MUMBAI: Renowned author Salman Rushdie is exploring his singing abilities with Deepa Mehta’s new film Midnight’s Children.
Rushdie said, “It was absolutely horrifying moment, when Deepa made me sing in the movie, though it’s just very briefly but I feel like hiding behind the furniture when that scene comes in the film.”
Mehta confirmed, “Yes, Salman sings in the film.”
Rushdie has not only written the screenplay of the film but is also the narrator. Mehta reveals it wasn’t easy to convince him. “I really wanted Salman to do that narration, because the narration is that of the older Salim (the protagonist in the film) and I felt it is right because an overview (of the story) was very important with respect to today’s time,” she said.
“I tried the voice of many actors for the voiceover of Salim, but it just didn’t have an authenticity of the voice that is so beautiful in the book. We tussled about the idea of him giving the voiceover as he was not agreeing. After he was convinced, we tried couple of narrations and I got want I wanted,” she added. Rushdie says it was an emotional moment for him when he saw that the film is complete.
65-year-old author said, “It was a very pleasurable collaboration and we got closer and closer as it went on. And that moment when the film came together and we were able to see it, it was a very emotional moment at the time.”
Midnight’s Children is a 1980 book that deals with India’s transition from British colonialism to independence and the partition of British India. The story is told by its chief protagonist, Saleem Sinai, and is set in the context of actual historical events as with historical fiction. The film releases on 1 February.