Evocative entertainer

Little Zizou is a fascinating peep into the well-known and lovable eccentricities of the Parsi community. It is an extremely enjoyable film; the pace never slackens and though the film is frothy and full of fun and frolic there is a very serious concern amidst the exuberance and the energy.

The story centers around two families. The central character through whose eyes we see the world is Xerxes or Little Zizou, an 11-year-old school student who is more out of school than in it and who dreams of a visit to Bombay from Zinedine Zidane, the French football player. Xerxes is motherless and his father, the odious Cyrus II Khodaiji, a religious bigot, a fraudulent faith-healer and a coward, has no time for either Xerxes or for his elder brother Artaxerxes, who is a talented comicstrip illustrator. The second family comprises Boman Pressvala, who, as his name suggests, is the editor and the owner of a newspaper which is on the verge of bankruptcy, his wife Roxanne and their two daughters, Zenobia who is the love of Artaxerxes’ life and Liana who hates Xerxes violently as she is convinced that her mother loves him more than she loves her own daughter.

All the actors play their roles with consummate skill and great understanding. As Little Zizou, Jahan Bativala is a born actor with his sensitive face and a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. His faith in his dead mother to bring Zidane to Bombay is extremely touching and never allows his role to descend into one of maudlin sentimentality. As a perfect foil to his character is Liana, Iyanah Bativala, who manages to steal our hearts by portraying that exact balance between the innocent schoolgirl and the prim, little miss who is too old for her age. Imaad Shah, as Artaxerxes, is a versatile actor: sensitive and caring in his role as an elder brother, vulnerable as the young man who suffers the pangs of unrequited love, and filled with tact and bonhomie in his dealings with his friends.

Boman Irani, Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal and Cyrus Broacha are excellent in the portrayal of their characters but one feels a bit cheated as it seems as if the parts have been written for them; it is sad that Sooni Taraporevala did not really demand more from these very versatile actors. This cannot be said of Shernaz Patel’s performance who does an extremely convincing portrayal of Khodaiji’s secretary, a small role, but played to perfection and she manages to steal every scene in which she is present. Zenobia Shroff brings to her role a certain maturity and sensitivity as the wife of Boman Pressvala, the mother to the girls and surrogate mother to the Khodaiji boys.

Director Sooni Taraporevala (left) and producer Dinaz Stafford

Under all the fun and frolic is a rather serious concern with religious intolerance and fanaticism. In a chat with Bikas Mishra, Taraporevala mentioned: "It’s outrageous what people are doing in the name of religion… The way I see it is that religious leaders do things for their own personal gains and in the process destroy the world and brainwash gullible people. So that is not restricted to Parsis, you see it everywhere but I saw it happening within the Parsi community as well. Yes, it is a microcosmic view of the world.” Keeping her views in mind, it is disappointing she allows the role of Cyrus II Khodaiji to degenerate into a caricature. Though Sohrab Ardeshir performs his blustering, odious part effectively, he is presented as a unidimensional joker, a theatrically farcical figure of fun. The vicious so-called religious person who has no compunctions of even shaking hands with the devil and causing damage to an innocent person who has merely opposed him, is not a joke. The capacity to ensnare the minds of young people even for a brief span and harness them to bigotry and religious intolerance is not something to be laughed away and the sinister and dangerous aspect of his character could have been developed.

This is Sooni Taraporevala’s directorial debut and another feather in her cap which is already bursting with feathers. She has to her credit a marvellous coffee table book of photographs on the Parsis and has written the scripts of Salaam Bombay!, Mississippi Masala and The Namesake (based on Jumpa Lahiri’s novel). Her skills as a scriptwriter cannot be questioned as no fault can be found with the script which is effective, natural and witty. The interplay between English and Gujarati seems totally natural and effortless. This is especially noticeable in the scenes between Boman and Liana. Even the Gujarati words which are used evoke a certain flavor and seem perfectly appropriate for the occasion.

There are moments of awkwardness and the end does seem to be a bit too neat with everything tying up perfectly but the pace never slackens and the film is a charming entertainer. I can think of no other film, with the exception of Percy which was far more serious and sober, which captures the spirit of a community in such an effective manner.