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Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on being the first Pakistani Oscar winner
01 year ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Braving the overwhelming experience of documenting acid violence victims, Oscar-winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy talks about making a film that has made her an icon in Pakistan; never mind the voices of dissent
Anand Holla (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 4, 2012)
At its heart, Saving Face is a celebration of all the good in a cesspool of ugly. Resilient acid attack survivors, strong-willed parliamentarians passing the Acid Crime Prevention bill, perseverant organisations rebuilding victims’ lives and a noble doctor pulling off an inspiring Swades act; the 40-minute documentary short fetes the heroes as much as it chastises the villains of the Pakistani society.
This perhaps explains why Pakistani-Canadian Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, who recently won an Oscar for co-directing the film with American documentarian Daniel Junge, finds this anecdote as her most special memory while making the film. “While she is undergoing treatment from Pakistani-British surgeon Dr Muhammad Jawad, Rukhsana, one of the two protagonists, learns that she is pregnant. Just before her son’s birth, she says she would like to name him after Dr Jawad, instead of the child’s father, who is also her attacker. She stresses that she would like her son to grow up to be like her doctor, who is looking out for her well-being and is securing their future,” says the multi-award winning documentary filmmaker. Although Sharmeen has made 15 acclaimed films addressing issues ranging from young Taliban-trained suicide bombers to More >
Inception’s Yusuf speaks
02 years ago
by Fenil Seta
in Bollywood News
Dileep Rao trained to be a surgeon. But after theatre and starring in two of the biggest hits of Hollywood, acting is his only call, says the Indian-American actor
Aseem Chhabra (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 15, 2010)
When Dileep Rao read the script of Inception he understood most of the film. “We all got it to varying degrees,” says Rao, who plays Yusuf, the chemist in Christopher Nolan’s hugely popular cultural phenomenon of this summer.
“But when you make a movie you don’t need to know it all at the same time. It was really about what we were shooting at that moment and how it was informed by everything else.”
Inception was the second major film in less than a year for the Santa Monica-based Indian-American actor. He also played a slightly smaller role of Dr Max Patel in James Cameron’s mega-hit Avatar.
The back-to-back successes led New York magazine to refer to Rao as the Indian Will Smith. A trained stage actor, he has acted in one more film - Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell.
“I think Inception is original and doesn’t talk down to you,” Rao says, sipping his lemonade at a coffee shop in Manhattan.
The actor is currently in New York City rehearsing for an Off-Broadway play The Awesome Dance. “It is like a great meal with many flavors.
People see it again and again because they get it, but they are not entirely sure. Chris has the ability to unspool the narrative at a speed that confronts everybody.”
Son of immigrant Indian parents - an engineer More >