Advertisement

Movies & TV News & Features

Forget the fatwa, get on with the work

You’d think that Deepa Mehta and Salman Rushdie would spend a lot of time talking about what it’s like to be politically hounded. Rushdie eluded a fatwa levelled by the Iranian Ayatollah for years and Mehta was reviled by Indian authorities for her politically charged trilogy that cuolminated in the Oscar-nominated Water. It got so bad that Mehta wouldn’t even reveal where in Sri Lanka she was shooting her current TIFF entry.

But the two collaborators on Midnight’s Children – Mehta directs the screenplay Rushdie wrote based on his novel – didn’t talk at all about that experience while they planned and made the film.

“It was all in the background,” Rushdie says during an interview at TIFF. “That shit’s over. We were way more interested in the work.”

During the interview, Rushdie talked about his love of cinema and his challenge writing the script, but he lit up when asked about what it was like to work with Mehta. Though both artists have strong views, the collaboration came easily. He wasn’t on set much but the communicated via Scype daily.

“Yes we have opinions,” Rushdie allows. “Deepa’s very direct. But that’s very useful because you can save time and avoid all the bullshit.”

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted