Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari is an avid filmmaker and writer. She has directed popular Bollywood flicks such as Bareilly Ki Barfi and the recent Kangana Ranaut-starrer Panga. Iyer is now aiming to write and direct a biopic on the Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and his wife Sudha Murthy. The biopic will trace the journey of the Murthys and the iconic Infosys brand. In a conversation with THE WEEK, Tiwari talks about the biopic and why she finds the Murthy couple so special.
Q\ Your views on the biopic on the Murthys and Infosys?
A\ As a Indian citizen belonging to a middle-class family, I feel that the Murthy story resonates with every Indian who may not have business families supporting them but do want to be entrepreneurs. The younger generation. The middle class is the new India. And stories like theirs only make each and everyone pursue their dream even more aggressively.
Q\ What prompted you to make a biopic on the Murthys?
A\ I am a big fan of Sudha Murthy and eventually want to be like her. Their simplicity and learning capacity at this age is inspiring enough for me to not say I am done with my work. There is so much more to do. They teach you that every day.
Q\ Did you meet the Murthys? What was their reaction to the biopic?
A\ Yes, my meeting with Sudha Murthy turned from a meeting with a director to talking about anything under the sun. More like a daughter speaking to her mother.
Our first meeting with Infosys co-founder and mentor Narayana Murthy was more like an interview where he had read everything about me on Wikipedia! He wanted to know whether I tick all the boxes of competency, life choices—spearheading this important story from our country to the world. He said he believes in deadlines and hopes that I am not the creative ones who will say after a while 'oh today I am not in a mood to write'. After a few days, I received a mail from him saying how delighted he was to meet us. The journey had begun already in my heart. I had to make the Steve Jobs or Facebook of the world called Murthys and proudly present it to the world. Their admiration gangs are too many. They are bigger than any film. They are the life to follow.
Q\ When can we expect the biopic to release?
A\ I am still writing it and there is a long way to go. I cannot commit anything now.