Bombay is the only city in India which is cosmopolitan: Sooni Taraporevala

She spoke HT about adapting the novel, the role cities -- particularly Mumbai -- play in her writing

Introduction to Sooni Taraporevala

MUMBAI: Sooni Taraporevala refers to Mumbai as Bombay. The nomenclature was altered three decades ago but the insistence by the multi-hyphenate artiste — filmmaker, screenwriter and photographer — is less of a nostalgic yearning. It is her way of alluding to a space she is infinitely familiar with and reckoning with the possibilities that eroded with time.

Her Career and Mumbai as a Muse

In Taraporevala’s rich career, spanning close to 40 years and comprising writing screenplays adapted from novels, Mumbai has been the beating heart. It hasn’t, however, recurred as a muse, immune to censure. But as something more vital that has shapeshifted with time and the writer’s gaze has evolved with it. In Mira Nair’s ‘Salaam Bombay!’ (1988), she dug out the specks of hope that lie underneath the grime of the city; in ‘Little Zizou’ (2009), her directorial debut, the charm of Mumbai took the centre stage and her other directorial work, Yeh Ballet (2020) was anchored to the city’s cosmopolitanism that keeps bringing people to it.

Adaptation of 'Last Man in Tower'

All this comes full circle with ‘Last Man in Tower’ (2011), the Aravind Adiga novel that she adapted for the screen. Directed by Ben Rekhi, the film is an intrinsic Mumbai story where an old housing society is threatened with redevelopment and while all the other residents give in, a lone man resists. The remarkable bit about Taraporevala’s writing is how an underdog story translates as a morally ambivalent tale – no one is right or wrong.

She spoke HT about adapting the novel, the role cities -- particularly Mumbai -- play in her writing and the many ways her vocation as a photographer has shaped her recognition of spaces in writing. Excerpts.

How did the collaboration take place between Arvind Adiga, Ben Rekhi and you?

I only collaborated with Ben Rekhi, and not Arvind Adiga. I have adapted three major books (Rohinton Mistry’s ‘Such A Long Journey’, Jhumpa Lahiri’s ‘The Namesake’ and Aravind Adiga’s ‘Last Man in Tower’) and in all three cases, there has been no involvement with the authors. They understand that screenplays are a different kettle of fish from the novel and once they give permission, you have the freedom to adapt it. I was always open to getting their suggestions and bringing them on board. But they were happy to wait and see the final result.

When did you get involved with the project?

In 2013, shortly after the book came out. I read it multiple times, and made copious notes. Ben is a fantastic collaborator. We worked together for 13 years and we didn’t want to kill each other. That says something (laughs). I am so happy that the film is finally out and people are loving it. Hats off to him for sticking with the project for all these years.

Mumbai recurs in your work both as a writer and a photographer.

I grew up in Bombay which is now Mumbai. It has always been my home. Later, I got a scholarship to study in America. But even then, I was desperately homesick and missed it terribly. I took a loan from my roommate to buy my first camera, took a leave of absence for a semester from college to return and ostensibly shoot the city, but really because I was just missing home too much.

I have always had a great love for Bombay, both creatively as well as a feeling. My entire family is from here. Unlike most people, we have no other village that we go back to. Bombay is my village where generations of my family have lived. It is a great source of comfort that my father still lives in the building where I grew up. He is 96 now. When I climb those stairs and walk down the gully, there is a feeling of familiarity. I get flashbacks of jumping down the same stairs when I was still in school uniform. I drive by Marine Drive and remember which building a school friend stayed in. For me, several lifetimes are encapsulated in Bombay where I can remember things from the past.

Bombay is the only city in India which is cosmopolitan. Parsis don’t feel like a minority because everyone is here. I went to school with girls who were Jewish, Jains, Sikhs, Muslims, Sunni and Shia, and Bohris. We have always been a melting pot of cultures, much like New York. I love this about the city and always want to convey that, always.

In ‘Yeh Ballet’ (2020), the film I directed, the two central characters are Hindu and Muslim – a fact I did not invent. During shooting, we found a location near Mount Mary where this character Nishu (Manish Chauhan) lives. It is amazing because there is this a small shrine of Jesus right next to a Hindu shrine adjoining a mosque. All three are side by side, living harmoniously. I have Asif (Achintya Bose) the Muslim character passing by Worli Koliwada and he stops to join his hands in silent prayer at Sai Baba mandir.