EXPERTS ARE FUNNY PEOPLE AND SHOULD WATCH “LOVE, WRINKLE-FREE” AND RELAX A BIT!

April 13, 2012 By EDITOR Leave a Comment

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I should be chewing my nails nervously since my first film as a Writer-Director is releasing in 40 days(on the 25th of May). But I am not chewing it since I have never enjoyed the taste of nails, though I have heard that it is an acquired taste. Another thing that I have never enjoyed is ‘expert opinion’. I can’t help but smile when I hear an expert – be it in films or cricket. I always find them funny.

In my profession, as an independent-spirited scriptwriter-director, I come across a lot of Experts. These are folks who talk so well that you wonder what they are doing in films. They would give Rahul Gandhi a run for his mom’s money if they joined politics. Also an amazing thing about these experts is that they know exactly “what does not work”, but not “what works”. If you ever get to meet one, mostly they reside in Andheri West, watch them speak passionately about why it is critical that your first film is a ‘safe’ one. They also smartly let you know that once you are more established, you can then make the movie that you always wanted to. Of course they don’t factor in for lifestyle diseases like Diabetes, Cancer, BP, High Cholesterol, and road accidents that have been known to play spoil sport with these plans. When I told them that the Mumbai potholes remind me of my wrinkles and impending death, and I wanted to make a few not-so-safe movies that I believed in, before one of these nicely designed potholes takes my life, they laughed at my ignorance. Experts laugh at ignorant people for a living. I love it when humans laugh. Even when the experts laugh, they look almost human to me. The sound of laughter is always a stress-buster. These experts need it the most. I hope they watch Love, Wrinkle-free, smile and go home happy.

Love, Wrinkle-free is a light-hearted comedy about how Urban Indian society is getting more and more obsessed with looks and smooth skin. I will be honest when I say that if not for these Experts, “Love, Wrinkle-free” wouldn’t have happened. I will always respect them for being so consistently negative since it used to have the opposite effect on me. Right from school days, I have believed that authority is to be rebelled against. Rebellion is fun. For a cause or for no cause. And naysayers like these guys had a role to play in pushing me, a simple middle-class guy staying in Vikhroli West, to try the impossible – to go ahead, raise funds, cast, negotiate, scout locations, get together a like-minded team, and direct my feature film. Adding to the experts’ worries, I wanted to make an Indian English movie. Recipe for Perfect Suicide, they said. I relaxed; at least I managed to extract one positive word from them “Perfect”.

Walking around in cities, and cities are where I have grown up all my life, be it Trivandrum (peaceful but limiting), Mumbai (crazy but potholes worry me), Bangalore (beer, girls and advertising days) or Pune(loneliness), I saw that the world around me was evolving very fast, but the movies and movie makers were mostly unable to keep pace with these changes. I remember closely watching advertising commercials and wondering how these guys are able to get it so right – the right language, the right casting, the right tone, so in touch with the times we are living in. They had their ears on the ground. Unlike in the film world. Here, the producer moves from his home to office to locations to home in cars without his feet touching the ground for more than a few steps. At times I wonder, it would be fun to find out as to how many steps they actually walk in a day. They might be walking more on their treadmill than on the ground. So that should possibly explain the lack of grounded scripts getting their investment!

So we should not be too surprised that Goa is shown the way it is in Hindi films. Goa for many of these “Experts” is a getaway to a world full of bikini-babes, free sex, drinks and drugs. When in Goa, these guys worry about the sun, their wrinkle-free complexion, and rent cars. Renting a car to escape the sun in Goa when you came all the way to bask in it and have some fun! So like I said earlier, these are seriously funny people. Except they are yet to realise this themselves!

Except Kabhi Ha Kabhi Na, and a few other films, can we think of any other movie that got the world of Goa right in the last 10-15 years? It has been my dream to make a Goan movie, and do justice to it. So I listened to my heart, used the collective power of my indie heart, brains and groins to write and direct a Goan movie. This fun-movie is releasing through PVR Directors Rare at a PVR near you. Please do go watch it and let me know what you think of it. The micro-mini budget and the 22 days of shooting didn’t stop us from bringing out a Goa which you would have never seen in Indian movies in the last 10 years.

Now, the Experts say, why make films in English in India? Britishers have left long back. I realised that too. In Love, Wrinkle-free, we used English since the characters are mostly from the Roman Catholic world. And they speak this language there. No rocket science! Also, I google searched and found that India has the second largest English speaking population in the whole world. And an Indian English newspaper, Times of India, is the largest circulated English language newspaper in the whole world. Not to forget the amount of ad commercials that is made in English. The reason one makes a film in Indian English is because many of us speak and understand this language. We might speak with an accent, but the fact is we get it and are moved emotionally, provided the story-telling is Indian. Love, Wrinkle-free is an Indian indie film in Indian English. Let the funny experts stick to their opinion, but the truth is that there are a sizable number of people who would not mind watching a well-made, fun-filled, entertaining Indian English film. That is my belief. If we had more advertising funds,we would have created more awareness about the movie. But I refuse to complain. I am thankful that my first movie is getting released. I am happy.

So the point of this blog is this. Do listen to the experts in the film world and in the media with a smile when they say why something “won’t work”. And use your own brains and heart, and come watch “Love, Wrinkle-free” in the first 3 days of its release. I can guarantee that you and your friends will have a fun time and will come out of the theatre with a smile on your face. Take care, rebel against experts, chew your nails only if you like it (and not because they say it improves your sperm count!). And yes, Love, Wrinkle-free always…Now see you on the 25th May at a PVR near you
Visit www.lovewrinklefree.com for more info.

The Love, Wrinkle-free trip so far

The Love, Wrinkle-free trip so far

Okay so it's two hours past midnight, and I am sitting at a bar stool. No, not in a pub, but in my home office. This bar stool is one of the few material possessions that I have. So I am sitting on this bar stool and thinking of the last 18 months and my life's journey which incidentally followed the same path as that of my first film "Love, Wrinkle-free". 

It all started in March 2009. Though I had heard the word, I never gathered the courage to utter the word, but that month, I said it.  "Independent". I decided I wanted to be an Independent filmmaker. What does that mean?! Well it means fuck what the world says about how to make movies, and going ahead and doing it the way your heart says. So the world says: Make a Hindi film. I say "Sorry brother...my film is set in Goa, and a Roman Catholic family doesn't speak in Hindi in Goa.". The great thing with listening to your heart is that you die a satisfied man, and you become a better lover(more of it later towards the end of this blog:)). 

Once you utter the "Independent" word, then you got to get into action mode. Because no one else is going to push your ass forward. Lots of story ideas, but I zeroed in on a theme that I wanted to explore through my first film. The idea of "Wrinkle-free" was the starting point. I started to feed it, nurture it...

Writing is a lonely profession. There is no body else you can turn to or who will understand what you are going through. I had my wife of course who was very supportive. But she had to leave for office in the mornings, so I would stare at the blank page for a while, go out for a walk, come back, tell myself to sleep for a few hours...that routine was not going to help the script. The problem with me was that I wanted to be left alone, but didn't want to be lonely!!! So I had to push myself into something new, something which I haven't done earlier.

I decided to step outside the home to write. At home, all I could think of was sleep and dream:)

So got into an arrangement with a friend Ashutosh Pathak to lend his extra room to work for which I was willing to pay a princely sum of Rs.1000/- month. He was sporting enough to allow me to use his extra room(close to the bathroom). I loved that small room. Excitedly I carried my iMac which I call MacMohan to this room, made myself comfortable and set about the task of creating  "Love, Wrinkle-free". The entire April and bit of May, I used to write from morning till evening. Come back to my home and wife, go for a game of badminton. Repeat the process the next day. I enjoyed every bit of those two months. There is nothing better than working on your script, except I wish I was getting paid for it, but no pain no gain as they say!

Once the first draft was done, i started showing it around. Started getting good reviews. Then started seriously thinking of raising some funds. I had written the script of Love, Wrinkle-free keeping in mind the difficulties involved in raising big funds. So essentially wrote a script to suit a low budget investor. Initially i made a few mistakes, approached the wrong producers who wanted a lot of say in creative decisions which i was not comfortable with, so I walked out on them. I was telling myself - I don't give shit to others, so why take shit. That is my attitude even now. The main thing is your film, nothing is bigger or smaller than that. Around this time my friend Giju stepped in. He was in the process of setting up a Production house in India, and this small budget film came in at the right time. Also the fact that he and me were friends in childhood helped too. Also he is a singer-dancer who had even released an independent album which the big guys refused to entertain in Mumbai. So I guess he could see where I was coming from. He was willing to invest part funds, and the rest of it, he was confident of raising from the US, where he resides and works. 

The next 3 months I invested in putting together a team. Since Giju and Kamal (the other arm of Tiranga productions) were based in the US, I took over the Pre-production. So in some way I was the Line Producer too for this film, which I think is good because when a low budget independent filmmaker can take his own decisions, things move faster. Also this way he can keep the budget in control much better. 

It took me 2-3 months to shortlist a team of passionate youngsters who would become my backbone during the shooting later in Goa. Binendra my Cinematographer friend came in early into the team. Then Priyesh. Followed by a fabulous bunch of guys like Podu, Sanjog, Joseena, Rudro, Sumod etc, a long list actually

We didn’t have a production office. So my house became the Production office. My bar stool where I am sitting and writing this blog now became my chair from where we went about the task of planning this film. At one point just before the shoot in September, my house was so full with Production materials, Boxes, and crew members that I had to request my wife(and my two month old daughter) to go on a trip to Delhi where her sister stays, for a month and a half. The team members worked and ate at my home. A maid cooked for us. Some of them like Binendra stayed at my place. We bonded like friends. I got to know them, they got to know me. It really helps when they know you. Then they can understand you without you uttering a word in times of crisis during the shoot.

And all those moments shared together before the shoot really helped during the shoot. Giju was there for the shoot  to look after the on location production issues. That was a huge blessing since I could focus on my work. The shoot was an amazing experience. I remember waking up every day at 3 in the morning for planning out the days work. The countless Goa trips that I had done before really helped since by now I had met a wonderful group of people in Goa like Marianne, Karen, Belinda and Carmelline etc who went out of the way to help us through the issues faced during the shoot.

But despite the non-seasonal rains, the generator refusing to work one afternoon, and the countless other niggles, our team completed the film exactly on schedule. Not a single day extra than planned. Everyone worked their pants off to achieve this.

Now the post production...Again we had to be on tight budget. Taking a studio in Mumbai for editing would have easily cost us around 3 lakhs or more. So I got my Mac Pro which I used to give out for rentals in Chennai to Mumbai. Took a temporary office for 3 months from a friend for nominal rent, and started editing with a talented editor Shreyas, who has become a good friend. We used to work from afternoon to early morning four. Enjoyed every bit of this. Then for the last two months, I got the machine home, and it resides in my bedroom where minor finetuning keeps happening. And when the editor comes in, I shift my little daughter Amelie to the other room so that we don't disturb her sleep. I like watching her sleep...Anyways she smiles a lot these days. I think she gets the joke. And the joke is me:)))I guess what I am trying to say is that Independent filmmakers can't whine, they got to find solutions.

Now tomorrow we start the Digital Intermediate process...and by April 10th, the film is going to be ready. 

Can't sleep hence writing down these memories....don't know whether any of these things made any sense to anyone. If it did, great. If not too, great:) Need to mention the support that I got from wonderful human beings and talented performers like Ash Chandler, Shernaz Patel, Sohrab Ardeshir(for letting us conduct rehearsals in his beautiful house, amazing person), Seema Rahmani, Ashwin Mushran, Marianne Borgo...a long list actually...Dasang, Arika.....goes on...

Will write more later. My bum is paining sitting in this bar stool and typing. Okay i was typing, not my bum! Whatever I am sleepy now. It is 3.30am. Take care and Love, Wrinkle-free. Stay positive, smile and think "POSSIBLE"

Preproduction work on in full swing...

It's been a while since I blogged. Was busy with the preproduction and putting together of my film "Luv, wrinkle-free". We plan to shoot this feature film in August-September 2010.

Very challenging times for an independent filmmaker, but got to say I am relishing every bit of it. All the years of playing sports is really helping me now. Just like in a game of cricket or badminton, there are so many ups and downs in the filmmaking world. But somehow, I am getting this energy from somewhere deep within to fight on till I win this game. Even if I lose, I always give 100% while I play...

I would want to write a lengthier blog about the importance of sports in training one to be a filmmaker. That's a thought that excites me. To hell with film school, all that one needs is a good background in competitive sports and a desire to tell a story:)

More on this soon. Got to go for a meeting now.

New Year resolutions 2010

1. Drink more wine(Red)
2. Drink less beer(Will be tough, will try)
3. Direct a feature film(Adamant)
4. Watch more independent films
5. Learn to play Squash, reduce Badminton
6. Travel to North East India
7.  Be braver, keep my spine straight, and write 2 more original scripts without worrying about trends.(Possible)
8.  Sleep less, Play more.
9. Simple life, few wants, honest living( Will try)                                                                                       

New short film by me. Watch it

PINCH from Sandeep Mohan on Vimeo.

Is the world round?

Yeh duniya gol hai - a study tour from Sandeep Mohan on Vimeo.

A music video directed by me