Deepa Mehta prepared like a fighter before Midnight's Children went into production and though working on the film has been "a difficult process" at times, the director is happy to finally present her dream project to Indian audiences.
"I am thrilled that the movie is releasing in India. This film is deeply personal to me. It is important that the audiences here see a book that they love come to life," Mehta told PTI in an interview.
Mehta, 62, is confident that the audiences will respond to "themes of family, love and identity" and also to "something that is obviously very much specific to the birth of India."
With author Salman Rushdie attached as the screenplay writer, the movie was screened to the international audiences at the Toronto international film festival and travelled to international film festival of Kerala recently. 'Midnight's Children' is being released in India this February by PVR.
Mehta says adapting Rushdie's most famous novel was an instinctual decision, something that overwhelmed her initially.
"It is a dream come true in many ways. When I first asked Salman for the rights to the film over dinner one night, it was very much an instinctual question that arose out of the moment. Making this film has been a very difficult process at times, but I put everything I could into it. It is a labour of love, work and joy," says Mehta.
Both Rushdie and the director have had their run-ins with fundamentalist elements and knowing the obstacles ahead, Mehta says she prepared herself in a matter-of-fact way.
"Before we went to shoot, I got myself into the best shape I could to shoot what I knew was going to be very physically demanding film. I got a trainer and went to the gym and even stopped smoking.
"Those decisions helped me get the mental clarity in order to tackle this the best way," says Mehta, who is lauded internationally for her elements trilogy 'Fire', 'Earth' and 'Water'.
Shooting the film was more like an undercover operation in Sri Lanka with Mehta opting for an alias in the title 'Winds of Change'.
"We shot it under the most ridiculous alias 'Winds of Change' to cover our bases and make sure we didn't run into trouble. Outside of being shut down for a few days due to some Iranian pressure on the Sri Lankan ambassador we didn't have any trouble. I kept it a closed set to make sure that there were no distractions," says Mehta.
Rushdie's book has been often described as unfilmable because of its mammoth scale and the fascinating unravelling of incidents in protagonist Saleem Sinai life's which are closely linked to all the major events of India.
However, these were the very elements that drew Mehta to the story. The director says she has tried her best to "capture the scale and the spirit" of the book.
"While not everything in the book could stay in the film and we focused more specifically on the Saleem's journey, the scope is still there. Capturing the spirit of the book was important.
"There is a playfulness and sense of magic that we tried to recreate with a little bit of imagination (and a few special effects). I tried to balance the historical and magic elements all the while focusing on the (anti) hero's arch."
Rushdie has been a friend of Mehta for many years and they had a great collaboration while working on the script.
"Before he wrote the script we asked each other what the other thought were the essential components of the book that should be in the script. Miraculously, we agreed on everything. We'd have creative discussions and bounce ideas around, but we didn't bicker. We both respected each other's identities and expertise."
After telling many stories from India, Mehta has opted for something completely different in her next project 'Masterpiece', which is currently shooting in south of France.
"My next film is not based on or related to India. It is a film called 'Masterpiece' based on the painter Matisse and his muse. However, there are several projects in the wing that have a more distinctly Indian component. I grew up here, so I will always be drawn back, either physically or through narratives choices in my films," she says.
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