From Muriel's Wedding to Melbourne's Indian Community: Rachel Griffiths' Cinematic Journey
Australian actor-turned-director Rachel Griffiths has expressed strong interest in creating a film that explores the Indian-Australian experience, revealing this during her visit to the International Film Festival of India in Panaji. The acclaimed performer, best known for her role in Muriel's Wedding, shared her cinematic aspirations while discussing her diverse career spanning decades.
Griffiths recalled a memorable incident from 1997 when she found herself unexpectedly mobbed by fans alongside her co-star, the legendary Indian actor Om Puri, during the filming of My Son the Fanatic in Halifax, England. "Hundreds of people surrounded us," Griffiths remembered. "One man was crying, telling Om he loved him more than his own brother because the actor had shown what it means to be humane. I thought that was the greatest compliment an actor could receive."
Eye-Opening Immigrant Stories and Cross-Cultural Connections
The 1997 film My Son the Fanatic, based on Hanif Kureishi's short story, proved to be an educational experience for Griffiths. She described it as "eye-opening" because Australia wasn't telling immigration stories with the same depth as British filmmakers at that time. In the film, Griffiths played a sex worker who develops a friendship with Puri's character, Parvez, a Pakistani taxi driver.
Their on-set relationship was marked by mutual respect and affectionate nicknames. "Puri called me 'Rachel G' and I called the late actor 'Om ji'," she shared, highlighting the warm professional bond they developed during production.
Returning to Australian Stories and Indian Influences
After spending over a decade in the United States, where she starred in popular television shows like Six Feet Under and Brothers and Sisters, Griffiths made a conscious decision to return to Australia. "I decided to return to Australia to tell Australian stories," she explained. "Your life is not in your own hands when you're working on long-running television shows."
The Golden Globe-winning actor emphasized the importance of national storytelling, noting that today, "Australian stories are told by a diverse group of Australians that reflects who lives in the country now."
Griffiths revealed her appreciation for Indian cinema, specifically mentioning two blockbuster films that left a significant impression on her. "Dangal was a big inspiration for my film Ride Like a Girl (2019)," she acknowledged, highlighting the cross-cultural influence between the two film industries. She also expressed enjoyment of the Telugu epic RRR (2022).
The actor-director specifically praised My Melbourne, an initiative by Mitu Bhowmick Lange, as "an important movie that makes the invisible lives more visible." She hopes that recent agreements between India and Australia will facilitate better distribution of Australian movies in Indian markets.
Griffiths was in Panaji for the screening of the restored version of her 1994 debut film Muriel's Wedding, where she played Rhonda Epinstall, the best friend of Toni Collette's socially awkward protagonist. Her participation in IFFI underscores the growing cultural exchange between Indian and Australian cinema, signaling exciting possibilities for future collaborations that bridge these two vibrant film cultures.
