Sooni Taraporevala

Biography

Sooni Taraporevala was born on July 25, 1957, in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, into a Parsi family. She attended Queen Mary School and later graduated from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, with a degree in English Literature. She went on to study filmmaking and photography at Harvard University and later pursued screenwriting at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Her multicultural education and exposure to diverse artistic traditions greatly influenced her creative vision.

Career Beginnings

Sooni Taraporevala began her career as a photographer and screenwriter. Her early work focused on capturing the essence of India’s urban and cultural life, particularly the Parsi community to which she belongs. Her talent for storytelling soon found expression in cinema, where she established herself as one of India’s most respected screenwriters.

Screenwriting Career

Her first major success came with the screenplay for Salaam Bombay! (1988), directed by Mira Nair. The film received global acclaim and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The project marked the beginning of a long and fruitful collaboration between Taraporevala and Nair.

She went on to write screenplays for several notable films, including:

Mississippi Masala (1991), starring Denzel Washington and Sarita Choudhury, explored themes of identity and diaspora.

The Namesake (2006), an adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri’s acclaimed novel, which earned widespread praise for its sensitivity and emotional depth.

My Own Country (1998) and Little Zizou (2008), the latter of which she also directed.

Directorial Work

Sooni made her directorial debut with Little Zizou (2008), a heartwarming film set in Mumbai’s Parsi community. The film won multiple international awards and was appreciated for its humor, authenticity, and humanity.

In 2020, she directed Yeh Ballet, a Netflix original film based on her own 2017 short documentary. The film tells the inspiring true story of two boys from humble backgrounds who dream of becoming ballet dancers. It showcased her ability to blend realism with hope and optimism, earning critical acclaim for its nuanced storytelling.

Photography & Writing

Apart from her film career, Sooni Taraporevala is also an accomplished photographer. Her photography book Parsis: The Zoroastrians of India – A Photographic Journey (2000) is considered a landmark documentation of the Parsi community. Her work has been exhibited internationally, reflecting her eye for cultural detail and her deep connection to identity and heritage.