Mira's magic

She calls herself a dhobi ka kutta, na ghar na ghaat ka, but even as an Indian filmmaker in the US, Mira Nair absolutely loves what she does. Having recently bagged the Light of India Award, a platform that recognises NRI talent, Mira talks to CS about her filmy background:



Woman power
People often ask me whether it is difficult being an Indian woman director in the US. And even though I don't know how to answer that, I think it's easier being a woman director here than a male one. I am relieved to be a woman, and proud to be from India where I grew up seeing women working alongside Mahatma Gandhi fighting for freedom.

My dynamic mother was an early inspirationu00a0-- she was a social worker and I used to often refer to her as a 'professional beggar'. She raised money for the first home for healthy children born to leper parents. So I was brought up with the foolish confidence that anything is possible.

The world through my lens
From my early days as a filmmaker, I learnt the importance of cultivating stamina simply to keep going and to hone my craft. I have realised that people who inhabit different worlds can identify and belong to both. It is such people who have a sense of modesty and who develop a genuine appreciation for things, rather than a mere charitable tolerance for other's ways of life.u00a0

Mirror, mirror on the wall
In the creative world, borders, by necessity, need to be fluid and porous. Yet now more than ever, it is time for us to tell stories in which people can see themselves. Not just some people, but all. It takes courage to be original, especially for those who have been told for the past few centuries that the West is the mirror in which they should see their future. That's what I want to do ufffd I want to use art to hold a mirror to a society that is bent on building walls instead of peace.