10 Cover Story

INDIA IN NEW YORK MAY 16, 2014

A scene from Zinda Bhaag.

inda Bhaag is a film about three How did you come to cast Naseeruddin Shah young men trying to escape the in a key role? reality of their everyday lives and Naseer’s character is called Pehalwan, a bad - succeeding in ways they had least mash (goon) who’s larger than life. He is also a expected. The directors of the A little seen bit enigmatic and charming. We wanted some - fZilm — Delhi-born and Lahore-based Meenu one who could carry this role — and his name Gaur and Lahore native Farjad Nabi met when popped up right in the beginning. We didn’t the former was in London, studying cinema. know him or know anyone who knew him, so “This is a very everyday tale, inspired by sto - we couldn’t even use any contact. ries we heard from family and friends,” Gaur We found his e-mail address and his postal says. address in Mumbai. We sent him a few pages “We wanted to make a film we’d enjoy watch - of the script and to our amazement he got ing. We wanted to show a Pakistan very few back and asked for the entire script. people know, with all its disappointments, suc - Meenu Gaur tells Arthur J Pais how her film explores We were amazed that with so many films cesses — its scars, its ironies and its humour.” new wave cinema in the country behind him, he still reads scripts that drop on Zinda Bhaag was Pakistan’s official entry, in his doorstep unannounced. the foreign language film category, for the Not only did he commit to our film, but Oscars last year. also conducted a two week-long workshop for other artists in the film who had no How did this project take off? training in theater or films. My co-director (Farjad Nabi) had made He’s also a household name in Pakistan, a documentary about a group of young and has a huge fan-following there. Some Pakistanis who died in a shipwreck while people might say, why Naseer, why not a trying to smuggle themselves into Pakistani actor. We would say, why not Europe. When he went to some of the vil - Naseer? lages from where these people had come, How has the film done? the grief and devastation there was over - We have released it in Pakistan, the powering. United Arab Emirates, America and I met my future husband (producer Canada, and it has done quite well. It is a Mazhar Zaidi ) while was I was in London gritty film but it is also heartfelt, and has and now we call Lahore our home. terrific music from Our film looks at the migration at any and a number of well known musicians. cost urge. It has humor, sadness, irony — We will be releasing it in India in a few and plenty of catchy music. months and we are very eager to see how You will see a different kind of Lahore it will be received there. and a little seen Pakistan in the film. People either exoticize Lahore or make it a city of terrorists. We look at it from a Manu Gaur, right, very different perspective. and Farjat Nabi.