Deepa Mehta and Salman Rushdie attend charity screening of Midnight's Children

Renowned photo-journalist and brother of film-maker Deepa Mehta, Dilip Mehta, organized a special screening of much anticipated film, Midnight’s Children at PVR Plaza, Delhi on 22 January, 2013. The special screening was aimed at raising funds for Ila Trust founded by Reeta Devi. The screening was graced with the presence of the director of the film Deepa Mehta, celebrated author Salman Rushdie, veteran actress Seema Biswas, Minister of Human Resource Shashi Tharoor and his wife Sunanda Pushkar. Founded by Reeta Devi, Ila Trust operates mobile clinic to treat illnesses of underprivileged in Delhi slums. The charity amount raised by the screening of Midnight’s Children will be used in treating the illnesses of several patients in and around Delhi. Speaking of the initiative taken by Reeta Devi, Deepa Mehta said, “It takes one honest, motivated person to help better the lives of hundreds. Reeta Dev Burman is that one person. She leads a one woman crusade to alleviate the suffering of those marginalized by society. To have the premium screening of our film Midnights Children in benefit of Ila Trust founded by Reeta is indeed an honour and a privilege.” Deepa Mehta’s Midnight’s Children is an epic film based on the Booker Prize-winning novel by Salman Rushdie. At the stroke of midnight on 15 August, 1947, as India declares independence from Great Britain, two newborn babies are switched by a nurse in a Bombay hospital. Saleem Sinai, the illegitimate son of a poor woman, and Shiva, the offspring of a wealthy couple, are fated to live the destiny meant for each other. The lives of Saleem and Shiva become mysteriously intertwined and are inextricably linked to India’s whirlwind journey of triumphs and disasters. From the unlikely romance of Saleem’s grandparents to the birth of his own son, Midnight’s Children is a journey at once sweeping in scope and yet intimate in tone. Hopeful, comic and magical – the film conjures images and characters as rich and unforgettable as India herself. The film is set to release in India on 1 February, 2013.