“Videsh is a celebration of imagination” - Deepa Mehta
Heralded as the most imaginative director working on social issues surrounding the women of today, yesterday and tomorrow, Deepa Mehta is the creative mastermind behind films such as Fire, Earth and Water to name a few. Her films are known to create pandemonium amongst the politically incorrect society of today but her latest film Heaven On Earth KA Videsh has brought the politically correct society to stand up and not only notice this extraordinary piece of story telling but also recognise it. How?
Well, Preity Zinta won the Best Actress award at the prestigious Chicago Film Festival last year and is now nominated along side Hollywood actress Susan Sarandon at this year's Genie Awards to take place in Canada in April. Now with so much surrounding the film, Deepa should have gone all pink, but instead, the talented Mehta goes all purple. Believe it or not, the Holi colour isn't just coming off her face. "My friends have painted my face all purple and I am scared to get out of my hotel room and attend press conferences", she said.
Exclusively speaking with our correspondent, the affable, confident and dynamic Deepa lets her demons out in this exclusive interview where she reveals of her inspiration to make films, her aspirations to work with Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukherjee, her next film with Akshay Kumar, her new find in Videsh, Vansh Bhardwaj, her coming together with the Oscar winner A.R Rahman and why she can deal with the authenticity of India far better than the West.
Under
what
name
is
your
film
releasing
across
the
globe
besides
India?
Across
India,
the
film
will
be
released
with
the
name
Videsh
and
in
the
rest
of
the
world
as
Heaven
On
Earth.
With
a
story
so
strong
and
its
message
out
loud
and
clear,
do
you
think
a
change
in
the
name
of
a
film
really
matters
when
it's
speaking
of
a
universal
subject?
I
am
not
the
distributor
of
the
film,
I
am
a
filmmaker.
If
the
distributor
knows
that
the
change
in
the
name
is
helping
the
Indian
audiences,
I
will
listen
to
them
because
that's
not
my
expertise.
Jag
Mundhra
had
shown
some
startling
issues
surrounding
a
Punjabi
woman's
plight
in
his
film
Provoked.
Are
we
going
to
see
your
woman,
Preity
Zinta,
going
through
the
same
torment
in
Videsh?
I
must
say
that
Heaven
on
Earth
or
Videsh
is
very
different
from
Provoked.
It's
like
what
Shakespeare
said
-
There
are
three
stories
in
the
world
and
its
how
you
tell
them
that
makes
one
different
from
the
other.
Yes,
this
story
is
partly
about
domestic
abuse,
but
for
me,
the
film
is
about
the
power
of
imagination.
When
reality
becomes
so
grim,
how
can
you
use
your
imagination
to
liberate
yourself?
That
is
what
the
film
is
about.
The
milieu
is
of
course
the
isolation
of
the
first
generation
working
class
immigrant,
whether
they
are
in
the
U.S,
the
U.K,
Australia
or
in
this
case
Canada
because
it's
the
first
generation
that
suffers
the
most.
Films
are
tagged
as
commercial,
art
house
and
world
cinema.
What
tag
fits
the
kind
of
films
you
make
or
have
made
over
the
years?
This
is
so
bizarre
(laughs).
I
don't
think
I
fit
any
of
them.
I
just
write
and
tell
stories.
Only
when
a
film
is
very
particular,
that's
the
very
minute
it
starts
becoming
universal.
I
hope
my
films
are
universal.
Let's
talk
about
the
word
'universal'
then.
How
universally
inspired
you
get
to
tell
stories
every
time
you
make
them?
I
am
attracted
to
stories;
I
don't
sit
down
and
say
-
What
is
going
to
be
my
next
film
and
what
its
issues
are.
If
the
story
is
generally
about
a
subject
that
I
wish
to
know
more
about
or
I
don't
know
so
much
about,
I
get
glued
on
to
it.
For
example,
it
was
the
sectarian
war
in
my
film
Earth
which
really
intrigued
me
at
that
point
in
time;
also,
Rwanda
was
going
on
at
that
time.
I
just
couldn't
understand
the
whole
concept
of
sectarian
war.
I
wanted
to
explore
it
further
and
that's
why
I
did
Earth.
I
used
religion
to
cover
up
the
marginalisation
of
certain
sections
of
the
society,
it's
a
misuse
of
religion
by
society
and
that's
how
Water
came
around.
Heaven
On
Earth
has
a
lot
to
do
with
and
understand
the
word
'abuse'
in
a
larger
canvas.
It
just
doesn't
come
out
of
nowhere.
Everybody
is
a
victim,
even
the
abuser.
The
point
is
there
is
no
black
and
white.
That's
what
motivated
me
to
do
Videsh.
It's
not
about
issues
but
wanting
to
know
more
about
something.
Let's
talk
about
your
new
find
-
Vansh
Bhardwaj.
Tell
us
a
bit
more
about
this
talent.
He
is
amazing.
It's
his
first
film.
He
was
a
lead
in
the
play
I
saw,
a
play
by
Neelam
Maan
Singh
Chowdhary.
He
did
Girish
Karnad's
Naag
Mandala.
I
was
so
blown
away
by
the
play
that
I
used
it
in
the
film
too
with
Girish's
blessings.
I
think
the
theatre
actors
have
a
lot
of
depth
and
discipline.
I
asked
Vansh
if
he
wanted
to
be
a
part
of
my
film
and
he
readily
agreed,
and
you
put
him
with
a
star
like
Preity
Zinta,
nothing
beats
it.
I
must
say,
Preity
was
very
generous
to
Vansh.
The
Best
Actress
at
the
Chicago
Film
Festival
2008
-
Preity
Zinta!
Will
she
be
able
to
surpass
the
best?
(Laughs)
I
think
it'll
be
really
immodest
if
I
said
that
this
isn't
her
best
performance
to
date
and
the
other
directors
won't
like
me
too
much.
But
I
think
she
is
superb
in
the
film
and
personally,
it's
a
world
class
performance.
Preity
is
also
nominated
under
the
Best
Actress
at
the
Genie
Awards
2009
along
with
top
international
celebs,
right?
Yes,
you're
right.
She
is
nominated
for
the
Best
Actress
in
a
Leading
Role
along
with
Susan
Sarandon.
The
awards
are
to
take
place
next
month
in
April.
Do
you
agree
that
it
rightly
takes
a
director
to
suck
out
the
best
of
the
hidden
talent
from
an
actor
in
order
for
them
to
win
an
award
on
a
global
platform?
And
why
can't
other
directors
do
the
same?
I
think
it's
the
work.
It's
not
necessary
that
a
director
is
very
important.
I
can
never
forget
Cher
in
the
lovely
movie
Moonstruck.
What
a
wonderful
performance.
Everybody
was
shocked
that
she
could
act
like
that.
She
also
won
an
Academy
Award
for
the
Best
Actress
for
Moonstruck
and
she
went
up
on
the
stage
and
said,
"I
would
like
to
thank
my
hair
dresser".
She
didn't
thank
the
director.
It
was
a
bit
weird
but
what
I'm
trying
to
say
is
that,
generally,
good
directors
really
take
out
wonderful
performances.
But
for
a
film
to
do
well,
it
isn't
the
director
alone.
It
has
to
start
from
the
script.
What
other
films
are
you
working
on?
I'm
working
on
two
films
currently.
One
is
a
film
called
Exclusion
with
Akshay
Kumar
and
the
other
is
based
on
Sulman
Rushdie's
book
called
The
Midnights
Children.
Any
filmmaker
likes
commercial
and
critical
acclaim.
Are
you
content
or
hungry
for
more?
The
day
I
get
content,
I
will
stop
making
films.
Contentment
makes
you
lazy
and
gives
you
a
false
sense
of
security.
If
you
want
to
make
films,
you
need
to
be
hungry
for
more.
In
your
future
projects,
would
you
like
to
work
with
actors
of
your
past
films
like
Aamir,
John,
etc?
I
can't
think
of
any
right
now.
But
I
am
really
looking
forward
to
be
working
with
Akshay
Kumar
in
my
next
film.
I
hope
one
day
comes
when
I
work
with
Amitabh
Bachchan
and
Rani
Mukherjee.
You're
a
Canadian
citizen.
Don't
you
get
impressed
with
stories
from
the
West
as
well?
Yeah,
some
of
them.
I
just
feel
that
I
can
deal
with
the
authenticity
of
India
and
the
Indians
far
better.
It's
not
that
I
haven't
done
anything
in
the
West.
I
have.
I
think
to
get
into
the
western
mind
sets
is
difficult
for
me,
not
impossible,
but
it's
not
entirely
satisfactory.
What
is
it
that
you're
trying
to
say
with
Heaven
On
Earth?
That
you
can't
be
simplistic
about
it.
It's
out
dated
now
that
the
West
has
a
lot
to
offer
than
India.
So
if
anybody
would
be
able
to
revisit
the
fact
that
perhaps,
they
should
not
be
so
ready
to
leave
home.
As
the
character
says
in
the
film
-
Sometimes
it's
better
to
live
in
Hell
than
in
Heaven
where
there
is
more
self
dignity.
How
did
you
celebrate
Holi?
I've
got
a
lot
of
purple
colour
on
my
face
from
which
I
can't
get
out.
It's
scary
because
I
have
to
attend
the
Press
conference
for
the
film
too.
I
had
great
fun
with
friends
and
we
celebrated
the
festival
of
colours
with
a
lot
of
rang.
You've
worked
with
the
music
director
A.R.
Rahman
before.
But
how
about
working
with
the
Oscar
winner
now?
(Laughs)
Yes,
A.R
did
the
music
for
Fire,
Earth
and
Water.
I'd
love
to
work
with
the
Oscar
winner
now,
you're
right
(laughs).
He
definitely
deserved
an
Oscar.
But
we
should
never
ever
forget
that
he
has
always
been
a
brilliant
music
director
and
just
because
the
West
has
recognised
him
doesn't
mean
that
he
is
more
recognised
now.
Sum
up
your
film
Videsh
in
one
word
please.
Videsh
is
a
celebration
of
the
imagination.