25 June,2010 06:57 AM IST | | Aviva Dharmaraj
Journalist Geeta Anand talks about the true story her novel is based on, which inspired a Hollywood film
"The movie was a nice, fun thing to talk about, but I knew there was a really good chance it wouldn't happen," says Geeta Anand about The Cure, her debut novel, which releases in bookstores today.
It took the Mumbai-born writer and journalist five years to piece together the true story about the parents who founded their own biotech company to develop a drug that could save the lives of their children.
"I met John Crowley in 2001, while covering the pharmaceutical beat for the Wall Street Journal in New York. He was so inspiring that I asked my editor if we could do follow-up stories on his progress," recalls Geeta.
What Geeta expected to last six weeks, ended up becoming two years. Over that time, Geeta developed an emotional connection with John's family, including his wife Aileen and their three children: Megan, Patrick, and John Jr.
"What made the Crowleys interesting was their openness, the fact that they were willing to talk about their mistakes," says Geeta, who thanks the American family for teaching her "how to live" in the dedication section of the book.
While children who suffer from Pompe disease, which attacks muscle and nerve cells in the body, rarely survive past their third birthday, Megan Crowley will be 14 in December, while Patrick Crowley celebrated his thirteenth birthday earlier this year, in March.
The movie did happen. Extraordinary Measures starring Brendan Fraser and Harrison Ford is inspired by The Cure, and was released in America, in January of this year. "They were eager to have us involved from the start.
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I would hear from them twice every year, over a period of six years," says Geeta, referring to the makers of the film.
"We attended the premiere in LA, where we got to pretend to be movie stars for one day!" she jokes.
"I was amazed by what a geek he was about the science," says Geeta, referring to the time she met Hollywood star Harrison Ford on the film set.
Ford plays Robert Stonehill, the research scientist who helps the Crowleys on their quest to discover a cure for the disease. Brendan Fraser "he's very chatty" plays John Crowley.
"The movie is very different from the book, but it does stick to the story. Once they bought the rights, I knew I would be surrendering total artistic control.
But I also knew they were keen to make a good movie."
The film has met with mixed reactions. While some critics found the movie touching ("You have this critic's permission to cry in public"), others were less encouraging ("never feels like much more than a made-for-TV tearjerker").
Geeta, who's looking forward to writing her next book, a family memoir based on her dad's journey to the States and back, says, "Through Megan and Patrick, I've learned that you can have a full life, no matter how disabled you are."
The Cure, Geeta Anand, Random House, Rs 399. Available at all leading bookstores.
