It is the story of ‘my Delhi’: Sona Jain

As is the case with almost every debutante film-maker, writer/director Sona Jain took a couple of years accumulating funds to direct her film For Real but it was worth the wait as it is already making the right noise. Highly placed sources who have seen the film say they can’t help but notice how refreshingly different her portrayal of New Delhi is.

Almost autobiographical in her treatment of the plot, the film is inspired by her visions of Delhi when she was living in the United States.

“It is actually based on a short story that I had written years back. It is the story of ‘my Delhi’ as I have seen and experienced it. It is the story of what I missed about it — small things that made me look forward to the city.” The film also explores a unique mother-daughter relationship and has won many awards at the Asian Festival of First Films.

She adds, “It was a great experience to have worked with some fantastic people including Zakir Hussain, I have learnt so much from him.”

Meanwhile, we also spoke to tabla maestro Zakir Hussain on what made him compose for Sona’s film. “It was just Sona’s personality. Although it was her first project, the way she spoke to me, her whole passion for the script and her confidence to be able to see it through convinced me to do the music.” Zakir also reveals what kind of movies attract him to get on board.

“Movies like Mr & Mrs Iyer and For Real have a very unique concept. In this case, I could relate with the story as it reminds me of my childhood. As a kid, my mother would look after us, while my father would travel for concerts. In this story, the mother is a musician, who travels a lot. I could actually picture it when the script was narrated. It was like reel had become real,” he says.