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Journalism of Courage
Author Salman Rushdie and Boom director Kaizad Gustad seem to have conflicting memories of their meeting in the spring of 2002.
Gustad says he only met Rushdie once, at a ‘‘lovely dinner in New York when I even quoted chapters of Midnight’s Children’’ back at him. But Rushdie on Monday referred to Gustad as an ‘‘unpleasant man’’ in a television byte and added with disdain: ‘‘I have issues with him.’’
The comment reopened an entire can of worms. Rushdie did more than make personal comments on how he knew from the start what Boom’s disastrous fate would be. He also brought up the issue that many of the film’s cast fate would be. He also brought up the issue that many of the film’s cast and crew were still to be paid.
‘‘I’m a big fan, but he is entitled to his opinion,’’ responded Gustad. ‘‘I’m sorry he has issues with me, but I wished he had just called me. He’s just being a spokesperson for someone else.’’
Gustad said Rushdie never came on his sets. Insiders, however, reveal that the Booker Prize winner’s grouse may have been sparked off because Padma left the movie halfway after being shouted at by Gustad during the shooting. The director screamed at the model in the lobby of Dubai’s ultra-luxe Burj-al-Arab hotel, after which Padma walked out. An entire scene with co-star Amitabh Bachchan was left incomplete and had to be later edited out.
Rushdie said that several crew members of the Rs 22-crore, multi-star flop production had still not been paid their dues.
Ayesha Shroff, whose Quest Films produced Boom, refused to take calls. Its first assistant director Apurva Lakhia clarified that Shroff had always come through for him ‘‘but it may be true that some crew haven’t been paid’’.
