By Sugandha Rawal
New Delhi, March 31 (IANS) Before his work trip to Mumbai, acclaimed Hollywood director Christopher Nolan enjoyed a short stay with his family here away from the glare of arch-lights.
Nolan was welcomed to the capital in 'desi' style, and enjoyed some Indian flavours during his stay in the capital.
According to a well-placed source, the director, who has lent his creative vision to bring forward immersive stories like "Batman Begins", "The Dark Knight", "The Dark Knight Rises", "Inception", "Interstellar" and "Dunkirk", was in the national capital for three-four days, and left for Mumbai on March 29.
Nolan, who is in India to draw attention to the importance of celluloid in the digital age, stayed at The Taj Mahal Hotel here.
"Nolan, his wife and acclaimed producer Emma Thomas Nolan and their children were treated with a warm traditional Indian welcome," the source told IANS.
They were surprised with customised welcome amenities and macaroons inspired by flavours of India placed in their Oriental-themed luxury suite.
The family also relished a meal at Wasabi by Morimoto, a Japanese restaurant.
"Three of the stellar dishes specially crafted for the family included tuna pizza, the signature sushi and sashimi platter, rock shrimp tempura and Teppanyaki Soba - a sumptuous vegetarian delicacy for Ms. Emma Thomas," added the source.
In fact, Nolan also posed with the team of the restaurant and praised them saying the "food was excellent".
Nolan is regarded as one of the most influential filmmakers of the 21st century. He continues to use the traditional film for his movies.
Work and love for cinema has brought him to the country. Indian filmmaker and archivist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, founder of the Film Heritage Foundation (FHF), is hosting Nolan at a three-day event 'Reframing the Future of Film' in Mumbai from March 30 to April 1.
According to another source, Nolan's Mumbai trip is packed and he has no time for leisure.
"It is all about meeting people associated with the film industry to talk about the issue, which has brought him to India. He is expected to fly out on April 2," the source told IANS.
As part of his work trip, he has met Indian superstars like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Kamal Haasan.
Talking about filmmaking at a session in Mumbai, Nolan said: "There are odds that one faces in the process of filmmaking... financing the film, shooting the film... odds are there in it. So, the question arises that why somebody would be interested to shoot a film in film camera which is more difficult to shoot?
"But filmmaking is not just about logic and pragmatism, it is about dreams, magic and experience."
Nolan, who had come to India to shoot "The Dark Knight Rises" in Jodhpur back in 2011, will also be present for the screenings of two of his recent films - Oscar-nominated "Dunkirk" and "Interstellar".
(Sugandha Rawal can be contacted at sugandha.r@ians.in)
