He is considered one of the greatest living writers in the Queen’s language. Now for the first time the celebrated writer V S Naipaul’s debut novel, The Mystic Masseur, will be canned into a celluloid saga.
A joint venture by Merchant Ivory productions and Pritish Nandy Communications, The Mystic Masseur, is scheduled for an international premiere in October 2001.
To be directed by Ismail Merchant, who has produced several award winning films such as Heat and Dust, A Room With a View, Howard’s End and Golden Bowl, Naipaul’s novel set in the 50s in Trinidad uncovers a rich vein of ethnic humor in the world of the Caribbean Hindu.
Mystic Masseur traces the fortunes of Ganesh Ramsumair, an aspiring writer who uses his mystical curative powers to gain fame and political power—only to return to his roots as a small town ‘country man’.
The story of Ganesh, as Naipaul opines, is "in a way, the history of our times." This may be taken with a pinch of salt but the screen version is sure to be something to savor.
He is considered one of the greatest living writers in the Queen’s language. Now for the first time the celebrated writer V S Naipaul’s debut novel, The Mystic Masseur, will be canned into a celluloid saga.