Miscellaneous
In the finale of the Stepwell podcast, Patrick French talks to the acclaimed director Mira Nair. They start by discussing Mira's beginnings and how her love for theatre eventually led to filmmaking. Mira discusses her connection to Odisha and to Delhi (4:08), why her films have an element of social realism (5:15), why she shifted from documentary making to feature films (6:50) and why no career move should be about stepping stones to a bigger target (12:10). Mira then talks about why filmmaking is a political act (14:40), her work in Kampala, Uganda (17:22) the abundance of female role models in her youth (20:50). Finally she dives in to the shooting of her current film, A Suitable Boy, an adaptation of Vikram Seth's masterpiece (24:00) and how it looks at 1950s post-Independence India (27:20).