It was announced today that Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children will make its big screen debut in Toronto as the Festival’s gala premiere on the 9th of September, the film will then be releaseed in Canada and the US on the 26th of October.
The adaptation of Rushdie’s 1980 novel is directed by Deepa Metha, perhaps best known for her Fire, Earth and Water trilogy and has Satya Bhabha as Saleem Sinai, Siddharth Narayan as his timebound rival Shiva and Shriya Saran as Parvati-the-witch. These are three of the titular Midnight’s Chidren, born on, or close to, the moment of India’s independence and whom are ‘gifted’ with magical powers.
The Booker winning novel was originally to be adapted for a BBC mini-series in the 1990s with a screenplay by Rushdie until a crucial filming permit was withdrawn by the Sri-Lankan authorities and the entire project fell through. The Royal Shakespeare Company performed an adaptation of the novel on stage in London in 2003, a production brimming with invention and zest, and the film adaptation is expected to make the most of the rich source.
Following the announcement the official website released a series of stills and clips from the production which you can find below. Selfishly I’m expecting a place for the film this October in London. Every one of my fingers are crossed.
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Below you’ll find two clips from the film and a profile of director Deepa Metha,
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