Deepa Mehta to attend IIFA awards

Life has come to a supreme standstill for auteur director Deepa Mehta. For the last one month she has been happily ensconced with her lately widowed mother at her farm on the outskirts of Toronto.

"No work at all. Just looking after my mom," Mehta told IANS.

But now she'll be forced out of her self-imposed exile to be in Yorkshire on June 9 to attend the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards.

"I got a beautiful letter from Mr. Amitabh Bachchan inviting me to the IIFA awards somewhere in England to be honoured for being recognised outside India as a filmmaker."

"Though I wouldn't want to attend any public event for a long time this is an honour I can't disregard. Firstly, because I'm being recognised for my work by my country where I was made to feel unwelcome by a small section of the people during the making of 'Water'. And secondly, how can I say no to Mr. Bachchan?"

Mehta would be leaving her mom behind. "But I'll wear one of her saris at the IIFA event. So she'll be with me."

Indo-Asian News Service