| Level | Item |
| Ref No | GUA/9/4/1/4/5/1 |
| Title | Mira Nair |
| Date | 4 May 2002 |
| Extent | 1 audio cassette tape, 2 WAV files (675.3 MB and 275.8 MB) |
| Creator Name | British Film Institute (BFI), 1933- |
| Guardian News & Media Ltd, 1967- |
| Description | Audio recording of an interview with film-maker Mira Nair in front of a live audience as part of the Guardian sponsored National Film Theatre Guardian interview series.
The recording begins with Hillary Smith of the National Film Theatre introducing the event and a screening of Nairs recent film Hysterical Blindness. Host Bonnie Greer then introduces a selection of film clips and proceeds to put questions to Nair. The recording takes the form of a question and answer session with members of the audience from 03.45 on track 2.
A summary of key topics is included below.
Track 1:
00.00 Introductions and film clips
12:30 Themes to Mira Nairs work
13:01 Themes in India Cabaret; Mira Nairs film background; putting women in the centre of films
14:50 Researching India Cabaret
18:10 Attraction of the marginal figures e.g. in India Cabaret, Kama Sutra and Salaam Bombay; seeing through double standards
19:22 Hysterical Blindness; outside the dreamworld of New York.
21:20 Exile, loss and the longing for home in her films.
23:19 Inspiration for the film Salaam Bombay
25:30 Working with Dinaz Stafford; starting out in theatre, documentary and cinema verite to her first feature.
26:38 Salaam Bombay; working with street kids; research and the process of writing
28:15 Workshop for street kids; creating the Salaam Balaak trust and impacting government policy
31:33 Indian Cinema; the importance of Indian audience
32:56 Intention and difficulties behind her films
36:16 Being an Indian film-maker
38:25 Mississippi Masala; the child as witness
40:23 Journeys as a child; imagery and obsessions
41:57 Mississippi Masala and the an issue of black and brown
44:34 Working with Denzel Washington
48:02 White protagonists
49:08 Monsoon Wedding
51:17 Financing a film; the scam
53:04 Themes of brothers, sisters, loyalty and friends in Monsoon Wedding and other films
58:55 Working with Gena Rowlands
Track 2:
00:00 Film clips 04:00 Punjabi setting for Monsoon Wedding; a family film
07:02 Massacre of Muslims in Gujarat
09:40 Compilation feature on 9/11; true story about a woman whose oldest son does not come home from 9/11
12:20 Room for other genres of films beyond Bollywood
13:59 Satyajit Ray
15:27 Verbal and silent characters in Monsoon Wedding and changing Government policy in Salaam Bombay
16:30 Monsoon Wedding; a mediation on love
17:30 Silent films
18:32 Monsoon Wedding; dealing with sensitive issue of sexual abuse and reaction of Indian audience
22:08 Improvisation in Monsoon Wedding
Films mentioned in the course of the interview include: Kama Sutra; India Cabaret; Monsoon Wedding; Mississippi Masala and Hysterical Blindness. |
| Access Status | Open |
| Access Conditions | Access to recording via GNM Digital Repository |
| Format | Electronic record |
| Tape recording |