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The Mira Nair Chat

sorry everybody, this is mira nair, I'm finally on, after a series of web problems! Anybo0dy want to ask me anything?

Pradhan.. My friend .. Sydney.. BarbeQs at Xmas Time??????

Welcome Mira Or rather I should say Salam

Mira, many Salaams. I am disappointed by your career. After the early success of Salaam Bombay, Mississipi Masala and the Perez Family have been tepid milestones on your resume. Kamasutra, friends say, is disappointing as well. What happened to the early promise?

Hi Mira, Happy New Year...tell me what is your opinion about the attitude people have towards sex in general, I mean is it different in India compared to the West or are the basic insecurities and attitudes the same the world over and why is that sex is supposed to be one of the biggest corruputing influence that a human being can have in his life? Why is the world still living out this Victorian notion?

Mira we already asked Pl. go bacwards and check????

Why dont I see any replies from Mira?

Colombo G Iyer (Thu Jan 2 13:40:07 1997 IST): Mira, Hi! What is this latest controversy about the Kamasutra? Did you expect it to be bounced out of the festival? What have these guys got against you?

I heard a lot about how the unit got very close to the street kids who featured in Salaam Bombay. But how was it working with raw talent?? And what happened after it was all over?? Where did Salaam Bombay leave them.. back to where they belonged???

HI there MIRA, just waiting to see your film. Of course Love and sex are always dicy topics to deal with.They are almost limitless. So what's your reaction to the way the film is being handled?

Why Kamasutra? What was the motive for filming the ancient classic? Was it because you felt you had to handle an ancient theme because Betrolucci beat you at Sidhartha?

Mira Nair, Hullo! I hear you are planning to make a film on contemporary Bombay. Why have you decided to return to contemporary India after straying westwards these last few years?

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Mira You didnot perfect the sex scene in ...Masala so why make Kamasutra?? Perhaps perfecting it now?????

MIRA, What was the purpose behind making this film. After all, the storyline of your film is extremly sketchy.

Mira: What appealed to you in the storyline of Mississippi Masala...as a follow up to a film like Salaam Bombay it was like an errant sucessor:-)

MIRA

Mira sweetie, you are not answing. and Reddif's Server is damn bloody slow and it is 12.30 in Vancouver I cant go on any longer. Good bye!!! *POOF*

MIRA why are your answers taking so long? Are youstill having web problems?

Hi Bongi here How r u Mira ...

Mira, r u there? or is the 'web' hell-bent on destroying a good chat?

HELLO? Is there anybody out there?

Mira Are you still around ... Or maybe thinking of another Plot...

MIRA ????

Mr. Khan of Redef On the Net where is Mira ???

MIRA , R U THERE ?

Hang on guys Mira is chating from Uganda and experiencing some Net diffculties, but she will be with us in a moment

C' mon anybody listening ...

THANKS !

Hi Mathana, Bongi, so have you seen Salaam Bombay? What do you think of it?

Who is this suparn anyway ??? MIRA'S PR ...

You know something guys, what I don't understand is why do artists have to exlanin their work to a bunch of bureucrats?

Mira, r u there? or is the 'web' hell-bent on destroying a good chat?

Who is this BONGI anyway?

I'M SORRY PREACHER I'M ASHAMED 2 SAY THIS BUT I NEVER WATCHED ANY OF HER MOVIES YET ...BUT NOW THAT I KNOW ABOUT HER I WILL MAKE SURE I WATCH THEM AND LOOK OUT 4 NEW ARRIVALS

Salaam was good I 'd rather say better than Mira's later films

MIRA, What was the purpose behind making this film. After all, the storyline of your film is extremly sketchy.

Shyam: I think someone mentioned a moment ago she is logging in from Uganda.........so Shyam what did you think of Mississippi Masala

I am Bengali BABA thats why !!!

Anybody has seen KamaSutra In India Yet ???

Mira Are you able to rectify your Problems ..

hey people - I'm back again - Hi Bongi! - I like your name - I do an amazing imitation of a Bengali Director waiting at the Supremem Court Censor Board hearings...wish I could talk on the web..

Mira, r u there? or is the 'web' hell-bent on destroying a good chat?

Abe salon kahan gaye ???

Urrrmmmm.... THIS IS MY FIRST HERE IN REDIFF. DO THEY ALWAYS HAVE A STAR ON LINE

BONGI BABA where are you from ? With all the problems the film is facing do honestly think it has been screened in India?

R U GUYS ALL FR. INDIA ??

Main apne shabd wapas leta hoon .

Folks, Mamdani is actually me, Mira Nair; I tried using a new "handle" since that seems to be the reason behind my web problems - should I be sounding serious now that I'm on? Suparn (by the way, he's the Rediff. Man on the Spot , I don't have no PR - talk to me.

MATHANA At least I am from India.

DUHHH.....BONGI COULD U PLS TRANSLATE ???

Preacher ( i feel wierd addressing u like that), I felt Salaam Bombay was a better movie, very real in its approach. But that doesn't make M.Masala a bad movie either. But the character of chai-pav in S.Bombay was too good.

OH... WHAT ABOUT THE REST LIKE SHYAM CHANDRAGUPTA,MAMDANI ??

Mira, many Salaams. What does Mamdhani mean? Is it Swahili or something? I am disappointed by your career. After the early success of Salaam Bombay, Mississipi Masala and the Perez Family have been tepid milestones on your resume. Kamasutra, friends say, is disappointing as well. What happened to the early promise?

Hi Mira...........or MAMDANI glad to have you back

Mira, Hi! What is this latest controversy about the Kamasutra? Did you expect it to be bounced out of the festival? What have these guys got against you?

Kama Sutra will be released all-India on April 14th - yes, the censored version, but I'm actually pretty okay with the Tribunal's cuts as opposed to the Censor Board's; it preserves the spirit of the film. And actually, I'm far happier with the Hindi version than with the original English version, which is the version that I hope will be seen more commonly throughout India. I'm presently preparing the censored version, so press screenings should begin around March in India. Mira Nair here.

Mamdhani: Why Kamasutra? What was the motive for filming the ancient classic? Was it because you felt you had to handle an ancient theme because Betrolucci beat you at Sidhartha?

Preacher ( i feel wierd addressing u like that), I felt Salaam Bombay was a better movie, very real in its approach. But that doesn't make M.Masala a bad movie either. But the character of chai-pav in S.Bombay was too good.

MIRA ???

Mamdhani, Hullo! I hear you are planning to make a film on contemporary Bombay. Why have you decided to return to contemporary India after straying westwards these last few years?

Right ! aCtually since I've asked my question more than three times could you please scrool down?

What the hell does Mamdhani mean?

Mira Nair is logged in as 'Mamdani'.

Mamdani, Do you think common man would be able to stand Kamasutra. That too in dark lit theatres

Are you going to be based Out of Africa? Or is a shift to India imminent? Talking of India, are you still in love with India?

Mira: One of the rumoured reasons for dropping the film from the festival is the voyeristic response it will evoke especially among male viewers. Are you aware that this is very much an Indian reality and to what extent women have to with it?

GIyer: The latest controversy about KS is that the film is about sexuality. Our Indian censors - our so-called morality police - are completely hypocritical about this aspect of living. While they allow twisted forms of sexuality cloaked in rape and maha-violence and a completely obscene view of woman, no sex please, we're Indian is the agenda. My film deals with this aspect in a time in India when sex was part of everyday life, not taboo, rather something to be studied and learnt about and practised. My film is however, not a glorification of that era, it is, rather, a tale of sexual politics, not sexual positions. It is a the journey of one woman, Maya, and her relationship with her friend/rival, Tara, and the 2 men in their lives. An emotional sexual chessgame, as it were, that reveals the many faces love. Sorry to sound a bit like a presskit, but there it is.

Mira (Mamdani...is it an Indian name?), tell us something about ur childhood/early days, coz they say, it makes a profound impact on a artists' personality.

MAMDHA...WHATEVER. Why is it that you have never worked with Nana Patekar again? What is your opinion of him as an actor?

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Preacher ( i feel wierd addressing u like that), I felt Salaam Bombay was a better movie, very real in its approach. But that doesn't make M.Masala a bad movie either. But the character of chai-pav in S.Bombay was too good.

Mira: Tell me why Mississipi Masala as a sucessor to Salaam Bombay? What could have interested you about the story of Mississipi Masala, it wasn't worthy of you

Mira. Late to the show - a big fan of yours. How did you get interested in Mississippi Masala?

MIra/Mamdhani: I feel you are a shallow film-maker. You lack the intellect of Adoor Gopalakrishnan, and the sensibility of Nihalani. Defend yourself!

What are the primary motivatations when you set out to make a film?

MIRA why don't you answer our questions? I guess there are too many waiting in line.

Folks, Mamdani is my husband's last name - it's originally from Kathiawad, although he's third-generation East African, the name has no swahili in it. Anyway, back to Anita's question; the thing is, when I make a film Anita, I don't sit around first thinking about the audience. It might paralyse me totally. I first start out with climbing the mountain that is film-making: the story, the idea, its treatment, whatever. Yes, now that it's done, I do wonder what an effect it might have in an ordinary movie theatre, but then I think, my film is honest, direct, about women at the centre, women unafraid to express themselves emotionally, sexually whatever - it could come as arevelation given how women are usually portrayed, and given the extremely twisted, pernicious visions of sexuality in our culture - from Sun TV to the porno they see in our movies and the crap that is imported into our country - the sexuality in my film certainly not gratuitous, is completely one with the dramatic narrative, but is unafraid, therefore not reeking with artifice or coquetry.