Rama Mehta Memorial Lecture By Mira Nair
Mira Nair’s address at the #RamaMehtaMemorialLecture in Udaipur, which I had the opportunity to attend via Zoom, was a masterclass in both intellectual depth and creative vision. Throughout her lecture, Nair offered a detailed exploration of her film making philosophy, illustrating the careful and thoughtful process behind her selection of subjects for her films. She emphasized that storytelling, whether through cinema or literature, is not merely about narrating events but about deeply understanding and engaging with the complexities of the human experience, culture, and context. Nair argued that without this profound understanding, the authenticity of a narrative is compromised. She underscored the agency of individuals in crafting their own narratives, stressing the necessity of authorship over one's personal or creative story. According to her, allowing others to shape or write one’s story poses the risk of misrepresentation, distortion, or erasure of crucial nuances tha