‘American dream is just a mirage’

Naseeruddin Shah

The 9/11 tragedy that struck the US five years ago had repercussions the world over. It has altered destinies, shattered lives and will affect future generations in more ways than one. My film, Yun Hota To Kya Hota, chronicles the lives of four individuals who want to migrate to what they consider is the land of opportunity.

These are people from different strata of society who believe that their lives will change for the better after they reach USA. The protagonists arrive at their destination after facing several difficulties, but 9/11 changes their lives forever. Through the film I am only trying to comment that the American dream is nothing but a mirage.

After the terror strikes on the World Trade Center, most of us were asking god and ourselves the meaning of something like this. There is a line from a John Lennon song that goes, “Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans.” Though we attach too much importance to our existence and dreams, we really have no control over our lives.

Another film based on the 9/11 incident that I had the opportunity of working in last year was a small budget American project called Great New Wonderful. It tells five stories of diverse people living in New York who share one thing in common — they are still coping with the aftermath of 9/11, one year after the attack. I play an immigrant security guard for a political figure who marvels over the city’s diversity, excitedly reporting the vast number of Chinese and Italian restaurants, while my colleague (played by actor Sharat Saxena) grumbles about the city’s decadence and rudeness.

Using the psychological impact of  9/11 as a basis for its characters’ need to stand still, reflect and then move on, the film shows what happens when the shock wears off. The message is that life, in tragedy and grief, always finds balance, even in death.

As told to Shabana Ansari