<p>He had to sneak his film Gaav out of Iran to showcase it at international film festivals.<br /><br /></p>.<p>It was only after the film won awards at the Venice and Chicago Film Festivals that the world came to know about the Iranian film director Dariush Mehrjui. One of the pioneers of the ‘Iranian New Wave Movement’, Dariush’s films like Gaav, ‘The Cycle’ and ‘Leila’ have received numerous awards and worldwide acclaim. Though he got a lot of offers from Hollywood, he declined them all as he only wanted to do films reflecting the Iranian way of life. In the City recently with his wife and daughter, the 72-year-old film-maker spoke to Metrolife about his films, his association with India and his tryst with Bangalore. <br /><br />“I was beguiled by the charm of this City at first sight. This is the most beautiful City that I have visited in India so far. It’s ideal weather and well-behaved citizens have impressed me a lot. It has got a modern vibrancy. I have not seen a single beggar on the streets. In Mumbai, the moment we step out of the airport, we are surrounded by little kids who are very difficult to avoid. Bangalore is also cleaner compared to Delhi or Kolkata. I don’t know whether the people over here agree with my perception. But according to me, the City is very lively and peaceful,” he says. <br /><br />He also recollects how he had to infuse a lot of action and songs in his first film ‘Diamond 3’ to make it fit for the Indian market. “‘Diamond 3’ was a satire on ‘James Bond’ movies. As Indians like songs, dances and action sequences, I included all those elements in that movie. <br /><br />It became a hit with the Iranians as well,” he recalls. Since Iran has a strict censorship policy when it comes to film-making, Dariush accepts that he is bound by some cultural restrictions especially when it comes to portraying women and the relationship between a man and a woman on screen. “Like Hollywood movies, I can’t show people making love in my films. Public display of certain emotions is forbidden in our culture. Such restrictions were present in India also a few years back. But sometimes we need not to show everything to make the viewers understand. Even a symbolic picture can convey the intended message.”<br /><br />His wife Vahideh Mohammadi Far, who assists him in the various aspects of film-making, says that she loves Indian food and that their daughter Mona Mehrjui is also in love with Bangalore and its cuisine. “We love the food and want to shop in the City. We have had a wonderful time during our brief stay here and would like to come here often,” she said.</p>
<p>He had to sneak his film Gaav out of Iran to showcase it at international film festivals.<br /><br /></p>.<p>It was only after the film won awards at the Venice and Chicago Film Festivals that the world came to know about the Iranian film director Dariush Mehrjui. One of the pioneers of the ‘Iranian New Wave Movement’, Dariush’s films like Gaav, ‘The Cycle’ and ‘Leila’ have received numerous awards and worldwide acclaim. Though he got a lot of offers from Hollywood, he declined them all as he only wanted to do films reflecting the Iranian way of life. In the City recently with his wife and daughter, the 72-year-old film-maker spoke to Metrolife about his films, his association with India and his tryst with Bangalore. <br /><br />“I was beguiled by the charm of this City at first sight. This is the most beautiful City that I have visited in India so far. It’s ideal weather and well-behaved citizens have impressed me a lot. It has got a modern vibrancy. I have not seen a single beggar on the streets. In Mumbai, the moment we step out of the airport, we are surrounded by little kids who are very difficult to avoid. Bangalore is also cleaner compared to Delhi or Kolkata. I don’t know whether the people over here agree with my perception. But according to me, the City is very lively and peaceful,” he says. <br /><br />He also recollects how he had to infuse a lot of action and songs in his first film ‘Diamond 3’ to make it fit for the Indian market. “‘Diamond 3’ was a satire on ‘James Bond’ movies. As Indians like songs, dances and action sequences, I included all those elements in that movie. <br /><br />It became a hit with the Iranians as well,” he recalls. Since Iran has a strict censorship policy when it comes to film-making, Dariush accepts that he is bound by some cultural restrictions especially when it comes to portraying women and the relationship between a man and a woman on screen. “Like Hollywood movies, I can’t show people making love in my films. Public display of certain emotions is forbidden in our culture. Such restrictions were present in India also a few years back. But sometimes we need not to show everything to make the viewers understand. Even a symbolic picture can convey the intended message.”<br /><br />His wife Vahideh Mohammadi Far, who assists him in the various aspects of film-making, says that she loves Indian food and that their daughter Mona Mehrjui is also in love with Bangalore and its cuisine. “We love the food and want to shop in the City. We have had a wonderful time during our brief stay here and would like to come here often,” she said.</p>
