Michelle goes one on one with Hollywood Legend, Ismail Merchant !

Ismail Merchant is the quintessential example of the “”American”” success story. He was born and raised in a Bombay India. Seeking his “”fame and fortune”” he came to America to study Business Administration at New York University. While there he met his partner of 40 years writer/director James Ivory. Their partnership and friendship spawned well over 40 films, including; “”Remains of The Day””, “”Howard’s End””, and “”A Room With A View””. Together the Merchant/Ivory team, have had three best picture Oscar nominations, and have won numerous awards. Merchant/Ivory is probably one of the most successful producers of mainstream “”art house”” films in history.

He has worked with diverse stars like Uma Thurman, Angelica Houston, Nick Nolte and has produced numerous films throughout the world. As a matter of fact what makes the success of Merchant/Ivory films so amazing is the simple fact that the majority of their productions are done outside of the Hollywood system, with funding coming primarily from foreign countries. When watching a Merchant/Ivory film, you feel like you are going on a world tour. Currently he’s working on a project in France which features Kate Hudson, Glenn Close, Stockard Channing, and Matthew Modine, just to name a few. Although Merchant has been involved in numerous films as a producer, he has very rarely felt the urge to direct them. Well in “”The Mystic Masseur”” the tell of a young man from Trinidad who is trying to find his place in the world, he felt strongly enough about the material to take the reigns himself. And if all of this isn’t enough the man has the nerve to be an expert chef as well, and has written numerous books on Indian Cooking. We recently caught up with the busy director/producer/chef in DC and here’s what he had to say. ———————————————————-EMWell let’s start off by asking my standard overly broad question. Tell us who you are, and why we’re talking to you today.IMI’m one of the partners in a company called Merchant/Ivory productions and I’m here to talk about our latest film “”The Mystic Masseur””. This is our 46th film, and my partner, James Ivory and I worked together for more than 40 years.EMWow! 46 movies in 40 years, you must like to stay busy.IMWe’ve had the same writer for more than 30 years and the same composer for 36 years. Our work is being produced in Europe, America, and now with this film in Trinidad.EMOne of my favorite scenes in the movie is when Ganesh is finished writing his book, and his stepfather opens it and gets upset with him because there’s no dedication to him. As a writer yourself, did you experience this personally?IM[laughs] I dedicated some to my family and to Jim and Ruth. The question of dedication is very important when you start thinking about people who help you, like my composer who did all the measurements for the ingredients, for my cookbook. I’m a very unconventional cook, and never measure anything.EMHow did you get interested in cooking?IMWell, I came here as a student, and I couldn’t relish the thought of eating hot dogs and hamburgers.EMDo you own a restaurant?IMNo, I never have. Many people have asked me to, but in order to do it right, you have to treat it like a full time job, and I just don’t have time.EMHow would you explain this movie?IMThis movie is from the heart and enduring to me. The journey of Ganesh is about a man from humble beginnings who goes from being a teacher, to a masseuse, to a healer, to a politician, and finally a great writer. This character’s journey is one that anyone around the world can relate to. It’s a journey of self discovery.EMDo you think that Ganesh’s first novel failed because he hadn’t yet experienced life yet and do you think that as a writer you have to live life?IMWell you have to live in order to write. The reason Ganesh’s first book failed is because it was very bad, all it was, was a series of questions and answers about the Hindu religion.EMWhat do you think drove Ganesh to want to use his popularity to become a politician?IMHe wanted the Indians to have a voice in the Trinidad in their government. Many people do not know that Indians make up 50 percent of the Trinidadian community. The history of this region is so interesting, particularly the language and the music. This film is such a wonderful opportunity for the world to see what its like to live in Trinidad.EMThis film was shot entirely on location in Trinidad. While watching it, you really feel like you are there and like you are watching a travelogue, do you think the American film going public will embrace a film like this?IMThe American movie audience has to be made ready. They cannot be handed everything on silver platter. They have to try and understand other countries and need to see and experience other cultures and world views. Just because Americans don’t want to understand on learn, doesn’t mean that we should close the door. We have to take the initiative and make them learn.EMAnd how do you go about doing that?IMBy making the film, if I was a defeatist I would have said ‘well who would want to see this movie beside Trinidadians?’ The success of the film in NY says that there’s a market for this movie. There’s been an amazing enthusiasm for the film so far. EMDo you get the sense that the standard American film going audience only wants American films, while internationally people are more open to all types of films and ideas. Besides this film how do you open American eyes to other cultures? I mean there’s always going to be that festival crowd that will sample everything, but what about the broader public?IMWell Il Postino made huge amounts of money and it was set in Italy. There are many films like Monsoon Wedding as well. There’s no reason why this film can’t make money. We’re not trying to be Star Wars or Spiderman, but there’s definitely and audience for it. When we made “”Room With A View””, everyone said that wouldn’t make money either, and it ended up making a huge amount. It had eight academy award nominations and we won three.EMDo you think your name and status will make people at least want to sample your film?IM Yes, I think the name Merchant/Ivory stands for quality and people have come to expect a certain level of quality in all the films that we make.Related LinksMerchant Ivory Productions Website Click Here to View Trailer CREDITSProducer – filmography(2000s) (1990s) (1980s) (1970s) (1960s) Divorce, Le (2003) (producer) Golden Bowl, The (2000) (producer) … aka Coupe d’or, La (2000) (France)Cotton Mary (1999) (producer) … aka Cotton Mary (1999) (France) Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries, A (1998) (producer) … aka Fille d’un soldat ne pleure jamais, La (1998) (France) Gaach (1998) (executive producer) Side Streets (1997) (executive producer) Surviving Picasso (1996) (producer) Jefferson in Paris (1995) (producer) Feast of July (1995) (executive producer) Remains of the Day, The (1993) (producer) Howards End (1992) (producer) Ballad of the Sad Cafe, The (1991) (producer) Mr. & Mrs. Bridge (1990) (producer) Slaves of New York (1989) (producer) Deceivers, The (1988) (producer) Perfect Murder, The (1988) (producer) Maurice (1987) (producer) Sweet Lorraine (1987) (executive producer) My Little Girl (1986) (executive producer) Room with a View, A (1986) (producer) Noon Wine (1985) (TV) (executive producer) Bostonians, The (1984) (producer) Courtesans of Bombay, The (1982) (TV) (producer) Heat and Dust (1982) (producer) Quartet (1981) (producer) Jane Austen in Manhattan (1980) (producer) Europeans, The (1979) (producer) Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie’s Pictures (1979) (TV) (producer) Roseland (1977) (producer) Autobiography of a Princess (1975) (producer) Wild Party, The (1975) (producer) Savages (1972) (producer) Adventures of a Brown Man in Search of Civilization (1971) (TV) (producer) Bombay Talkie (1970) (producer) Guru, The (1969) (producer) Shakespeare-Wallah (1965) (producer) Householder, The (1963) (producer) … aka Gharbar (1963) (India: Hindi title) Creation of Woman, The (1960) (producer) ——————————————————————————–Filmography as: Producer, Director, Actor——————————————————————————– Director – filmography(2000s) (1990s) (1980s) Mystic Masseur, The (2001) Cotton Mary (1999) … aka Cotton Mary (1999) (France) Proprietor, The (1996) … aka Propri

Updated: June 3, 2002 — 12:20 pm