KARACHI, Jan 1: In a city like New York, which is one of the most cosmopolitan cities of the United States, one felt like an outsider or an immigrant shortly after 9/11. And this was primarily because of the anti-Muslim hysteria whipped up by the media.

These thoughts were expressed by leading film-maker Mira Nair on Saturday afternoon at the screening of her short film on 9/11 organized by the Daily Times. Based on the life and times of Mumbai's street-children, prize-winning movie Salam Bombay catapulted her to stardom.

"I remember being asked by a woman reporter of the New Times magazine whether I had ever been mistaken for a Muslim. I said: 'The last time I checked the Muslims look like other human beings.' The journalist wasn't particularly amused," she recalled.

Talking about her movie, she said that other than the protagonist all players in the movie were real members of the family whose plight was portrayed in the movie. The film centres on the family of a boy who is rounded up by the American police after 9/11 on suspicion of being associated with a terrorist group. However, six months later the US administration announces that the boy was actually a hero who had run to the help of the victims of 9/11 and lost his life in the rescue operation.

Ms Nair, who was born in New Delhi but spent her early life in Bhubaneswar, said that like the missing boy in the movie there was little information about the prisoners of Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghuraib.

Calling "The Battle of Algiers" her all-time favourite, she said that the movie was completely timeless. "It shows both sides of the equation, something which our friend Michael Moore doesn't do, though his documentary on 9/11 is great. In the post-9/11 world it is very important for us to tell our side of the story," she said, adding that she wanted to make movies on Iraq, Falluja, Afghanistan, etc.

Another film that won Ms Nair worldwide acclaim is "Monsoon Wedding." Recalling how the movie happened, she said: "You never know when you are making a kind of magic. It is completely elusive. I've had the privilege of doing this twice, with 'Salam Bombay' and 'Monsoon Wedding.' The latter was shot with a hand-held camera and artists did not know when the camera was on them. It kind of lent great liveliness to the movie."

Ms Nair also spoke about a programme for aspiring film-makers from Africa and South Asia. She said: "In the whole African continent a large number of aspiring film-makers cannot dream in cinema because they do not have the wherewithal to make movies. We will initiate a three-week programme in Kampala where eight aspiring film-makers from East Africa - Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania - and four film-makers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will learn the trade."

Dr Mahmood Mamdani, professor of government at Columbia University, New York, also talked about his book "Good Muslim, Bad Muslim - America, the cold and the roots of terror". The programme was conducted by Daily Times Editor Najam Sethi.