When Tina Turner Visited India To Prepare For Her Role As Goddess

Turner began her career in the 1950s during the early years of rock 'n' roll and evolved into an MTV phenomenon

Updated on: 25 May 2023 5:08 am

Tina Turner

American singer Tina Turner died on Wednesday at the age of 83. The ‘Queen of Rock and Roll’ died after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland, her representative said. Her long career included eight Grammys. Her acting career also included visiting India to prepare for her role as Goddess Kali in a Merchant-Ivory film in 2004.

According to multiple reports, Tina visited temples in India for inspiration for the role. “But the more I saw here, the more I realized that there was something I could relate to. Take away all the cars and the bikes, take it all away and you are very close to a time in my own life," she was quoted as saying according to reports in Juggernaut. The film was called The Goddess.

About the movie she had told Eastern Eye, “I was told about a year ago that Merchant Ivory were doing a film which had something to do with legends and goddesses, I said, yes, yes." “Everyone expects Tina Turner to come back with a new album, but I will give them this movie.”

The film, which was to also star Matthew Modine, dealt with the supernatural. It is about a goddess, Shakti, who has the power to manipulate the past, present and future. The film, set in ancient India, depicts the relationship of three Indians and a painter, played by Modine, with Goddess Shakti. To prepare for her role, Turner had taken a tour of India, visiting Varanasi, taking a trip across river Ganga, going to temples in South India and meeting actors, dancers and singers in the film industry, as per a 2010 HT report.

Turner began her career in the 1950s during the early years of rock 'n' roll and evolved into an MTV phenomenon. In 1980s she landed a dozen songs in the Top 40, including "Typical Male," "The Best," "Private Dancer" and "Better Be Good to Me." Her 1988 show in Rio de Janeiro drew 180,000 people, which remains one of the largest concert audiences for any single performer.

She played the ruthless leader of an outpost in a nuclear wasteland, acting opposite Mel Gibson in the third instalment in the Mad Max franchise, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.