Spirit of Mumbaikars post-7/11

Mumbai Meri Jaan is not about the conspiracy of the blasts but about the spirit of mankind.

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Keywords: Mumbai Train Blasts, 7/11 Blasts

Mumbai: Friday was the second anniversary of 7/11 train blasts, the day that Mumbai would like to forget. But many Mumbaikars like filmmaker Nishikant Kamat says that “one has to fight the fear to lead a normal life again.”

Kamat also says that his forthcoming film Mumbai Meri Jaan is not about the conspiracy of the blasts but about the spirit of mankind.

“I was really scared. I must have called at least 500 people that evening, just asking whether everyone was fine, have they reached home, if everything was safe,” Kamat said.

Kamat was not in Mumbai when the 7/11 blasts took place, and when he returned three days after the blast, the city seemed to have gone back to normal. Yet for some, their lives had changed dramatically forever and Kamat could not understand this dichotomy.

“How do they fight that fear and lead a normal life and get up and go to the work next day thinking or believing the world is still the safe place. It was that thought which triggered the story,” Kamat said.

A story, which has now translated into Mumbai Meri Jaan starring Irfan Khan, Madhavan, Kay Kay, Soha Ali and Paresh Rawal.

“Mumbai Meri Jaan is not about conspiracy, it’s not about investigation, about how it happened or what happened. It is about the human spirit. It’s a salute to the spirit of mankind,” Kamat said.

The film looks into the lives of five people from different walks of life and how their life changed post 7/11. A human drama based on facts and figures, Mumbai Meri Jaan wasn't an easy project.

“I know people who suffered and most importantly we researched because we didn’t want to go wrong on any of these grounds. It took us almost 8.5 months to write the script. So probably after 8.5 months of scripting, we got things into place, like the dates, timing of the blasts. We went into it slightly deeper because it is a very delicate subject,” Kamat said.

Film and direction apart, a true Mumbaikar at heart, Kamat knows that his city will survive the ravages of time as it has always done in the past.