Little Zizou – Feature Film
Sooni Taraporevala’s
Directorial Debut
World Premiere
LITTLE ZIZOU
Mira Nair & Indian Films present
A Sooni Taraporevala Film
Written and Directed by Sooni Taraporevala Produced by Dinaz Stafford
Sooni Taraporevala; Vandana Malik
Cast: Boman Irani, Sohrab Ardeshir, Imaad Shah, Shernaz Patel, Zenobia Shroff, Dilshad Patel,
Special Appearance – John Abraham,
Introducing – Iyanah Bativala, Jahan Bativala
Sunday November 9, 2008, 101 minutes.
Screening Venue:
Museum of Arts and Design. Sunday, November 9 at 6 PM.
Click here for more details : little-zizou
Little Zizou
I remember the first time I began to like football. It was during the Fifa World Cup 2006 and I was travelling with my parents around Europe. Our bus driver was a happy Italian man who kept trying to convince us that Italy would win the world cup. Of course, we didn’t believe him. My father supported Argentina and I supported Brazil. We were sure that a South American nation would take the cup. I also had a soft spot for Zinedine Zidane (though I hid that from my other fellow Brazil supporters in case I’d get harassed for it).
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to watch the final in Italy, but watched it from my aunt’s apartment in Bombay. The newspaper that day came out with the headlines “Gaul Vs Rome Yet Again” with a picture of Asterix and Caesar on the front. Everyone picked sides, but no matter what side you were on, everybody was rooting for Zizou.
The story starts with Xerxes, a young parsi boy, who has recently lost his mother and refers to himself as “Little Zizou.” He is the ultimate fan of Zinedine Zidane and prays to his mother for his idol to come and visit India. His older brother Ataxerxes or “Art” is a talented artist, and we often catch glimpses of what’s going on in his mind through the use of comic strips. Mr. Khodaiji (Xerxe’s and Art’s father) is a Parsi purist, always looking for new followers. His staunch follower and girlfriend “His Girl Friday” (I know, I love it too! 1940′s references for the win) serves as his right hand woman.
Mr.Khodaiji’s polar opposite is found in Mr.Pressvala, a free-thinking newspaper editor. His wife Mrs.Pressvala takes pity on Xerxes and showers him with maternal affection, much to the dismay of Liana, the youngest daughter in the household. Zenobia, the older daughter of Mr.Pressvala is friends with Art and uses him as a cover to meet her boyfriend, never realizing Art’s love for her. The real conflict ensues when Pressvala writes a scathing critique of Khodaiji and his methods of Parsi recruitment.
I loved the casting in this film. I’ve been a huge fan of Boman Irani since I was able to breathe and he was wonderful as per usual.In my opinion, Daniel Day-Lewis and Meryl Streep are the Hollywood counterparts of Boman Irani. I was also happy that the movie let me have 30 seconds of John Abraham. My favorite characters were Xerxes and Art. I loved Imaad Shah’s portrayal of Art- I don’t think I can remember any other actor who’s played being friendzoned so well! Xerxes was such an innocent little cutie! If it sounds like I’m yelling out every characters name in a random fashion, it’s only because I can’t believe how well the cast worked together to make this happen.
Films in the mainstream Indian industry thrive on three things – super star power (especially some super macho heartthrob or an enchanting dame) and peppy music numbers. It’s a formula so overused in cinema that I sigh every time a friend of mine suggests we go see a new film. But this film relied on its simple, sweet plot and the combined talents of a very powerful cast. Movies are at their best when they aim to give you an experience of belonging and identifying with the issues shown onscreen. It’s great to think that traditional Bollywood movies show you what life can be, rather than what life is, but sometimes a person wants to watch a movie with characters that have the same emotional baggage as they do. We all want to feel like we’re not the only ones dealing with unrequited love, loss and career struggles. We like seeing characters that feel the same amount of frustration we do in our regular lives. Plus, it’s a lot more fun seeing other people meltdown and act crazy onscreen.
So all in all, Little Zizou was a wonderful experience for me. The story, direction and cast carried the entire show to beautiful heights. I give Sooni Taraporevala and the entire cast a great round of applause.
Divija Mohan
lil_divachic@hotmail.com