I recently met up with Sooni Taraporevala, Boman Irani and Zenobia Shroff while they were in New York to promote the film and got to ask a few questions about this beautifully poetic project, as well as what to expect from them next. First off, I got to chat with director Taraporevala, a striking woman with a short, luscious bob and wearing a beautiful fuchsia jacket and a black kurta with red and green embroidery.

CHIC TODAY: Ms. Taraporevala, you are an accomplished screenwriter and also a fabulous photographer with a published book of your images under your belt. What made you want to start directing as well, to add that to your resume?

SOONI TARAPOREVALA: I don’t know if this is a career move for me. But as a screenwriter, everything I worked on in the last twenty years has been commissioned by somebody, so this was the first personal, original script that I have written. It’s an idea that just came to me and I wrote it in ten days. It was a story that needed to be told and because it is a world that I know so well, I thought, let me try and direct it. I really wanted to direct it only because I knew it so intimately. I wrote it with a lot of actors in mind. So it was a very different kind of film in that sense.

CT: Apart from you dealing with the Parsi culture which you were born into and therefore know so well, are some of the specific characters based on real persons in your life?

ST: Yes, some are… (laughter)… Lets leave it at that.

CT: What do you see in the future for the film, what is coming next?

ST: We are looking to find distribution and I hope it gets seen widely and by diverse audiences. Because I believe that even thought it’s about a very particular and familiar subject, I also hope that it translates and speaks to people everywhere. It’s a film about love and love is not a local subject.

CT: There are so many references to Italian – and in particular Neapolitan – music in the film. Where do they come from? And do you plan to release the terrific soundtrack of the film?

ST: Mainly, the music comes from my father. I grew up listening to Italian classics and raided his CD collection for the film. Parsis have always felt a deep connection to the music and culture of Italy for some reason. Perry Como is actually nicknamed “Parsi Como” in my household! And we do plan to release the soundtrack of the film as well, because I love the music so much.

Next came my time with actor Boman Irani, a tall, handsome man, with a low, honeyed voice and looking quite dashing in a dark corduroy suit.

CHIC TODAY: Mr. Irani, what drew you to this role?

BOMAN IRANI: Let me put it bluntly, it had a lot to do with Sooni [Taraporevala]. I have known Sooni for so many years and we tried to make a film together before, but due to some red tape that film never happened. I will say it openly, I love Sooni and her writing. I do a lot of commercial cinema in India, which is great fun, but every once in a while it’s important for us to do a small film, which will impact people. It’s not always about how big an opening a film will have, but then again, when we shot Little Zizou we never thought we would be here in New York at the MIAAC Festival! This film is like a dream come true, the story is so universal.

CT: You have done a lot of theater, as well as Bollywood, as well as films like Being Cyrus which are considered arthouse, but if you could do any kind of project, what would you pick above the rest?

BI: You know, there is no such thing. I always get drawn to a good story. But it’s also very important who the people are on the project, the filmmakers and such. I can see a script that I really like, but if there is a director associated with the film that I don’t enjoy – and when I say that I mean I don’t completely respect them and don’t enjoy the process he or she may use – then it won’t be a good learning experience. I don’t know how professional it is to say “OK, I do my work at the studio, then come home and that’s it”. That time at the studio is very, very precious and I would not like to spend it with people I do not enjoy or respect. In the name of “Art” I can say and do five hundred things, but I don’t have time for people who are not good human beings. And it matters to me because we spend so much more time in the studio together than I might even spend at home with my family. So I get drawn to movies because of that! Of course, it can’t be a lovely, lovely human being making a terrible movie…

CT: Can you talk about some of your upcoming projects?

BI: There are about seven or eight films that are ready for release. In fact, there will be a few releases in November and December. There is Sorry Bhai with Shabana Azmi, and Subhash Ghai’s Yuvvraaj. Also Ravi Chopra’s Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai and I’m doing a cameo in Dostana. Then Maharati with Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah and a couple more…

And last, but not least, Zenobia Shroff arrived to our talk wearing a glamorous red dress. She is, in person, every bit of the warm, beautiful woman that she portrays in Roxanne.

CHIC TODAY: Ms. Shroff, how did you come to be involved in this project?

ZENOBIA SHROFF: Getting Little Zizou was truly fated for me. I have been a theatre actress here in NYC for the past nearly 20 years. I happened to go visit my family in Mumbai. Sooni was searching for her Roxanne and a friend suggested I audition for her. So I did and four meetings and auditions later Roxanne was mine and a one month vacation turned into a four month sojourn. It was indeed fortuitous!

CT: What personally drew you to the role?

ZS: Roxanne was everywoman – so to speak – I knew grewing up. I was raised in a colony and there were tons of Roxannes around me. The fact that I was telling their story through one woman really appealed to me. This way hopefully the world could glimpse into the life of this particular wife/mother/woman. I hope I served her well.

CT: What did you do to prepare for this part?

ZS: Rehearsal of course, with the kids, Boman and Mahabanoo [Mody-Kotwal, who plays Roxanne's mother in the film]. I think the rehearsal with the kids really were very helpful because by the time filming began we were nicely bonded. I adore those two! Also, Boman and I had dance rehearsals with a choreographer. Personally, I did my homework on the emotional life and arc of the character. Then the costumes, hair and make-up, as well as Roxanne’s tones of voice were key. For me, those particulars personally inform my performance greatly.

CT: What were the easiest and most difficult aspects of playing Roxanne?

ZS: Roxanne was easy all the way! Growing up in a Parsi household and colony she is in my blood. The way the husband and wife speak to each other in the movie is the way my parents have been talking to each other for 50 years. They call each other “darling” even when they are angry! It is very Parsi. It’s a type of shorthand I know well.

All “Little Zizou” photos by Aparna Jayakumar, courtesy of Jigri Dost Productions

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