LORD OWEN’S LADY

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 'Lord Owen’s Lady' An original screenplay by Martin John Solloway From a story idea by Martin Pennell, assisted by Eamon Yates Synopsis It is a 120-minute action romance; a modern, but timeless love story between a young Welsh nobleman and a naively romantic Indian woman. Set against a background of international business and human scale tragedy and redemption, Owen and Mena stand together, despite the violent opposition of their families and the menacing presence of the Welsh criminal underworld. There is action and romantic comedy, as well as the piercing reality of life in a modern, multi-cultural society. Owen's development, from the womanising wastrel of the opening scenes to the compassionate and self-sacrificing lover who earns and loses Mena's heart, is shown in parallel with Mena's awakening to love in the real world, for good and ill. Thrown into situations of genuine peril, they have to overcome prejudice and the temptations of other potential lovers. The supporting players, including the beautiful, the mendacious and the compellingly disgusting, have desires and flaws of their own. Friends betray and rivals unite, in a game of lust and loyalty, respectability and revolt from family expectations. From the beauty of a falling flower to the brutality of a broken bottle, the story unfolds in the real world, as well as in Mena's fantasies. Strong female characters and a diverse cast of British, Indian, Chinese and East Europeans fulfil, exceed and overturn our expectations and challenge our perceptions. Owen and Mena are fatefully brought together by his enforced minimum wage work at a Cardiff homeless shelter, run by her aunt. From seeing Mena as “cute Asian totty”, Owen comes to genuinely love his sometimes infuriating, always forthright and often confused Indian lady. She, in turn, from finding him incorrigible, comes to see him as the hero/lover of her movie-related dreams. Just as it seems Owen and Mena have found love, events force them apart. It is only through a supreme effort and the trust and support of unlikely allies that they are reunited in time for the happy ending that everyone wishes, but can’t quite expect. Finally, in Cardiff, at Dyffryn House, there is a huge party, with Welsh and Indian music and performance. Mena’s mother and father are sitting with Owen’s father. Everyone is looking very happy, but one old woman (an aunt on Mena’s father’s side) is heard saying in Hindi, “I don’t know why they are making such a big thing about it. I mean he is only a lord. It isn’t as if he is a doctor like the man my daughter married.” The man she is talking to turns to the camera. It is Mena’s Indian movie actor hero. He says, “But I hear he has very good prospects.” The music rises and everyone dances. LORD OWEN’S LADY is a romantic comedy for people who like their love stories to have spice and action, as well as a believable modern heroine who makes her man want to redeem himself. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - IMDb link for the movie, 'Lord Owen's Lady' http://pro.imdb.com/title/tt1511535/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Copyright © 2010, Martin John Solloway. All rights reserved worldwide. Martin John Solloway is a full member of the Writers' Guild of Great Britain (member #007544) creative_thinker@mac.com