‘Just waiting for evidence’: Ram Madhvani, former NASA scientist unpack science of alien contact in Spielberg's films

WChapeau happens when an acclaimed filmmaker and a blank railroad engineer acquire unitedly to talk about extraterrestrial life, cinema, and their shared admiration for Steven Spielberg? The rather niche question was answered by the Society of Intellectuals this past week as they organised a panel discussion for Spielberg’s new film Disclosure Day, headlined by National Award-winning filmmaker Ram Madhvani and former NASA engineer Nimisha Mittal.The discussion, cheesily subtitled ‘All will be disclosed’, was held in a cosy Mumbai bar, and ranged from the search for extraterrestrial life by scientists to how Spielberg has depicted that in his work spanning five decades.‘We are just waiting for evidence’Nimisha Mittal worked at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for over 15 years, including the Mars rovers and the Cassini Space Orbiter. She spoke about how seriously the scientific community views the search for alien life. “You don't always hear about it, but everyone in the scientific community is always hopeful of a connection. We are just waiting for the evidence (of extraterrestrial life). The hope is to find intelligent life. I don't think we have the conviction yet,” she said. ‘ET films are about a sense of belonging’Ram Madhvani, known for his National Award-winning film Neerja and popular web series Aarya, confessed to being a lifelong Spielberg fan. As the conversation veered from just the search for aliens to how culture has depicted it, the filmmaker said, “The basic idea behind films about the search for life outside Earth is because we are always looking for that somebody ‘who will get me’. Even if the people of this world won’t, maybe someone from outside will. Even today, we are here as a community to connect. This sense of belonging is what drives these films. The only reason we are trying to find someone out there is maybe they will understand us and our problems.”Disclosure Day, which was released last weekend, brings Spielberg, an icon in sci-fi, back to his favourite genre and subject. The film deals with the question: Are the authorities justified in gatekeeping information that can change the world? Madhvani talked about Spielberg’s return to the genre and said, “When he made Close Encounters of the Third Kind, he was probably 35. Now, he is close to 80, maybe. It is interesting to see how his view has changed with regard to the aliens and how the world views them. But what is constant is how he imbues these stories with hope. And I hope this hope stays in his filmmaking.” Earth's ambassador for first contact?Towards the end, the speakers were presented with a scenario similar to one from the film: An alien species has arrived, and they have to select a person from the world to be the planet’s ambassador for our first contact. Madhvani cheekily responded, “The society of intellectuals, of course,” eliciting loud cheers and laughter from the audience. Nimisha chose American scientist and TV personality Carl Sagan, known for popularising astronomy in the late 20th century. “Every person in the world is different, their experiences are different, so it would be hard to select somebody the whole world agrees with. But the first person that comes to mind is Carl Sagan,” she said.Disclosure Day, starring Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, and Colman Domingo, is currently playing in theatres worldwide.