How did you come across the idea of Salim Baba? Were you already contemplating a docu feature and were looking for a subject or is it the subject which made you contemplate a documentary film?
I read about Salim Muhammad in 2004. An article had been written about him on the BBC News website. I had worked in film editing in various capacities for many years and it really touched me. You could say the subject picked me and that is why we made the documentary! My wife works in Jaipur two months out for the year and I had a chance to go to India with her. Making the film was something I just could not pass up. Most importantly I had this little portrait film in mind for about two years and so did Francisco Bello who shot the film. When something really stays with you like that, you know you have to make it!

What set Salim Muhammad apart that made you come down to India. Of course, you must have read about several such quirky people, so why him...
There was something very special about this story and something that was not going to last that much longer. I grew up in film editing rooms so maybe there was a little sense of something from childhood.

Before Salim Baba, did you ever come to India?
I had been to India once before and travelled through Western Karnataka and visited Bombay.

Was putting together the documentary difficult? What difficulties did you face, if any?
The film was made with a three person crew — Francisco Bello, Raja Dey and myself. We were terribly anxious about things before we arrived as two different line producers fell through at the last minute. Through a 30 second Google search three weeks before we started we were able to get in touch with Raja. He is a cameraman and director in his own right in Kolkata and really knew how to organise everything for us! That said, there was the usual problem of people crowding around the camera every time we shot outside!
The language was also difficult. We couldn’t get a literal translation because it would slow down the interviews and make Salim too self-conscious, so we had to rely a lot on very brief summaries from our translator Raja and on body language. After a few hours, we really opened up to each other, although I could not understand a word he was saying most of the time. This led to some funny anomalies when we got our transcripts, such as his explanation of using a palm-reading lens in his projector, which we were very surprised to find out about.

Salim Baba is your first documentary as a director. And you have been around for a long time. Didn’t you ever come across some subject before that inspired you as much as Salim Baba did?
Definitely not! I travelled across the world to make this, as did Francisco.

Did you have notions about Kolkata before you came down for the shoot? If so, how different or re-affirming was your experience in the city
My ideas of Kolkata were really vague and were generally gathered from some guidebooks. However, I found it to be an incredibly vibrant, bustling city full of surprises. I had never bumped into so many great bookstores on every second street corner!

You went down to the less affluent parts of the city. What social realities did you come back with?
When you are making films about people in abject situations, whether it’s in New York, London or north Kolkata, you owe it to both your audience and your subject to not let your preconceived ideas of misery dictate the story. It all has to come out of the characters, and we were blessed with a really interesting one who let us into his life for a wonderful, hectic week of filming.

Could you describe some of the most memorable moments during the planning and the shoot?
Much of the planning for this film was done from a caravan in Wales on a dial up internet line while I was on a Christmas holiday with my wife’s family. During this time one of our liaisons in Kolkata (before Raja came on board) asked us if we were brining a crane! We had to break it to him that we are a two-person crew with no lights! One of the most memorable moments was seeing Salim’s mobile cinema on a street corner for the first time the day after I arrived. The first glimpse of his magic box after days of contemplating was really charming.

How would you describe Salim Baba the person, and Salim Baba, the film?
I will have to get back to you on this one!

How do you feel after the Oscar nomination? What new projects do you have up your sleeves?
We are over the moon about the nomination! That a little film can have a life is just wonderful. There are a few things we are looking into. There all always questions of financing etc that remain to be dealt with.