If anyone wondered why The Namesake director Mira Nair and its star Tabu got a subdued welcome at the Toronto International Film Festival, they should know it was exactly what the distributor Fox Searchlight and Mira wanted.
Given the full-house attendance (over 350 press and industry delegates) and the demand for the gala screening of the film in Toronto, it was evident that The Namesake was going to be one of the must-see movies at TIFF. But Fox Searchlight has decided to open the film only in March (and that also means it won't be in this year's Oscar race) to build publicity and goodwill for it.
The publicity will be built mostly through festival screenings but Nair and her cast will start giving lengthy interviews only around the movie's release. It was Tabu's first appearance at TIFF.
Nair returned to the Toronto festival with memories of September 11, 2001, the very day her film Monsoon Wedding had a press screening. But the press conference, scheduled for 11 am, which was to be attended by Naseeruddin Shah, had to be cancelled.
Nair says it was the scariest day of her life -- her husband and son were in their New York home on the day of the attack. She was also concerned for her friends in New York, and more than anything else, she was also worried what could follow the devastating attacks.
Text: Arthur J Pais | Photographs: Getty Images
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