Now that Dibakar Banerjee's political thriller Shanghai is nearly ready, the director has to meet a promise that he made to himself. He must show the film to author Vassilis Vassilikos on whose novel Z, Dibakar's Shanghai is based.
True to the unique source, Dibakar has kept the Greek author within the loop inside the making of the film. And now he must keep his final promise, of unveiling the film to the author, even though it means taking the film to Greece
Says a source on the subject of the project, "Dibakar must show the film to Vassilis Vassilikos before it's released. Ideally, Dibakar would have liked the writer to come back right down to India to look at the film. But when that isn't possible, considering the author's age, then Dibakar is prepared to fly all the way down to Greece to turn his the film. It is not about getting the author's approval, or perhaps a moral obligation. Dibakar feels Vassilis' ideas within the novel was given a renewed relevance in Dibakar's film. The writer has every right to peer what have been done to his work, and in what context."
Dibakar confirms plans to take Shanghai to Greece for the author's viewing. Says the filmmaker, "It's amazing how relevant Vassilikos' novel is to give day Indian politics although he wrote it 45 years ago. He must see the deep and far-reaching resonance of his words. He's now a sprightly 78. But when he can't come to India, I'd almost definitely take Shanghai to Greece for his viewing."
Dibakar also plans to screen Shanghai at Greece's Thessaloniki International Film Festival in November.
Indian films aren't generally screened at this festival. "I THINK the Greeks have a birthright over my film," says Dibakar.
Watch Video: Emraan-Dibakar-Abhay Discuss 'Shanghai'
