Nilofeur lives above an elderly woman whose deep, dark eyes stir up distant memories of going to the cinema back in the Old City as a child. The woman introduces herself as Mary Ann and takes a kindly interest in Nilofeur. Mary Ann speaks of her own time in Bombay as a young woman, which she describes as a time of glamor and stardom.
Her knowledge of classic Bollywood startles even Nilofeur, a self-described "cinephile." They agree to go to the cinema together to catch a film sometime.
The old woman begins to enter Nilofeur's dreams, her eyes concealed behind a mask.
Mary Ann asks Nilofeur what she's chasing after.
What's her destination?
Nilofeur asks Mary Ann what life did she leave behind in Bombay.
Nilofeur cannot answer Mary Ann's questions and Mary Ann refuses to answer Nilofeur's; refuses to
give Nilofeur any indication whether her suspicion is correct or not.
In Nilofeur's dreams, she relives her time in the cinema...
I think the idea of Nilofeur meeting a woman named Mary Ann in New York could have several possibilities. In a sense Mary Ann could be 'any' woman a newcomer in a city like this could meet in a coffee shop. and so, the narrative could have a certain controlled spiraling. Nilofeur's dreams become an entry into her own subconscious; scattered as it is; between places and places. I would want to explore the possibility of the MOMA archives. If they have film prints/stills on Nadia and we could look them up before we set off to shoot our very own Nadia.
ReplyDeletePS: what a stupid question the journalist asks her! ..if she was happy what she did. I almost felt like butting him in his face. sorry.