In the introduction to his autobiography, aptly titled My Passage From India, Ismail Merchant pays his tribute to the country of fervent moviegoers: “India is my country: the place which ignited my passion for film, and where my adventures as a filmmaker started.” From a star struck teenager in the early 1950s in Bombay to an enormously successful independent filmmaker of over 40 films, Ismail Merchant’s life reads like a fast-paced dream that bestsellers are made of. At 65, with 40 years of filmmaking and over 40 films behind him, he’s all geared up for Merchant Ivory Productions’ latest offering, Le Divorce (2003), which opens worldwide, this Spring.

Hailed as independent cinema’s biggest success story, Merchant Ivory Productions is as alive and throbbing with energy today as it was in 1961 when two young men from completely diverse cultural worlds, both with ambitions of being filmmakers, forged a partnership that would rewrite the rules of independent cinema in the studio-dominated horizon of Hollywood: Ismail Merchant and James Ivory.

Merchant Ivory Productions (MIP) has a special essence and meaning in the minds of viewers all over the world. Cultural interchanges, period pieces, lush photography, and an idyllic and charming world – these are some immediate associations that pop up in one’s mind at the mention of MIP.

It is not uncommon to hear of things and settings not related to films in anyway, being referred to or described as “Merchant Ivory.” This richness of meaning and shared understanding can very well be a textbook case in creating a successful brand. What is more amazing though, is the sheer range of settings that films from this production house boast of: from India’s bustling Bombay, earthy Bhopal and lush green Kerala to Italy’s seductive Florence, France’s fashionable Paris, Caribbean’s carnival Trinidad, and of course, Britain’s wholesome countryside.

In creating a multi-cultural world in their films, Ismail Merchant and James Ivory worked with a talented collaborator, writer Ruth Prawer Jabhwala. Many successful Merchant Ivory productions draw from works of the best of classic and contemporary writers: E. M. Forster (A Room with a View, Howards End, Maurice), Kazuo Ishiguro (Remains of the Day), V. S. Naipaul (The Mystic Masseur), Anita Desai (In Custody), and Ruth Prawer Jabhwala (who has written and / or adapted most of Merchant Ivory films, and has herself won the Booker prize for Heat and Dust). Indeed, no single production house is so strongly associated with blending literature and film, as Merchant Ivory Productions.

With offices in Bombay, London, New York and Paris, this unique production house has come a long way, and continues to consistently churn out subtle, yet rich and superior cinema.

A tête-à-tête with Ismail Merchant revealed an enchanting and delightful facet of one of India’s (and America’s) greatest film talents. In an exclusive interview to Planet Bollywood, Ismail Merchant bared his heart and talked about his dream film, his partnership with James Ivory, Bollywood musicals and the essence of his filmmaking. With an unmistakable perfect upper-class Bombay accent (even after 40 years in the West!), Ismail Merchant was quite a treat to talk to.

PB: With such an impressive body of work, is there any film / theme that you feel you should have made / tackled?

Ismail Merchant: I have always wanted to make a film on India’s Partition. It is an event that changed our history and the lives of so may Indians. It is time for us revisit this cataclysmic event and examine it, artistically.

PB: What would you say is the running theme / essence in your films?

Ismail Merchant: Cultural interchange. The mixture of cultures, the confrontation, the dynamics, the coming together of cultures. In the first decade of our filmmaking, we concentrated on Indian themed films for the western audience, like The Householder, The Delhi Way, The Guru, Shakespeare Wallah, Bombay Talkie, etc. In the second decade we expanded our horizons to settings in Europe and America, and from then on, we have constantly charted that cut across cultures and settings. Cultural exchange excites me because we’re all a part of one big world, though we love in our small little worlds.

PB: You have started directing feature films for Merchant Ivory Productions, apart from producing them. How do you decide which film you would direct and which film James Ivory would direct?

Ismail Merchant: When I find that I can relate to the material better, I choose to direct. For example, I directed In Custody, Cotton Mary and The Mystic Masseur, as I felt I identified with the cultural backdrop (Indian) in these films. Of course, all three of us (James, Ruth and I) agree on the material first. James has directed our latest film, Le Divorce.

PB: What would happen to Merchant Ivory Productions after both of you (James Ivory and you)? Do you have anyone in mind that would carry the mantle? Have you thought of grooming younger talent?

Ismail Merchant: Well, we would most certainly like to encourage and groom younger talent. Merchant Ivory Productions is a whole team of collaborators, technicians, and colleagues who work together on projects. It certainly will carry on in to the next generation. Zafar Hai (The Perfect Murder) and Nicholas Meyer (The Deceivers) were young talents who directed films for our production house. James and I are working on two projects already (after Le Divorce), so there is a lot going on, but we would be very open to a younger, new director, if the film idea arouses our interest and passion.

PB: What about younger Indian directors? With the obvious reach and exposure that Merchant Ivory Productions can give them, it would be a dream for any talented young Indian director to work for your production house.

Ismail Merchant: Well, again, Zafar Hai was an Indian director. And yes, we would welcome opportunities to work with talented young directors from India. For instance, Shyam’s (Benegal) cousin Dev Benegal is a bright young director. If anything comes up, it would be an interesting collaboration.

PB: It’s been a well documented and praised fact that a Merchant Ivory film costs $5 million to make, looks like a $50 million production and can in some cases, make over $70 million. How do you manage the grandeur and the look-and-feel that MIP films are so famous for, with a budget like that?

Ismail Merchant: We are a production family with very like minded and creative people. All our technicians and collaborators share the same vision and creative sensibility. And whatever we spend on, you can see that on screen. Let me give you a simple example: we don’t travel business class when we travel for work. We believe that the film should visually show all that we’ve spent on it. We do not spend on the lifestyle of us filmmakers, but on the project entirely.

PB: Do you watch current Indian movies at all? What kind of Indian movies interest you?

Ismail Merchant: Oh yes, I watch all the Bollywood musicals regularly. I am fond of them and try to catch up on all the latest ones. I think Aamir Khan’s Lagaan was a wonderful film and he has done India proud. I also remember watching Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Ghum. There is a lot of talent in India.

PB: Would you ever produce / direct a Bollywood musical?

Ismail Merchant: Why, yes. If there is a sensible story, am open to the idea.

PB: You’ve built your career from scratch, making a mark in an unknown world, coming from Bombay. You’ve pretty much seen it all – the struggle, the hiccups, the success and critical acclaim. What would you advise young aspiring filmmakers?

Ismail Merchant: Very simple: be passionate. There is nothing that you cannot do without passion. It isn’t easy, but your passion will see you through. Every journey starts with the passion and dreams of one man. There are others who join in and combine their talent and passion with yours, but it is your passion that has to start it all.

PB: While most of your acclaimed films are adapted screenplays, is there an original screenplay among your films that you particularly treasure?

Ismail Merchant: Shakespeare Wallah is one of my personal favorites which had an original screenplay by James and Ruth.

PB: Tell us about your current projects.

Ismail Merchant: Le Divorce opens in April everywhere. It stars Kate Hudson, and Naomi Watts along with a host of wonderful supporting artistes. It is the story of two American girls from California, and their adventures in Paris. Then there are two projects we have green lighted: A story of two sisters set in Venice, to be directed by James, and another project tentatively titled ‘Indians win the Empire’, set in England which I will be directing.

PB: Finally, tell us your most satisfying films as a filmmaker.

Ismail Merchant: Shakespeare Wallah and Heat and Dust were immensely satisfying productions. Among the films I’ve directed, In Custody and The Mystic Masseur were very fulfilling. Of course, each of Merchant Ivory productions is dear to me, but these are some films that have given me immense joy in making them.

The Creation of Woman (1960), The Householder (1963, MIP’s first feature film), Shakespeare Wallah (1965), The Guru (1969), Bombay Talkie (1970), Autobiography of a Princess (1975), the Europeans (1979), Heat and Dust (1983), A Room with a View (1986), Maurice (1987), The Perfect Murder (1988), Mr. & Mrs. Bridge (1990), Howard’s End (1992), The Remains of the Day (1993), In Custody* (1993), Jefferson in Paris (1995), Surviving Picasso (1996), The Proprietor* (1996), Cotton Mary* (1999), The Golden Bowl* (2000), The Mystic Masseur* (2002), Le Divorce (2003).

(* Films that Ismail Merchant directed; all others are produced by him.)

· Ismail Merchant has worked with actors like Paul Newman, Joan Woodward, Anthony Hopkins, Vanessa Redgrave, Nick Nolte, Judi Dench, Hugh Grant, Helena Bonham carter, Angelica Huston and Glenn Close.

· Shashi Kapoor seems like an Ismail Merchant favorite. He starred in Merchant Ivory’s first feature The Householder, and also in films like Heat and Dust and the relatively recent In Custody.

· Merchant Ivory films have won six Oscars so far (in various categories) and numerous nominations.

· Ismail Merchant shares a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for longest collaboration in independent filmmaking, with partner James Ivory.

· Ismail Merchant’s first film was a theatrical short, the Creation of Woman, which was nominated for an academy award and was an official entry from the United States in the Cannes film Festival the same year.

· The evocative life story of an Urdu poet, In Custody, directed by Ismail Merchant and starring Shashi Kapoor, Om Puri and Shabana Azmi, was based on a book of the same name by Anita Desai and won four National Awards from the Government of India. This was his first directorial feature film.

· Ismail Merchant and James Ivory received a BAFTA fellowship, the highest award of the British Academy.

· Ismail Merchant lives in New York City, and is a master chef and a skilled photographer. He has written books on cookery and a couple of memoirs on the filmmaking experience.

· His autobiography, My Passage From India (2002, Viking Studio), is an engrossing read with fascinating details of his journey from an aspiring filmmaker in Bombay to America’s king of independent cinema. You will enjoy details like his Masters in Business Administration from NYU, his friendship with Nimmi, a yesteryear Hindi film star, and how the famed partnership with James Ivory actually began.