Originality is my forte,
says Homi
He is 34 and says that originality is his forte. Homi Adajania’s debut feature film, Being Cyrus (English), hits theatres soon.
“The story was rejected by publishers but I thought of making a film out of it,” says Homi. This is not his first brush with film. He assisted Mahesh Mathai in Bhopal Express.
Being Cyrus, a 90-minute-long film, is based on an 11-page story written by Kersi Khambatta. For the film, Homi rewrote some some parts.
“It
is not a film on the relationship between a young man and an older woman.
It was one picture of the film (that of Dimple Kapadia and Saif Ali Khan)
that sent the wrong message,” says Homi, whose other passions include
photography and scuba diving. But it is a bold film, he admits. “It
is the story of Cyrus and a bizarre chapter in his life when he lives
with a Parsi family for two years,” he adds.
The Parsi connection in the film is strong but that has nothing to do with Homi himself being a Parsi. “The characters have been inspired from several real characters. In our day-to-day life, we observe many people and sketch characters on various facets of theirs,” says Homi.
The boldness of the film lies in the narration. Homi points out that he has deliberately tried to simplify the story so that the audience could relate to it.
“The path of morality has been treated very casually in the film,” he says.
Homi is very happy with the cast. “Naseeruddin Shah was extremely professional. He instantly stepped into the role. Dimple Kapadia had a very difficult character to portray but she showed no qualms, and Boman Irani, who plays Shah’s brother, was very close to the script right from the beginning,” he says.
About the protagonist, Cyrus, played by Saif, Homi says the actor’s portrayal of the character is “brilliant and phenomenal”.
Would he call Being Cyrus, Saif’s most brilliant performance? “It’s difficult to say, but he had a tough character to portray. He just had to throw his lines and he did that with perfection,” says Homi.
Is Being Cyrus for niche audiences? Homi says no. “It has been screened in USA, France and Israel and been appreciated widely in all those countries. I think it is a universal story,” he says.
What next? Homi has two scripts ready. One is a Hindi period film and the other an English film based on pre- ’60s Goa. Being a scuba diving instructor, Homi adds that the latter will have some great underwater sequences.
-Diganta Guha, Kolkata, March 6
He is 34 and says that originality is his forte. Homi Adajania’s debut feature film, Being Cyrus (English), hits theatres soon.
“The story was rejected by publishers but I thought of making a film out of it,” says Homi. This is not his first brush with film. He assisted Mahesh Mathai in Bhopal Express.
Being Cyrus, a 90-minute-long film, is based on an 11-page story written by Kersi Khambatta. For the film, Homi rewrote some some parts.
“It
is not a film on the relationship between a young man and an older woman.
It was one picture of the film (that of Dimple Kapadia and Saif Ali Khan)
that sent the wrong message,” says Homi, whose other passions include
photography and scuba diving. But it is a bold film, he admits. “It
is the story of Cyrus and a bizarre chapter in his life when he lives
with a Parsi family for two years,” he adds.The Parsi connection in the film is strong but that has nothing to do with Homi himself being a Parsi. “The characters have been inspired from several real characters. In our day-to-day life, we observe many people and sketch characters on various facets of theirs,” says Homi.
The boldness of the film lies in the narration. Homi points out that he has deliberately tried to simplify the story so that the audience could relate to it.
“The path of morality has been treated very casually in the film,” he says.
Homi is very happy with the cast. “Naseeruddin Shah was extremely professional. He instantly stepped into the role. Dimple Kapadia had a very difficult character to portray but she showed no qualms, and Boman Irani, who plays Shah’s brother, was very close to the script right from the beginning,” he says.
About the protagonist, Cyrus, played by Saif, Homi says the actor’s portrayal of the character is “brilliant and phenomenal”.
Would he call Being Cyrus, Saif’s most brilliant performance? “It’s difficult to say, but he had a tough character to portray. He just had to throw his lines and he did that with perfection,” says Homi.
Is Being Cyrus for niche audiences? Homi says no. “It has been screened in USA, France and Israel and been appreciated widely in all those countries. I think it is a universal story,” he says.
What next? Homi has two scripts ready. One is a Hindi period film and the other an English film based on pre- ’60s Goa. Being a scuba diving instructor, Homi adds that the latter will have some great underwater sequences.
-Diganta Guha, Kolkata, March 6
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