Last night, the SKJ team had the joy and privilege of attending an Authors@Google talk featuring Shibani Bathija (screenwriter of MNIK, KANK, Fanaa, and Kidnap for you clueless kids!). We watched the soon-to-be-released American edit of MNIK, which was followed by a Q&A with Shibz.
The main question on my mind with respect to the edits was, “What about Mama Jenny?” Part of me hoped to see her in her full Aunt Jemima glory, and part of that hope stemmed from my inability to imagine a seamless narrative flow if that chunk were to be removed. But, to make a spoiler short, the MNIK team magically made it work. There was at least one scene in the original that I think would have been powerful to retain (demonstrating a Hindu hotel owner’s fear and prejudice toward Muslims), but I think the end product maintains the integrity of Bollywood in its telling of a beautiful love story, while also making a timely (and timeless!) statement about how hope can conquer fear.
It was wonderful to sit in the Q&A and listen to Shibz’s very eloquent remarks on her motivations and experiences as a writer in general, and for MNIK in particular. One gentleman could not hear enough of his own voice and repeatedly assaulted Shibz with what he perceived as logical inconsistencies in the storyline. Shibz addressed his surly interrogations in a good-natured manner, acknowledging his point of view as valid but explaining some Psych 101 with respect to the fact that characters, like real people, don’t always act logically; and with respect to the liberties that were taken and indeed need to be taken at different stages of the creative process.
We were thrilled to be able to speak with Shibz after the event and pose for photographs, surrounding her and grinning in our Stalker shirts. It was evident that she would be our new BFF, were she to spend more time in the Bay, which seems rather likely!
-LRK
