We speak with filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra about his new film Mirzya. “It is a film about love,” shares Mehra. The film is set in two, different time periods he adds. We talk to Mehra on how how the idea for the film was born, the preparation that went into making the film, the music and actors, especially how he got to cast Art Malik in Mirzya. Mirzya is also a film about fantasy and we were curious to find out the fantasy influences in the film. Tune in to find out what Mehra has to say about Mirzya.

 

LISTEN: RAKEYSH OMPRAKASH MEHRA ON MIRZYA

Gulzar wrote the screenplay of Mirzya that is based on Mirza Saiban, a popular Punjabi love story that ends tragically. Why did Saiban break the arrows of Mirza, her lover, was a question that has been on Mehra’s mind for over 30 years. Why do we hurt the people we love is what led Mehra to start a conversation with Gulzar and that is how the idea for making Mirzya was born.

Mirzya is the debut film of Harshvardhan Kapoor, who is the son of Anil Kapoor. The film also sees the debut of Saiyami Kher in Bollywood. Om Puri, Art Malik, Anuj Choudhry, Anjali Patil, KK Raina and others star in the film.

Music is central to Mirzya and it is through music that the essence of the film is conveyed points out Mehra. Mirzya’s music features Punjabi folk music, Hindustani Classical along with jazz, EDM and other global music genres. Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy created the music for Mirzya.

Mirzya releases on October 7, 2016 in USA and you can see the picture in San Francisco Bay area.

Photo credit: Cinestaan