Home » Entertainment  » Hollywood Hungama »  Merchant and the 'Mystic Masseur' Filmmaker Ismail Merchant will base his next film on an early book by V.S. Naipaul. The satirical book about a Trinidadian teacher, is called 'Mystic Masseur.' It is the story of Trinidadian teacher Ganesh Ramsumair, who embarks on an ambitious life. He starts off first as a masseur and then lands up as a famed mystic.

At the end of the novel, he becomes G. Ramsay Muir, an almost-English gentleman.

Merchant said he wrote to Naipaul asking him for permission to make the film on 'Mystic Masseur'. Naipaul, who has not been known to look too favourably on selling movie rights to his books, did a surprising volte-face in the case. At any rate, Naipaul reportedly sent Merchant a two-line reply saying, "Dear Ismail, I've heard about your legendary powers of persuasion. You may film 'Mystic Masseur'." (We wonder if this has anything to do with Merchant's 'legendary' cooking skills- a quick gastronomic 'persuasion', perhaps?)

The screenplay for the movie will (surprise! surprise!) not be written by old time collaborator and friend, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Instead, British novelist Caryl Phillips, will assume screenplay-writing duties. Work on the film will reportedly begin in August this year. In true Merchant- Ivory style, the operating budget is a minuscule $5 million.

This will be the first collaboration between the celebrated author of Indian origin and the celebrated filmmaker, also of Indian origin.