Parsis in Paris: Little Zizou in the Land of Zidane
It's not often one finds photographs of Parsis on display in the heart of Paris. But that is just what strollers along the Seine can find this fall. The photographs, by Sooni Taraporevala, are part of the Quai Branly museum's biannual exhibition Photoquai. It is free and open to the public 24/7 through November 22.
Best known as a talented screen writer who has worked closely with film maker Mira Nair on such movies as Salaam Bombay! and The Namesake, Taraporevala was in Paris last week for the exhibition and for a double screening of her newly released feature film Little Zizou. Like her photographs, Little Zizou is a loving portrait of the Parsi community to which Ms. Taraporevala belongs. But whereas the photographs are elegant, faintly nostalgic black-and-white compositions that speak as much about what the community has lost as about what it still holds on to, the film is a zany, colorful comedy propelled by the antics of a cast of outsized characters very much alive in the here and now.
The film gets its name from the movie's protagonist, a motherless little boy who escapes both his self-absorbed and overbearing father and attending a school he doesn't much enjoy by playing a computer soccer game featuring the French mega-star Zinedine Zidane. Everyone in Paris knows that Zidane's nickname is "Zizou." Few Parisians know that Parsis in Mumbai also know this. From the hours he spends playing soccer as an on-screen tiny animated Zidane, Xerxes a winsome child named after the august personage of one of the great kings of Persia, acquires the nickname "little Zizou." At the screening I attended of Little Zizou in Paris, audiences laughed nonstop at the antics of little Zizou and the various characters that surround him. The film's light humor is delightful. But the subject at the heart of the film is no laughing matter. The film's humor is a sugary coating that allows audiences to confront a rather bitter pill: the threat to an already dwindling community -- it is estimated there are fewer than 100,000 Parsis, the Zoroastrians of India, left in the entire world -- by the rise of fanatical fundamentalists who, like their counterparts in every other religion, seek to define who is and is not a Parsi, what is and what is not the true faith in terms few real-life people would want to embrace.
With riotously funny parody -- at one point the overheated faithful are rallied to participate in a protest wearing t-shirts emblazoned with PLO, which, for those of you living outside the movie means "Parsi Liberation Organization" -- and deliciously campy performances by her villains contrasted with heartbreakingly nuanced performances from her heroes, Ms. Taraporevala deftly neutralizes the fundamentalist threat to what is left of her beloved community. (This film touches very close to home for Ms. Taraporevala whose own two children star in the movie, and whose husband makes a cameo appearance as a dog-walker.)
When asked if Zidane, who, after this movie, may forever be known as "Big Zizou," knew about the film, Taraporevala replied: "I don't know. I don't think so."
Little Zizou has yet to find a French distributor. If the reaction of the audience at the screening I attended in Paris is any indication of the film's potential, there is definitely an audience in France for this film. So, I call upon Zidane's fans around the world: let's make Big Zizou aware of Little Zizou and give this movie the spotlight it deserves.
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I saw “Little Zizou” in LA, with a bunch of Zoroastrian friends, both Iranian and Parsi. Being a soccer fan, I was expecting something like “Bend It Like Beckham.” This was not at all a soccer movie. But, we all loved it! To be honest, I didn’t expect a directing debut by a screenwriter - even a seasoned one like Taraporevala - to be any good. What a surprise! Of course the screenplay was tight, funny, and packed a punch. But the art direction, editing, and sound were really powerful too. I hope it gets at least some theatrical distribution in the US and Canada.
I've been a fan of Sooni's writing for some time, since I first saw her
writing come to life by Mira Nair in the amazing Salaam Bombay! and then
Mississippi Masala. It is great to see her spread her wings as director
and craft a finely textured film that is at surface a broad and bawdy
comedy but at heart examining the conflicts and convictions that lead to
strife, war, and, in this case, the end of a community -- the Parsis --
that has survived and at times thrived since leaving Persia a thousand
years ago for India. The characters that populate Little Zizou are
diverse, but all share a certain passion for the lives they believe in
and a willingness to tell others what to do. Amidst all this, Little
Zizou sizes up the world. The audience I saw this movie with laughed as
hard as I did, and there were poignant and quiet moments where you could
hear a pin drop. After all is said and done, we are sad to think that a
community so colorful and passionate as this is dying as we watch the
film, and that its most famous photographer, screenwriter and now
director has documented this dramatically. As an aside, I saw her
photos of the Parsis in her amazing book; this is true documentary work, one-of-a-kind,
historical. Little Zizou is an emotional statement about the community
and about living life in tolerance of others.
Tired of the same old money and violence formula in movies these days? See this movie for something interesting , light hearted, family oriented, from the heart and different.
Ever since I first saw Oscar-nominated "Salaam Bombay" at my university cinema, I've been impressed with Taraporevala's work. She consistently crafts characters and worlds where identities collide in powerful ways. Her screenwriting, photography -- and now directing -- hasn't disappointed since!
She may be India's first internationally-acclaimed screenwriter; but she's also an amazing professional photographer. She's documented India's Parsi Zoroastrian community for more than 2 decades. Her book PARSIS: THE ZOROASTRIANS OF INDIA - A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY is a striking visual work. Taraporevala, often on set to see her screenplays come to life, also has a beautiful body of work at film shoots. See http://www.soonitaraporevala.com
"Little Zizou," is in some ways, her photography book come to life -- backed with a Taraporevala-strong script. See http://www.littlezizouthemovie.com
It's also a film with widespread appeal. Fundamentalism is not an easy subject to make a film about, let alone a funny one with a poignant edge. But it's resonated with people of all stripes. I hope that includes the real "Zizou."
Taraporevala is a gifted photographer, as I learned when a friend showed me her book PARSIS: THE ZOROASTRIANS OF INDIA several years ago. I had no idea this was the same woman who wrote the film screenplay for SALAAM BOMBAY, one of my all-time favorite (and Oscar-nominated) films! So it's no surprise that her first time directing should marry all her talents together, with a story about the community she knows best, in the city she knows best.
I am sure that like her photographs, and other films, that this film is personal, emotional, and beautiful. I look forward to seeing LITTLE ZIZOU, and hope it gets distribution deals worldwide. I also hope to hear of more exhibits of her photography in other countries. I encourage anyone in Paris to go see Taraporevala's photos on exhibit; and to purchase her lovely photography book.
I’ve long been a fan of “Big Zizou” (Zinedine Zidane), and now a fan of “Little Zizou”! Watching it in Paris, I felt so many connections. Zidane, as a French Algerian origin sports star, embodies many issues of race and marginalisation the French public struggles with. Yet he remains quietly and stubbornly himself, even as others seek to comment on his identity. “Little Zizou,” takes place in Mumbai’s Parsi community, yet more importantly, the film - and the title character - express that everyone’s humanity is precious, especially children’s. Ms. Taraporevala’s other films (like her photographs along the Seine) eloquently reflect complex identities, and this film also makes identity personal but universal. Big Zizou should be proud of this film.
We had the second-ever-in-the-world screening of Little Zizou last November 2008 at our annual South Asian Literary and Theater Arts Festival (SALTAF) at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. Our screening was a major success with an audience of almost 600 (the largest auditorium in the Smithsonian complex was filled to capacity!) We were thrilled beyond words that Sooni, producer Dinaz Stafford and LZ star Boman Irani could join us onstage...was a magical afternoon.
Everyone should be so lucky to see this wonderful film. Big Zizou included! Someone get him to a screening already. High time indeed!
little zizou is that rare great movie that is both hilarious and important. like dr strangelove or being there or mash. i laughed the whole way through, and only later realized how amazingly subtly the filmmaker got her message across. it isn't just about parsis or even religion, it's about how we live and love together. but the parsis and this story are really really funny. and it's so cool how she made something totally global from something local. wish i could take my kids, my whole family to see this movie. i happened to see it at a festival, but does anyone know when it will be in theaters??? this is the kind of movie i'd get out of the house for, that i'd like to see with an audience. hey sooni, i hope you're making more movies...
I think Little Zizou is an important film because it addresses the way our global culture works, identifies the things that inspire us, the things that make us and portrays our ability to both belong to and transcend our locale. This ability is something that we would like our governments, our schools, even ourselves as parents, to be able to achieve but more often than not, we can't do it as we blunder along with our policies and principles. Little Zizou however, with unselfconscious ease, does it. At the same time, this identification doesn't invalidate his identity as a Parsi. How can one both, be, and transcend? The film is inspiring because Sooni Tarporevala in her heartfelt script breaks newground and gently traces how this process occurs. I hope Zinedine Zidane will see it as such and support the film as part of the responsibility he shoulders as a figure of the world.
I saw little Zizou at its premiere in Mumbai, India. What struck me most about the film was the very careful framing of the individual shots, the techical excellence. And of course the kids, I love Sooni's kids to distraction. The first time I held Jahan in my hands I was so afraid I would drop him, and have worried about him ever since. I'm sure it's a totally unfounded fear.
Anyway.
Peace.
It's a great film, be sure you watch it.
Little Zizou is a delightful movie about our Parsi community. I have felt proud in viewing it with my family, who share my views. Sooni Taraporevala has worked hard, along with her fleet of artists which is very evident. I support the views expressed by Mira Kamdar in her article and wish this wonderful movie all the best in popularity and future success in every way possible.
I'm a huge fan of the film. Had no connection at all with Parsi culture before viewing LZ right around this time last year, at a NYC film festival. As I sat in a dark movie theater, a lightbulb moment happened and I realized how closely knit we all are in this world, and if a film can make me feel that way, WOW, it's a film to watch. We are all human in the end, and LZ is a human story with a lovely undertone of love, family, acceptance and understanding. My own Italian roots felt a strong connection with the characters in the film, seen dancing to 'Mambo Italiano' and being playful with one another as my uncles and aunts in Naples would often do. Little Zizou is a beautiful film and I agree that a US distribution deal would be a great hit for any distribution company. This is truly a 'crossover' hit, as love never needs any explanation... Hope to see more of Zizou on this side of the Ocean!
I am writing from India. it is a gem of a film, that creates a
beautiful world. Hope the film acquires more and
more audience, worldwide
I usually support Humanity rather than community, but the article does have some well chosen words about a movie which grew (and still growing) close to my heart everytime i watch it. It does have a sugar coating indeed, but the feelings are really deep and intense, and a new thing cathes my eye everytime i watch it. there are innumerous i have to ... Read Moreshare and for which this comment space is too small. I just prayed since the very first time i watched it, everyone was happy indeed, but BIG ziziou must meet the little one at some point of time!... So all i can say is I pray that Parsis Also Rock Paris ... Awesome Article.... its a treat reading it... wish it was a bit longer ... he he he!!!
Little Zizou is a fantastic movie -- a really interesting portrayal of Parsi culture in India and an entertaining romp all around. If you haven't seen it yet, you should! Whoever gives this film a distribution deal will be raking in the dough...
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