue
En Vogue
En Vogue is an American female R&B vocal group from Oakland, California assembled by music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy.The group has won more MTV Video Music Awards than any other female group in MTV history, a total of seven, along with four Soul Train Awards, six American Music...
, "Sweet Lullaby
Sweet Lullaby
"Sweet Lullaby" is a world music/ethnic electronica song by Deep Forest which originally appeared on their eponymous album. The song gained popularity in 1992 and 1993 where it was released as a single, becoming a top 30 hit in many European and Oceanian countries...
" by Deep Forest
Deep Forest
Deep Forest is a musical group consisting of two French musicians, Michel Sanchez and Eric Mouquet. They compose a style of world music, sometimes called ethnic electronica, mixing ethnic with electronic sounds and dance beats or chillout beats...
and R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
's smash hit "Losing My Religion
Losing My Religion
"Losing My Religion" is a song by the American alternative rock band R.E.M. The song was released as the first single from the group's 1991 album Out of Time. Based around a mandolin riff, "Losing My Religion" was an unlikely hit for the group, garnering heavy airplay on radio as well as on MTV due...
," the latter of which won Best Video of the Year at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
. He has directed dozens of commercials for brands such as Nike and Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
. Tarsem's feature film directorial debut was The Cell
The Cell
The Cell is a 2000 science fiction psychological thriller film directed by Tarsem Singh, and starring Jennifer Lopez in the lead role.-Plot:...
(2000), starring Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
. His second film, The Fall
The Fall (2006 film)
The Fall is a 2006 adventure fantasy film directed by Tarsem Singh, starring Lee Pace, Catinca Untaru, and Justine Waddell. It is based on the screenplay of the 1981 Bulgarian film Yo Ho Ho by Valeri Petrov. The film earned $3.2 million worldwide. The film was released to theaters in 2008...
, debuted at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival
2006 Toronto International Film Festival
The 2006 Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 7 to September 16, 2006. Opening the festival was Zacharias Kunuk and Norman Cohn's The Journals of Knud Rasmussen, a film that "explores the history of the Inuit people through the eyes of a father and daughter."In a press release...
and was released theatrically in the United States in 2008. His third film was 2011's Immortals. He is directing an adaptation of the Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
story of Snow White
Snow White
"Snow White" is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm...
called Mirror Mirror
Mirror Mirror (film)
Mirror Mirror is an upcoming comedy fantasy film based on ‘’Snow White’’ by the Brothers Grimm. It is directed by Tarsem Singh and stars Lily Collins, Julia Roberts, Armie Hammer, and Sean Bean. The film, which had previously been known as Untitled Snow White Project, was officially titled Mirror...
.
Pepsi commercial: "We Will Rock You"
This 2005 commercial, directed by Tarsem, is one of the more elaborate PepsiPepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
commercials to date. It combines a gladiator theme with the hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
's "We Will Rock You
We Will Rock You
"We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded and performed by Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. Rolling Stone ranked it #330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and the RIAA placed it at #146 on its list of Songs of the Century...
". The stars involved in this commercial include Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias is a Spanish pop music singer, a son of singer Julio Iglesias.Enrique started his musical career on Mexican label Fonovisa...
in the Europe/US version and Amr Diab
Amr Diab
Amr Abdol-Basset Abdol-Azeez Diab is an Egyptian singer and composer of geel music; the contemporary face of Egyptian el-geel pop music, according to World Music. Diab is the best-selling Arab recording artist of all time, according to Let's Go Egypt...
in the Middle East version. In Enrique's version, he plays the role of an emperor hoarding Pepsi, Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
, Alecia Beth Moore (Pink) and Beyonce Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
, all playing similar roles of gladiatrices about to engage in combat for the emperor's and crowd's enjoyment. Ultimately the gladiatrices turn against the emperor and throw him from his seat. On the other hand, Amr Diab's version show the gladiatrices being attacked by a lion after the emperor realized their intentions. Tarsem was commended within the "Making of the Pepsi Commercial" video on several occasions by Beyonce Knowles, Enrique Iglesias, Amr Diab and Pink.
Filmography
- The CellThe CellThe Cell is a 2000 science fiction psychological thriller film directed by Tarsem Singh, and starring Jennifer Lopez in the lead role.-Plot:...
(2000) - The FallThe Fall (2006 film)The Fall is a 2006 adventure fantasy film directed by Tarsem Singh, starring Lee Pace, Catinca Untaru, and Justine Waddell. It is based on the screenplay of the 1981 Bulgarian film Yo Ho Ho by Valeri Petrov. The film earned $3.2 million worldwide. The film was released to theaters in 2008...
(2006) - Immortals (2011)
- Mirror MirrorMirror Mirror (film)Mirror Mirror is an upcoming comedy fantasy film based on ‘’Snow White’’ by the Brothers Grimm. It is directed by Tarsem Singh and stars Lily Collins, Julia Roberts, Armie Hammer, and Sean Bean. The film, which had previously been known as Untitled Snow White Project, was officially titled Mirror...
(2012)
Further reading
- Henry Keazor/Thorsten Wuebbena: Video thrills the Radio Star – Musikvideos: Geschichte, Themen, Analysen, Bielefeld 2005, p. 256 – 260.