Filmmaker Anthony Maras said in an interview that aired Monday on Hill.TV’s “Rising” that his new film, “Hotel Mumbai,” which depicts the 2008 terror attacks on the Indian city, is a “plea for peace” in a divided political world.
“The film at its heart is a plea for peace,” Maras said when asked if moviegoers were ready for the film amid today’s politically polarized environment.
“Sure, it’s set in the midst of a terror attack, but the inspiring message of the film, if you can break it down to that, is people who are coming from all different races, religions, ethnic backgrounds, coming together to survive this ordeal,” he continued.
The film depicts how the famous Taj Mahal Palace Hotel suffered through a coordinated terror attack by Pakistani militants. Other places came under attack as well, including the Oberoi Trident hotel.
“In fact, within three weeks of these attacks where much of the hotel was destroyed — Oberoi and the Taj reopened the first restaurant just three weeks after the attack, and within a minute of it opening, it was full,” he said. “Within 21 months, they opened a hotel for the public again, and it’s a real show of resilience and a triumph, I think, of the human spirit.”
Actress Nazanin Boniadi, who is in the film, told Hill.TV that the movie presents a theme of unity that the world needs now more than ever.
“It really is an anthem of resistance,” Boniadi said. “I think now more than ever, we need this kind of message of unity.”
— Julia Manchester
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