EVENTS: Mira Nair and others address South Asian Women’s Leadership Forum

[That's filmmaker Mira Nair with SAWLF founder Simi Ahuja at the March 15 Congress 2008. PHOTO: Seshu Photography. Click to magnify.]

Filmmaker Mira Nair gave the keynote address at the South Asian Women's Leadership Forum's Congress 2008 on March 15. In a discussion covering a wide variety of topics, Nair talked about the inspiration for "The Namesake" and "Mississippi Masala," her life in Uganda, and how she kept her creative vision in Hollywood today.

Asked by an aspiring filmmaker about how she stayed true to herself throughout her career, Nair said “The key for me is to never let anyone own my idea until it's fully fledged.”

She continued, “That is not an easy thing in the film business because when people give you millions they expect to own it.”

“My big joke in the community is that I am very open and collaborative as long as I have the last word.”

Nair was drawn to Jhumpa Lahiri's novel "The Namesake" after her mother-in-law died unexpectedly, due to medical malpractice.

"For me, "The Namesake" just gave me the leap-off point on what that story could be.  Where people meet as strangers and fall in love later.

"I wouldn't have made that film if I had not had that experience--the finality of loss," she said.

The Maisha Film Lab, a nonprofit that gives fellowships and training to South Asian and East African screenwriters and filmmakers, is one is of Nair's latest passions. "The premise of Maisha was 'if we don't tell our story, no one else will,'" said Nair. Six students trained by Maisha will show their work at the TriBeCa Film Festival in May.

Nair is currently working on a biopic of Amelia Earhart starring Hilary Swank, and also assured the Johnny Depp fans in the audience that though the film version of "Shantaram" has been delayed a year, it will still be made.

The conference, the largest single gathering of South Asian women professionals in the U.S., also featured lineup of panel discussions and speakers on a wide variety of topics affecting South Asians.  As part of a discussion on wellness and mental health, actress Madhur Jaffrey and director Rehana Mirza discussed their film "Hiding Divya," the story of a family trying to conceal the mental illness of their matriarch.  It's scheduled for release later this year.  Mirza, the 29-year-old director who co-wrote the script with her sister, said she has already noticed more discussion of mental illness within the desi community after screening the film.

“People I have known for the past decade have been coming up to me and saying ‘we have an aunt in the family that nobody talks about,” said Mirza.

When asked what she would like the audience to take away from her film, Mirza said “Everybody needs help.  And help is available.  And that is what is said in the film.”

A Q&A followed with Bravo television personality and cookbook author Padma Lakshmi.  In addition to hosting the reality show Top Chef, Lakshmi has also written several cookbooks, the latest of which is "Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet: A World of Recipes for Everyday."

Lakshmi described herself as much more comfortable in front of a camera than as a writer.  “I don’t like writing but I like having written,” she said. “I like pointing to the shelf and saying ‘I did that.’”

Additional links:

• Mira Nair's official website 
   
• Hiding Divya's official website
   
• Madhur Jaffrey's IMDB page
   
• Padma Lakshmi's official site
  
  
• The South Asian Women's Leadership Forum site
  [PR contact: Angela Chitkara: Angela Chitkara, akchitkara[at]gmail]