Quick Take
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After completing an "exhausting shoot" of her much anticipated movie The Reluctant Fundamentalist, filmmaker Mira Nair has started working on her next project, a musical adaptation of her movie Monsoon Wedding.
The Indian born director is adapting the 2001 superhit movie into a stage play and she is working with director-composer Vishal Bhardwaj and scriptwriter Sabrina Dhawan for it.
"Monsoon Wedding adaptation is a big thing for me. The movie was loved by many. I am working with Vishal and it is my version just like it was in the movie. The stage is going to be spectacular. It will have 12 songs of which six have been recorded, four more we will record next month. By April we will start shooting," Nair told PTI.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist was screened at the 43rd International Film Festival of India and Nair says it always feels good to bring her movie home. "We have opened the movie at all the major festivals - Toronto, London, Venice - but I can't live without bringing it home. It was really important for me to come here and I am very happy and waiting for people to see the film," she added.
The film is based on the novel by Mohsin Hamid and stars Riz Ahmed, Kate Hudson, Liev Schreiber, Kiefer Sutherland, Om Puri and Shabana Azmi. It will hit theatres in India in April.
Nair says the movie is an effort to show the other side of the story post 9/11 which nobody knows. "What you read about Pakistan in the newspapers the drones, the be-headings, assassinations, may be that is true but the heart beat is never there. I was moved to make that story and then when I read Mohsin's book six months later, I craved to make that dialogue between America. I know these both worlds and we have never heard our side of the story but only America's."
The director claims the project to be her most difficult one till date and she says it is not an easy world to make a serious movie.
"I was exhausted; it took me five years to make the movie. It was shelved in between because an investor ran away. It is really a tough world to raise money for a serious thriller that is across so many continents. And there is so much censorship in the western world about this subject which is the point I wanted to make," she added.
Making a movie on such a sensitive topic was also a point of concern for Nair and so she held test screenings in and outside India to check audience's reaction.
"I was worried but I wanted to do it unflinchingly and this is why I didn't do it with a studio because they would be censoring me before I could think. I wanted to do it with complete creative freedom. We had a number of test screening to check the reaction of people. We were very careful about balance," she said.
A poster of Monsoon Wedding
Nair has worked closely with the book's author for the movie and she says it was a very involved adaptation. About her star cast she says it took her a year to find the appropriate people for her characters.
"The main challenge was finding Changez (played by Riz Ahmed), since he is in every frame and he is taking the movie across four major continents. I went to Pakistan, India, London, America and I must have auditioned 200 young people. "Finally I found Riz I knew he was the one and also he being from the same culture made it easier. Authenticity is very vital for me," she said.
About Kate Hudson, Nair says the actress kept pursuing her for the role because she wanted to break free from her blonde rom-com girl image. "Kate kept pursuing me. I am surprised no one has offered a different movie and everyone knows her as a sunny blonde goddess. She is an amazing actress and she wanted to shed that image so she was very keen on doing the film."
The Indian born director is adapting the 2001 superhitmovie into a stage play and she is working withdirector-composer Vishal Bhardwaj and scriptwriter SabrinaDhawan for it.
"Monsoon Wedding adaptation is a big thing for me. Themovie was loved by many. I am working with Vishal and it is myversion just like it was in the movie. The stage is going tobe spectacular. It will have 12 songs of which six have beenrecorded, four more we will record next month. By April wewill start shooting," Nair told PTI.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist was screened at the 43rdInternational Film Festival of India and Nair says it alwaysfeels good to bring her movie home."We have opened the movie at all the major festivals -Toronto, London, Venice - but I can't live without bringing ithome. It was really important for me to come here and I amvery happy and waiting for people to see the film," she added.
The film is based on the novel by Mohsin Hamid and starsRiz Ahmed, Kate Hudson, Liev Schreiber, Kiefer Sutherland, OmPuri and Shabana Azmi. It will hit theatres in India in April.
Nair says the movie is an effort to show the other sideof the story post 9/11 which nobody knows."What you read about Pakistan in the newspapers thedrones, the be-headings, assassinations, may be that is truebut the heart beat is never there. I was moved to make thatstory and then when I read Mohsin's book six months later, Icraved to make that dialogue between America. I know theseboth worlds and we have never heard our side of the story butonly America's."
The director claims the project to be her most difficultone till date and she says it is not an easy world to make aserious movie.
"I was exhausted; it took me five years to make themovie. It was shelved in between because an investor ran away.It is really a tough world to raise money for a seriousthriller that is across so many continents. And there is somuch censorship in the western world about this subject whichis the point I wanted to make," she added.
Making a movie on such a sensitive topic was also a pointof concern for Nair and so she held test screenings in andoutside India to check audience's reaction.
"I was worried but I wanted to do it unflinchingly andthis is why I didn't do it with a studio because they would becensoring me before I could think. I wanted to do it withcomplete creative freedom. We had a number of test screeningto check the reaction of people. We were very careful aboutbalance," she said.
A poster of Monsoon Wedding
Nair has worked closely with the book's author for themovie and she says it was a very involved adaptation.About her star cast she says it took her a year to findthe appropriate people for her characters.
"The main challenge was finding Changez (played by RizAhmed), since he is in every frame and he is taking the movieacross four major continents. I went to Pakistan, India,London, America and I must have auditioned 200 young people."Finally I found Riz I knew he was the one and also hebeing from the same culture made it easier. Authenticity isvery vital for me," she said.
About Kate Hudson, Nair says the actress kept pursuingher for the role because she wanted to break free from herblonde rom-com girl image."Kate kept pursuing me. I am surprised no one has offereda different movie and everyone knows her as a sunny blondegoddess. She is an amazing actress and she wanted to shed thatimage so she was very keen on doing the film."
