PARSIS

Sooni Taraporevala received a scholarship to attend Harvard University, where she studied English Literature, Film and Photography. At NYU she studied Film Theory and Criticism and received her MA in 1981. In 1986 she wrote her first screenplay, Salaam Bombay!, for director/producer Mira Nair. The film was nominated for an Oscar, won more than twenty-five awards worldwide. She wrote and directed her first feature film, Little Zizou, 2008, which won the National Award from the Indian government for Best Film on Family Values, as well as ten international awards. She lives in Mumbai with her husband Dr. Firdaus Bativala, and their two children, Jahan and Iyanah.

Mira Nair is an Indian-American filmmaker based in New York City. Her production company, Mirabai Films, specializes in films for international audiences on Indian society, whether in the economic, social or cultural spheres. Among her best known films are Mississippi Masala, The Namesake, the Golden Lion–winning Monsoon Wedding, and Salaam Bombay!, which received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language.