2011 has arrived with a bang! The industry is back to its bustling and busy self after the celebrations of Christmas and New Year. In particular the team of Deepa Mehta’s Midnight Children are up, up and away!
The shoot of the film has commenced and news came of this through the one, the only and the most reliable sources…Twitter! Siddharth was quick to share his excitement before heading off to slumberland that he today commences his role as one of the Midnight Children.
Apart from Siddharth, the film has cast members ranging from all industries and styles of cinema coming together to form one of the most impressive ensemble casts in recent times. Irfan Khan, Anupam Kher, Seema Biswas, Nandita Das, Shriya Saran and Soha Ali Khan are all said to be part of this prestigious project.
The cast and crew are under strict contractual obligations to remain absolutely silent about their roles and the film in general, a common trait in all film contracts these days. However they’ve all at some point shared their excitement of being part of the film in the media. Anupam Kher was the last to announce his participation in the film, once again through the reliable source that is Twitter!
Deepa Mehta is known to be a powerhouse on and off the set. Her films have taken the world of cinema by a storm every time and have never failed to garner a bit of unwanted attention as well. One recalls the tragic loss of sets in the making of Water and the struggle that was to make the film fighting protesters at every step. She eventually had to go ahead and film the movie at another location and under a pseudo name. One truly hopes the artistic expression and freedom of expression prevails and the team has a safe and smooth run in the making.
The director is offcourse combining forces with one of the most acclaimed and also most controversial writers of current times, Salman Rushdie, who is the writer of the story and who is to have a part in the film according to Deepa. Salman earlier won a Booker Prize for Midnight Children in 1981. The writer came under considerable scrutiny and even faced danger for his life after his novel Satanic Verses.
Midnight Children is the story of a those children born at the stroke of midnight on the night of India’s independence. The film like the novel will share the genre of magical realism which is something Rushdie is now well known for. It is a multi-character novel and only time will tell who will is playing whom.
Stay tuned to Bollyspice for all the latest on this exciting film in the horizon!
