/> Mira Nair's life just became richer. The grand reunion in Goa last week with the cast and crew of Salaam Bombay 22 years after its release left the internationally-feted filmmaker exhilarated and emotionally charged.

Says Mira, "It was part of the retrospective of my films at the International Film Festival Of India (IFFI) last week.Last year when Salaam Bombay turned 21 it was screened at the British Film Institute.

Mira met up with the child kids from the film Hansa Vitha and Shafiq Syed, now grownups.

Mira is proud of what Hansa and Safiq have done with their lives. "Hansa and Shafiq are very content and happily married. By a bizarre coincidence they both have three kids with a fourth child on the way. I told them, ab bas band karo. I lectured them on family planning.

Shafiq is a sound recordist and an autorickshaw owner. I was very particular about their lives. When the child actor from Hector Babenco's Pixote, a film that deeply inspired me, passed away I was devastated. It was a warning for us. We realized the danger of working with street kids in Salaam Bombay to portray their own lives.

When we couldn't find institutions to support these kids we created our own institution, the Salaam Baalak Trust.It too is also celebrating its 22nd year. We've 17 centres in Mumbai and 5, 000 kids being looked after. Many kids who acted in Salaam Bombay worked at the centres formed by our Trust and then went on to do other things in life."

Says Mira, "Salaam Bombay has. It had a very important influence on the Indian government's policies on children.Our Salaam Baalak Trust is directly linked to policy makers. In fact I offered the services of our Trust to Danny Boyle for his kids in Slumdog Millionaire. They didn't need to invent new wheels to look after their kids. Mujhe kya maloom why they didn't take up my offer."

Can art change life?

Salaam Bombay, says Mira, was a new way of seeing India. What about Mira's second Mumbai film Shantaram?

Sighs Mira, "I pray that it will happen. It's a beloved cult novel. There's not a day when someone doesn't ask me about Shantaram. But the project is controlled by Johnny Depp. And Johnny is a big industry.

I've spent a year doing the screenplay with Eric Roth. I hope it will happen. But it's not for me to decide when.India has become very much a nerve-centre for filmmaking."

Films on Mumbai city have had a long global life since Salaam Bombay. Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire could be considered a culmination point for a movement started by Mira's film.

Recalls Mira, "You could be right. Mumbai is an easy place to make films on. I thought the two other films on Mumbai besides Salaam Bombay that captured the real Mumbai were Ram Gopal Varma's Satya and Anurag Kashyap's Black Friday."

Interestingly one of Mira's favourite actors Irrfan Khan had a small role in Salaam Bombay.

Laughs Mira, "What a joy to see him as a fresh-faced 18-year old in Salaam Bombay. I took him out of NSD and I cast him as one of the main kids. But he was super-tall so he didn't work out physically as part of the group.So I had to uncast him.

He still has one scene as a scribe. From then on I was a guilt trip until I cast Irrfan in The Namesake.For Ashok Gangooly in The Namesake he was perfect.Irrfan cursing himself for not being 22-years old to play The Reluctant Fundamentalist."

Prod Mira to comment on Slumdog Millionaire and she says reluctantly, "It captured me for the first 20 minutes. The kids were so real. I thought casting director Loveleen Tandon did a wonderful job by insisting on casting real kids. The kids felt truthful.

But when the kids became older the film became a feelgood potboiler, a fable told with kinetic speed. My friend the writer Sooni Taraporevala says Slumdog Millionaire was Salaam Bombay on speed.That didn't absorb me. I didn't buy it.Really, Mumbai was the city that made Slumdog happen."

Recalls Mira, "I remember when Salaam Bombay was nominated for an Academy Award (Oscar). This was before the India fever abroad. Jacquline Bisset and Candice Bergan who made the announcement, could pronounce my name.

Sooni leaned over to me and said, 'India has still a long way to go.'They couldn't even pronounce the name of the film and actors.They say you take your greatest risks when doing your first film. I still try to be fearless.My second film Mississippi Masala too was free of fears. It was about the compulsions behind being brown between black and white.

The film was saying something dangerous. Denzel Washington had just won the Oscar and he could've done any film.But he chose Mississippi Masala because as he said, he was knocked out by Salaam Bombay and because the Asian-African love-story had never been seen before.I'd say my three most beloved films are Salaam Bombay, Monsoon Wedding and The Namesake."

Mira is moving ahead with the musical version of Monsoon Wedding. "We just had a reading of it on 22 November. Right after I deliver The Reluctant Fundamentalist in October we start rehearsals for the play version of Monsoon Wedding. Spring 2012 is when it opens in Broadway."

It is unlikely that any member of the Original film would feature in the stage version of Monsoon Wedding.

Warns Mira, "My cast in Monsoon Wedding was so fabulous. But the play gives me a chance to work with a new exciting cast. You've to remember this is Broadway.There's actors' equity to be considered.

Because of the union rules I'll only be allowed to bring two actors from outside. Also the discipline between film and theatre is very different. The actor on stage needs huge amounts of stamina to sing dance and perform.We've Bollywood actors who do sing and dance. But let's see."