Suddenly, Enlightenment Productions, the distributor, had two films for practically the price of one. At about the time that project was finished, Sarif regained the legal rights to her first film. While all that was playing out, Sarif was able to put together financing for an adaptation of her first novel, "The World Unseen" ("I Can't Think Straight" was her third novel), and she again went with Ray and Sheth. Most of the films I'm in (such as Deepa Mehta's "Water") are gloomy, so it was kind of fun to take on a light set." "Yeah, but it was a pretty fun set," Ray said by telephone. However, the production couldn't cover all of its expenses, and Sarif and her producer had to go to court to get the negative back into their control. Turns out that "I Can't Think Straight," about a woman from a Jordanian family and one from an Indian family fall who in love, was made first and was Sarif's directorial debut. The aspect of collaboration appealed to me, using the amazing resources of people that are experts in their field, like production design, actors, etc." "Maybe it's the schizophrenic in me," laughs Sarif on the phone from London, speaking not only of her two films but also of her leap from novelist to filmmaker. It's not often one can see how the same director approaches two different subject matters - a present-day comedy and a period drama - in so short a time. Lisa Ray and Sheetal Sheth star in both films, which are directed by the same woman, Shamim Sarif, who adapted her own novels.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |