Maps and movies: talking with Deepa Mehta

In December 2007, I met Deepa Mehta at a suburban mall in Brampton, a city in greater Toronto with a substantial Indian settlement. She was in the production phase of her forthcoming film, Heaven on Earth (Mehta 2008), which about the spousal abuse rampant amongst Punjabi families living in Canada. Some of the scenes were being shot amidst the city’s hustle and bustle, with regular shoppers stopping to see what the fuss was about, and Mehta’s assistant, Dusty Mancinelli, graciously permitting me to film from a distance.