Country Roads

The 69-year-old Mirza is now back — this time without his friend and co-director Shah — on the same channel directing a show which will highlight the lives of people living in rural India. Titled Yeh Hai India Meri Jaan,Mirza’s comeback is a travelogue in a docu-drama mould.

It is a story of an urban girl,played by Madhvi Singh who sets off on a tour of interior India — covering several states such as Rajasthan,Gujarat,Chattisgarh,Jharkhand,Uttar Pradesh,Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. “Long ago,I met a girl who was worldly-wise,but knew very little about the actual India,though she claimed she did. Her thoughts were so interesting that it prompted me to think. I then decided to put down the basic premise,find a girl and then take her around India,shoot her on real locales and develop the story along the way,” says Mirza.

The show is suppose to be a 26-episode one,but Mirza,who is still shooting,believes that it could finally be longer.

Mirza,who has directed films such as Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hai (1980),Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro (1989) and Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho! (1984),is known for his realistic portrayal of people from the urban middle class,and of the impact of communalism on society.

Even through his television shows,Nukkad and Intezaar,Mirza tried to focus on everyday struggles. “It was the common man that fascinated me then and fascinates me even now,” states Mirza,whose latest show also tries to show the various facets of a common man’s life.

The show,however,wasn’t an easy one to do for Mirza. Its “unpredictable” nature has kept the director busy.He decided to travel with a crew consisting of five members and one actor. “Since there was a lot of travelling involved,we did not want a very large crew,” explains Mirza.

Another major hindrance was the weather which fluctuated from extreme heat to rains. “But the travelogue also helped me savour some of my best travel moments. In some places,the terrain was wonderful and at other places,the people,their quirks and their food were interesting,” says Mirza,who last directed the film Ek Tho Chance in 2009.

While Doordarshan,which is in its makeover phase,is trying to showcase a bouquet of new shows,Mirza feels that this is the only channel that he would like to work for. “I like my association with the channel because it gives me a great deal of creative liberty. And this show is the proof of that,” he says.