Little Zizou

Synopsis

A delightful comedy about two Parsi families in Mumbai – one headed by a lunatic religious extremist, the other by a liberal newspaper editor. Told from the point of view of 10 year old Xerxes a soulful soccer-mad Parsi boy whose fervent wish is that his idol Zinedine Zidane visit Bombay. Though his mother died in childbirth, Xerxes hopes that she can still see him and affect miracles from her place up there. His older brother Art is a starry-eyed cartoonist whose wild fantasies come to life in surprising ways. Their father Khodaiji, a self-proclaimed protector-of-the-faith, thrives on the attentions (and donations) of hopeful believers. The brothers love to hang out at the home of their father’s arch rival, Pressvala, the publisher of a liberal community newspaper. Art burns with unrequited love for Pressvala’s oldest daughter, while Xerxes incurs the wrath of the younger daughter, who resents the attention her family showers on the motherless boy. But the real fireworks begin when Pressvala writes a scathing critique of would-be prophet Khodaiji and public reaction is loud and widespread. As the two households intermingle, their differences become hilariously apparent and life becomes complicated for everyone.