Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair has rejected the offer to direct the fifth Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix simply because she did not find it creative enough.
'"I do not like to take up a film which others with a similar creative talent can also make," Nair explains.
Nair is currently in India for the ongoing 35th International Film Festival, being held in Goa. Her latest film, Vanity Fair, starring Reese Witherspoon, opened the festival on November 29. The film will see a nationwide release today.
"Harry Potter needs more technical creativity. I like to be creative with my cast... humans," she continues.
Nair admits it was difficult to reject this prestigious offer.
She has previously directed the Oscar-nominated Salaam Bombay and the international hit, Monsoon Wedding.
Vanity Fair is based on the William Thackeray classic of the same name. Nair reveals the book had mesmerised her years ago.
The story is set against the 18th century London slums.
"We had a tough time creating that London, full of pigs, garbage and muck. Luckily, London's well-maintained libraries came for our rescue," she says.
The director is presently working on The Namesake, based on Jhumpa Lahiri's novel. The films stars Konkana Sensharma, Abhishek Bachchan, Irrfan and Hollywood actors like Samuel Jackson and Scarlett Johansson.
Despite of her financiers' requests, Nair stuck to an Indian lead cast; she felt a Hollywood line-up would not do justice to the protagonists, a 1960s Bengali family.
"It is difficult to make movies with unconventional themes and actors who may not sell in the market," she admits.
The Namesake will also include black and white portions.