The other side of Mumbai

Sooni Taraporevala will direct a film on the city which had shocked her with its communal face

Mumbai is her homeground — she grew up here. But for Sooni Taraporevala, today it’s a far cry from the cosmopolitan city she had first fallen in love with. A close associate of Mira Nair, this ace screenplay writer’s first foray was ‘Salaam Bombay’. “I met Mira at the Harvard University,” recalls Sooni.”We hit off instantly. That was when I first came in contact with film making and script writing.”

She’s currently writing the screenplay for Mira’s next, based on an adaptation of ‘Impressionist’. With over 20 years of experience in screeenplay writing, Sooni, is now gearing up to make a foray into direction with a film called ‘Little Zizou’.

“It’s my debut at 50,” she laughs. “When I wrote the script for this film, I felt only I could do justice to its direction. I don’t think I am going to direct movies in the future.”

The film is based on and in Mumbai. “It is about the madness of Mumbai as seen from the eyes of a little child. It’s a glimpse of people who are in pursuit of their dreams, their faith and their hopes,” she says. Interestingly, she’s done absolutely no research for the film. “The city is my home ground. I was born here and I’ve seen it go several changes. It’s a cosmopolitan city, but after the riots and the bomb blasts, I was shocked to see a communal face that wasn’t there until few years back.”

Having decided on 34 locations in the city, Sooni aims to give the movie a rare cinematic touch. “Since I am also a photographer, I want the film to be portrait of the city that is a world in itself.”

h_vikas@dnaindia.net