By Hindustan Times
Mumbai, June 5 -- Midnight's Children, author Salman Rushdie's controversial magnum opus, is ready in India and Pakistan. So, naturally, when Deepa Mehta decided to evolve the literary masterpiece for the silver screen, everyone expected her to shoot parts of the film in Pakistan.
When Mehta chose to shoot in Sri Lanka, and provides both India and Pakistan a miss, conjecture was rife that she was denied permission to shoot in Pakistan (forcing her to recreate Karachi in Sri Lanka). It was even rumoured that she backed out to bypass protests from fundamentalist factions.
Deepa rubbishes the rumours, saying, "It's absolutely untrue. I never desired to shoot the film in Pakistan, nor did it cross my mind to shoot in India." It seems, after the failed try to shoot a couple of segments of her 1998 Aamir Khan-Nandita Das-starrer Earth within the sub-continent, she didn't consider the choice this time.
In spite of news suggesting Mehta was "deeply frustrated" and "indignant" about religious fanaticism, she is totally unperturbed. "This (decision) had nothing to do with religious fundamentalists," she says. The selection of shooting location had more to do with historical accuracy than anything.
Midnight's Children spans the period 1947 to 1977, and the urban landscapes of both India and Pakistan have changed significantly since. "As a result, it might has been very difficult to seek out the proper locations (in either of the countries) for the film," says Mehta. The director is presently busy with postproduction work and plans for the global release of the film towards the tip of the year.
