Midnight’s Children Due in March
View(s):By Susitha R. Fernando
One of the controversial cinematic creations by Oscar-nominated director Deepa Mehta, an adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s 1981 novel of the same name which was shot entirely in Sri Lanka is to be released here in March this year.
The Canadian-American movie, written and directed by Deepa Mehta has already won rave reviews being nominated for the Best Picture, and seven other categories, at the 2013 Canadian Screen Awards. The film was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Vancouver International Film Festival, and the BFI London Film Festival.
An ensemble cast of Satya Bhabha, Shriya Saran, Siddharth Narayan, Anupam Kher, Shabana Azmi, Seema Biswas, Shahana Goswami, Samrat Chakrabarti, Rahul Bose, Soha Ali Khan, Anita Majumdar and Darsheel Safary features in the film together with a large number of Sri Lankan extras.
Feared by both Islamic and Hindu fundamentalists if shot in Pakistan or Mumbai, the shooting was shifted to Sri Lanka in February 2011. Yet the shooting had to be briefly interrupted as Iran complained to Sri Lanka against the film. Mehta had to seek the intervention of the head of the state to let her film complete here in Sri Lanka. With the working title ‘Winds of Change’ the ‘secret’ filming continued for a total of 69 days from February to May 2011.
Made based on the Booker Prize winning novel the film revolves around the separation of India and Pakistan. At the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, as India proclaims independence from Great Britain, two newborn babies are switched by a nurse in a Bombay hospital. Saleem Sinai, the illegitimate son of a poor woman, and Shiva, the offspring of a wealthy couple, are fated to live the destiny meant for each other. Their lives become mysteriously intertwined and are inextricably linked to India’s whirlwind journey of triumphs and disasters.
From the unlikely romance of Saleem’s grandparents to the birth of his own son, Midnight’s Children is a journey at once sweeping in scope and yet intimate in tone. Hopeful, comic and magical – the film conjures images and characters as rich and unforgettable as India herself.
Follow @timesonlinelk
comments powered by Disqus