‘Mumbai’ becomes India’s ‘Sound of Music’
Move over Bollywood. Step aside “Slumdog.” And while there may be “Bombay Dreams,” now the hills are alive with “The Sound of Music.”
The American India Foundation hosted the U.S. premiere of “The Sound of Mumbai” Aug.14 at the Spertus Museum in Chicago.
The documentary, shot over nine weeks in 2009, was picked up by HBO and is set to air this fall. But its path to Chicago is credited to Harit Talwar, American India Foundation trustee and Lake Forest resident.
When he saw the “The Sound of Mumbai: A Musical” he knew the film about the kids of Muktangan School and their choral performance would resonate with his fellow AIF members and immediately set out to bring it to Chicago.
“I saw the film three months ago in London, and I decided we had to get involved,” Talwar said. “It is sincere, the cause is great and the roots are based on our philosophy.”
The AIF is the largest philanthropic organization focused exclusively on India. Since its inception 10 years ago, with former President Bill Clinton as a patron, the organization has benefited more than 1.5 million Indians. Its mission is to create innovative programs to accelerate social and economic change in India.
“The Sound of Mumbai: A Musical” filmmakers hope to accelerate economic changes for the kids featured in the film by setting up scholarship programs to fund their education. But the path to scholarships almost didn’t happen.
Australian-born, London-based director Sarah McCarthy ignored countless e-mails from a French horn-playing friend of hers. Her persistent friend and accomplished musician Joe Walters headed to India to serve as a guest conductor for the Mumbai Chamber Orchestra. And he believed the 80-year-old musical organization had a story she needed to tell.
McCarthy disagreed. Then an e-mail arrived that had an interesting program on the orchestra’s calendar: Muktangan School students singing songs from the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein timeless classic “The Sound of Music.”
But this group had no previous choral training and all its members live in Mumbai’s Worli slum in grim conditions. Their circumstances confine them to an urban jungle mired in crushing poverty.
“I thought of the film set in the mountains and this choir of kids without green space was a such a cool disconnect to explore,” McCarthy said.
The director tried to secure financing, but came up short. So Walters charged three airline tickets — for himself, McCarthy and cameraman Liam Iondoli — and headed to the slums to tell the choir’s story. From the first rehearsal to the day after the concert at Mumbai’s prestigious National Centre for the Performing Arts, viewers experience the entire range of the choir — both musically and emotionally.
The Muktangan School is unusual in Mumbai as students take their lessons in English rather than their native language. And these students aren’t afforded many opportunities, so the stakes are high for the performers.
The AIF aims to help fund philanthropic efforts like those seen at Muktangan School. The foundation adheres to a core set of values as to how it funds projects.
“We don’t write a check without knowing how we’re addressing the situation,” said Raj Bhatia of Lake Forest, an AIF trustee. “We started DE [Digital Equalizer] 10 years ago. It was literally a tractor trailer that went from rural area to rural area bringing computers to schools.”
The program has trained more than 24,000 teachers and has provided a computer and Internet digital education to more than 750,000 children across India.
Dedication to AIF’s philanthropy runs in the Bhatia family. Bhatia’s 17-year-old daughter Ariana, a senior at Lake Forest Academy, started a junior chapter of the organization. Through her group’s dance marathon fundraising efforts, they have raised more than $13,000.
“It’s so gratifying my child is learning to give back at such a young age,” Bhatia said.
And what does Bhatia think of the film?
“Absolutely enjoyed it,” Bhatia said. “Especially seeing the reality through the eyes of an artist.”
The reality of the slums and the dire circumstances of 11-year-old Ashish and his classmates illustrate the need for AIF and its solution-based approach to philanthropic giving.
And for those of us with Western problems? After filming “The Sound of Mumbai,” McCarthy has fresh perspective on how to deal with them.
“Never whinge [whine] about anything, ever,” she said. “Always be positive. Those kids weren’t content with their lives, but they are clever enough to know that their shot at getting out of their current circumstances means they have to be positive. … When I think of Ashish, I think, ‘shut up and get on with it.’ ”
The movie has had a great reception on the film festival circuit. And it’s now safe to open the bills
“We’ve paid off the credit cards. We’re now back to zero,” Walters said.
By Meg Moore
Originally published August 18, 2011 in Pioneer Press Newspapers.