An article in The Indian Express...

Love, Wrinkles & Goa

Somya Lakhani Adman Sandeep Mohan's debut as a filmmaker comes with the critically acclaimed film — Love, Wrinkle Free — that deals with the issues of old-age pregnancy and ageing. It was while working as an assistant director with Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the sets of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam that 21-year-old Sandeep Mohan realised that he was not meant for such mammoth-sized cinematic projects. “I learnt discipline and paper work. That was the greatest lesson,” he says. Soon, Mohan realized that he wanted to make tighter, smaller human stories and till he had anything concrete in hand, he dabbled in advertising.  Almost 13 years later, Mohan - the filmmaker (not the adman) is marking his debut with a witty, light-hearted film that has a serious theme. Love, Wrinkle free is due for release in India on May 25 . Set in Goa, the film is about Monteiros, a middle-aged couple dealing with the wife's old-age pregnancy, and fighting age issues at the same time. “We live in a world that is obsessed with looks and youth. This film is about how a middle-class family deals with such obsession,” says Mohan.  Annie, in her forties, (played by Shernaz Patel) has only one dream – to be a part of the church choir that only wants youngsters to sing. Stand-up comedian Ash Chandler plays Savio, Annie’s 37-year-old husband, who wants to start his own business of "edible lingerie" and the two live with their adopted teenage daughter, Ruth, whose main concern is her Tibetan looks. “Annie is coming to terms with growing older – holding on to a younger husband and fighting wrinkles, literally. And when she figures out that she is pregnant, she feels that she is young, and young enough to be part of the choir too,” says Patel.  The trailers are a treat. The film has been shot in picturesque and cliché-free locales of Goa such as Arambol and Ashwem beach, while the music is refreshingly contemporary and very Goan. “I know Goa very well and I wanted to show it in the most authentic way possible, away from its typical representation,” says Mohan, who shot the film in 22 days on a very tight budget of Rs 85 lakh.  Taken to various film festivals across the world – Cine Quest Film Festival, San Jose; MAMI, Mumbai; IIFF Tampa Bay, Florida and Marche Du Film, Cannes Film Fest – the film has generated positive reviews overall. “People have come out smiling and we have had house-full situations at a number of fests,” adds Mohan.  However, it’s Chandler who seems most excited. “In New York, after the film's screening, a gentleman asked me how I was related to the project. I was amazed that people did not associate with me the persona of Savio, since I am mostly looked at as a stand-up artiste. This is my first lead role in a film and it was challenging because I have to be consistently good; you can’t have just one moment of glory,” he says.

An article in The Hindu....

Love in the time of wrinkles

 

• 
  Arika, Shernaz Patel and Ash Chandler in a still from 'Love, Wrinkle Free'
• 
  Sandeep Mohan

Pitched as an ‘anti-ageing comedy', Sandeep Mohan's ‘Love, Wrinkle Free' is a quirky indie film about relationships.

Director Sandeep Mohan and producer Giju John are like two-man army. They haven't hired a PR machinery to pitch their labour of love, quirkily titled Love, Wrinkle Free. From sending e-mails to taking the call on production nitty-gritty, they have shared the onus between them. “The experience has been worthwhile and I learnt a lot from it, even though it was strenuous,” says Sandeep Mohan, speaking to us on the eve of the film's release. Love, Wrinkle Free opened to good reviews in Mumbai, Delhi and a few other cities and is expected to be released in Hyderabad soon.

Sandeep is one of the newest additions to the growing list of indie filmmakers who want to tell their story their way. Love, Wrinkle Free is Sandeep Mohan's comment on society, its obsession with anti-ageing solutions, told through a tale of relationships. “The story is my reaction to things that I saw around me. I saw youngsters, who didn't actually require makeup, taking to heavy makeup and ending up looking older than they are. And there were older women who were addicted to makeup hoping it would make them look younger,” says Sandeep. The cosmetic comment is just one part of the film, which is set in Goa and narrates the story of Savio (Ash Chandler), his wife Annie (Shernaz Patel) and their adopted daughter Ruth (Arika Silaichia) and their reaction to Annie's unplanned pregnancy.

Shernaz Patel was the first to come on board before Sandeep signed on Ash Chandler, Seema Rahmani and Arika Silaichia. “We didn't have a casting director. I happened to meet Ash Chandler and spoke to him for a few hours. The passion towards his work and the fact that he was unaware of how funny he was (despite his much-appreciated stand-up comedy acts) made him endearing. He had to be my Savio. He and Shernaz brought in all their experiences to the film. Shernaz was my sounding board. She is a terrific actress and under utilised in cinema,” says Sandeep.

While shooting for the film in Goa, Sandeep discovered his ability to multi-task, driven by necessity. As with most indie films, this project too was shot on a show-string budget (money was pooled in through crowd funding) and it was tough to hire too many assistants. At one point, Sandeep was checking up on hotels for the crew's stay in Goa. “All this experience will help me,” he says.

The film was wrapped up by the end of 2010 and then got selected for Mumbai International Film Festival, followed by Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose and South Asian International Film Festival in New York among others.

Sandeep smiles when he looks back. A few years ago, he was a drifter and a confused one at that. “I was 21 and I tried to do many things,” he says. He worked for a firm that produced a current affairs programme for Zee Television, before moving to advertising and finally to movies. He was one of the assistant directors for Sanjay Leela Bhansali in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. “I learnt discipline from Bhansali. I didn't have formal training in filmmaking. I learnt on the job, first with Bhansali and then by working on music videos and corporate films. I realised that when I make my own films, I would be comfortable narrating personal, human relationship stories than larger-than-life stories,” he says.

With Love, Wrinkle Free out in cinema halls, Sandeep wants to step up work on his next project. “I want to finish the script and begin work by December,” he says.

An article in The Hindu...

Funny folds

• 
  From 'Love, Wrinkle-free'
• 
  Sandeep Mohan

interview Independent filmmaker Sandeep Mohan's debut comic film Love, Wrinkle-free holds a mirror to our obsession with good looks

Drinking more red wine and less beer apart, directing a feature film topped Sandeep Mohan's resolutions for the year 2010. As a young writer, who had assisted Sanjay Leeela Bhansali on Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and had written the script of popular TV show ‘Siddhanth', India's nominee to the 2007 Emmy Awards, Sandeep was not clueless about the process of filmmaking but had to gear up for the many challenges. Foremost was finance but perseverance helped the film come through.

Curiously titled Love, Wrinkle-free, which will release on May 25, Sandeep's debut effort stars Ash Chandler, Shernaz Patel, Seema Rahmani and Ashwin Mushran. Set in Goa, Love, Wrinkle-free is a story about Savio, a 38-year-old senior area sales manager who works in an innerwear company. Savio's mundane life gets hit by a bolt from the blue with the unplanned pregnancy of his 46-year-old religious wife Annie. Their adopted teenage daughter Ruth's reactions to this pregnancy and Savio's chance meeting with Natalie, a travel photographer, who wants him to do something unique for her, throws the protagonist off-balance.

In this day and age when corporate funding and big banners/production houses are de rigueur, ask Sandeep why he chose to make an independent film and pat comes the reply, “Having worked as a writer for a few years, I realised that the only way I could get creative control over the film is by going independent. As a writer-director, I bring in my own unique vision based on my life-experiences, and I wanted to stay true to it while telling the story. So in that sense, the decision to go independent was taken even before I wrote the script of Love, Wrinkle-free.”

The story, Sandeeps adds is purely fictional. “My job as the director was to make it believable which I think I have managed to.” Explaining the name of the film, he says, Love, Wrinkle-free is a reaction to urban Indian society's obsession to look young and have a flawless complexion.

Sandeep claims that this is one of the better movies made about Goa in the last 10 years. “Goa is shown the way it is and not as seen through the eyes of a tourist. Love, Wrinkle-free is an entertaining film, made with a lot of heart, and sensible audiences are going to come out smiling from the cinema halls,” he says.

Getting a talented star cast was another challenge. “The casting was done by me. I got in touch with Ash, Shernaz, Seema, Ashwin and Sohrab, and after reading the script, they were so keen to do the film that I didn't have to do too much convincing. I always wanted these actors, and their performances are the highpoint of this comedy.”

And social media chipped in when Sandeep required finances.

“Crowd Funding, as they call it is a boon for people like me. Forty investors from all over the world invested in this film. Since none of these investors get involved in the creative process, it helps you tell a good story,” he says.

Sandeep will soon begin work on his next film based in Himachal Pradesh.

Interview in Scribidomagazine...link

http://scribidomagazine.com/the-sandeep-mohan-interview/

Interview in movieroundup.in

Exclusive Interview: Sandeep Mohan on ‘Love, Wrinkle-free’

Life has been the biggest teacher and I remember the time spent in schools and colleges as time spent making friends and accumulating life experiences. Beyond that, I think the educational system is programmed to churn out rats who will join the rat race. It abhors those who have an imaginative mind and who have a mind of their own. I’ve heard that things are changing now and I’m hopeful of the future, says Sandeep Mohan, director of upcoming film ‘Love, Wrinkle-free’ in an exclusive interview with ‘MovieRoundup’.

When did you realize you wanted to be a filmmaker and why?

I didn’t know that I wanted to be a filmmaker till I was 21. I had an interest in writing and reading and used to write a bit. Also advertising excited me and slowly I found myself gravitating towards good movies. Can’t remember an exact time when this accident happened

How did your family react to your decision of becoming a filmmaker?

I take my own decisions. I don’t have to ask my family what I need to do in life. Isn’t that what colleges are supposed to do – to make you sensible enough to take decisions in life. My parents were smart enough to leave me alone realising that this is where my heart lies. I thank them for that.

So many filmmakers have come and gone. Did you ever fear that you may also be one among them?

I don’t have any such fears. Everyone in this world comes and goes. So the rule applies to everyone, not just filmmakers. I’m happy observing life, writing stories and filming them. The only thing that can stop you is yourself. Frankly I’m a positive guy who thinks about what is possible and don’t devote time to many negative thoughts.

How did the story behind ‘Love, wrinkle-free’ fall in place?

When I look around, I see that Urban Indians are getting more and more obsessed with looks, youth and smooth skin. A country that prided so much on the “internal growth” once upon a time is falling prey to”external” – look at the number of health clubs, skin clinics etc mushrooming around us. I wanted to explore this theme, and also the pressure that youth and looks places on a simple middle-class family, and that is how”Love, Wrinkle-free” was born.

Your film title ‘Love, Wrinkle-free’ and the plot pretty much go hand-in-hand however not all films follow the same. Do you think the title and plot should go hand-in-hand and why?

I can’t comment about others, but for me, it has to go hand-in-hand. The title promises something, so it makes sense for me to keep it as close in toneto the theme.

After having worked in films such as Sins and Good Night / Good Morning; how was it working with Seema Rahmani? How do you define her as an actress?

She is one of the most natural actresses in India and I was super impressed with her performance in Love, Wrinkle-free. She is a no-nonsense, intelligent and well-traveled actress and she brings all this experience to any role that she does. I am happy to have got an opportunity to direct her in my first movie. Also I’m glad that our ensemble cast of Ash Chandler, Shernaz Patel, Ashwin Mushran, Sohrab Ardeshir and Arika have done a fabulous job and Love, Wrinkle-free works big time because of them.

What challenges did you encounter in making this project take off?

Many challenges. Another name for indie filmmaking is ‘Challenges’ i think:)Right from getting the funds to casting to getting locations to marketing, everything is a challenge. In my case, my producers were based in the US, andhence I had the added responsibility of taking care of the Production of the movie. So my house became the Production office and from here, my dedicated team went about the pre production. I went to Goa countless times to get thingsorganised. All this really helped us keep the budget very tight. But frankly, I have no complains, i knew it was going to be challenging, and hence was prepared for it. So it is all fine and I thank my investors and everyone involved for trusting me with so much responsibility.

How do you define success for a filmmaker? Monetary or credentials or sheer satisfaction at the end of the day for having completed the film. Define it in your own words?

Each filmmaker has his or her own way of defining success. Success for me is being able to get funds to make my next film. Rest doesn’t matter, or it will fall into place. Passion drives me and if i am financially covered while following this passion, nothing like it. Otherwise, I will still fight it out. Frankly, I don’t like to define things. Each to himself or herself. Defining it makes it look too easy and formulaic, and I am no expert to define.
If you were to remake any film then which film would you have chosen and why?
I am not interested in making any remakes since I have many original stories. Sometimes i think that I might die before I am able to film all of them. So remakes, I will leave it to other filmmakers who have an interest in them.
There are zillions of aspiring filmmakers wanting to make it big. What will be your advice to them?

Follow your heart. Don’t get swayed by what I say or any other filmmaker says. Be independent, write a good script which has a heart, don’t follow any formulas, and go ahead and do it. If me, a simple middle class guy from Vikhroli can do it, you can too. Also do go and watch Love, Wrinkle-free on the 25th May and see how low budget movies are made

Rapid Fire:
Favourite film: Annie  Hall
Favourite actor: Paul Giammeti, Owen Wilson
Favourite director: Woody Allen
One actor/director you envy: Woody Allen
One film you’d love to be part of: Annie Hall

Interview for Dearcinema.com

This interview first came in dearcinema.com and Nandita Dutta was the interviewer...

 

Love, Wrinkle-free is crowd funded project: Sandeep Mohan

Sandeep Mohan

After travelling to festivals like South Asian International Film Festival, New York and Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI), Sandeep Mohan’s Love, Wrinkle-free released in theatres this Friday (Read review). The director talks about his film which rightly claims to be an ‘offbeat, light-hearted story about love going beyond cosmetic barriers’.
How did the idea for Love, Wrinkle-free originate?
While traveling and hanging out in cafes, I noticed that we Indians are getting extremely obsessed with the “external”. There are more Skin Clinics and Botox Centres and Hair transplant “dens” than Dustbins in cities. Also, this is a country that prided itself on the “internal” and gave the world Yoga and what not.
I felt that the pressure to retain youth for a longer period of time, with headlines like ‘40 is the new 30’ and ‘50 is the new 40’ does start to put a lot of pressure on families and I wanted to explore this theme through my film. It is not that I wanted to be judgmental, but I was amused and wanted to explore it deeper. I took the light hearted route since that is something that comes to me easily and also because I believe that you can strike home the point better when humor is used effectively. I hope I have been reasonably successful in that endeavor.
How did you go about looking for finance for your debut film?
Love, Wrinkle-free is a crowd-funded project. Once the script was locked, I along with my producers Giju and Kamal put up a website and invited likeminded, indie-spirited investors(that is kind of difficult) to support this movie. Over a period of time, things started rolling and soon we had just enough to start production. Step by step, we have managed to get just enough funds to release the film. Also we kept the whole process very transparent and professional with the investors which I think they found endearing and they have been very supportive. Also, we kept our budget very tight and finished the shooting in Goa in 22 days.
What has been your learning while making your debut film independently?
The biggest learning I have had after making this movie is that “I don’t know anything”. Going forward, as I make more movies, I look forward to using this to an advantage. Because sometimes knowing too much and becoming an expert can hamper. I would prefer to remain “clueless” about a lot of things so that I am not scared of jumping into the deep end even in my second film. Also I learned that as an indie filmmaker, you have to drive and lead the film yourself. Also lead by example. I learned a lot in these last 2 years and also unlearned a lot more in this 2 years…so let’s see where my life’s journey takes me from here…all I know is that I want to keep it adventurous….
Where did you get the idea for ‘edible lingerie’? Did it work in your favor while pitching it to producers or did it seem too much of a risk?
While writing the script, I didn’t let any other thoughts like which producer to pitch this script to, creep into me. I just wrote what excited me. Whatever themes that I wanted to explore at that phase in life, I have weaved it into the script. As for edible lingerie, I thought it is kind of interesting since I have always believed that we Indians are big time kinky except we don’t talk about it because of the fear that “what will our families think of us?” Also, underwear is something people hide, and don’t talk about and I think it shakes people out of their comfort zone when you talk about it upfront without getting sleazy…

The film has an interesting cast. Tell us about your choice of actors. All my actors be it Ash Chandler, Shernaz Patel, Seema Rahmani, Ashwin Mushran, Sohrab Ardeshir, Arika, Dasang, Marianne…everyone of them gave me a lot of their time. That was one criterion. I needed time with them to work on the characters. Also it helped that all of them were intelligent and well-traveled and brought a lot of their experience into the movie. I am happy I got to work with these actors and they all have become friends for life.
Also a special word of mention to my editor Shreyas Beltangdy, my DOP Binendra Menon, My Sound Designer Ravidev Singh, Art Director Pradipta Ray….all these guys and my entire team went out of the way to pull off this indie film.
Any interesting incident related to the making of the film?
In fact, the non-seasonal rains in Goa during our 22-day shoot really kept us on our toes. My entire team would be praying that it doesn’t rain, and then it rains. So finally I had to make the decision to keep going and thus rain has found its way into Love, Wrinkle-free. This is probably what they call as the magic of cinema: Be open to anything…
What are you working on next?
I have a few scripts with me, but the one theme that I want to explore the most would be my next film. I want to start it by December this year.
Tell us about your background.
I grew up in Trivandrum, Kerala. Then, I moved to Mumbai when I was 21 and assisted Mr. Bhansali on Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. After which I left for Bangalore, joined advertising as a Copywriter, worked in close to 25 companies since I was this restless sort of guy, then came back to Mumbai and started writing weekly TV shows with Abhinav Kashyap, after which I started independently directing music videos, corporate films, shorts etc. before moving into my first feature.

This blog was written for moifightclub a few days before the release:

 

Sandeep Mohan’s Love, Wrinkle-free : Left brain VS Right brain

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Sandeep Mohan‘s directoral debut, an indie feature titled Love, Wrinkle-free is releasing this friday.  It stars Ash Chandler, Shernaz Patel, Seema Rahmani, Sohrab Ardeshir, Ashwin Mushran, Marianne Borgo, Arika Silaichia, Giju John and Theron Carmine.

Making an independent film is a difficult task for sure. But releasing it is almost impossible. Thanks to PVR Directors Rare section, the film is getting a limited release. But what is the director thinking? Will he survive? Over to a casual conversation between his Right Brain (RB) and Left Brain (LB).

LEFT RIGHT LOVE WRINKLE FREE…

Right Brain Sandeep (RB):

Hey bugger, heard that your movie Love, Wrinkle-free is releasing today or something?

Left Brain Sandeep(LB):

Yeah man, labour of love of 2 years…

RB:

…even I have a story….you wanna listen…see it is about racism, discrimination between white dogs and black dogs…

LB:

Not today ya…you know, I worked bloody hard on Love, Wrinkle-free for 2 years..do you even know what that means…two fucking years of my youth…

RB:

ok, now you are telling me that you are in your youth?!!

LB:

See, precisely why i wanted to make Love, Wrinkle-free…how can one stay young forever…why this obsession to photoshop every damn wrinkle out of your butt..i mean why…

RB:

but why blame Adobe Photoshop bugger…they are not like some Taliban…

LB:

love, wrinkle-free is for people like you…Seriously man, Love, Wrinkle-free is the Hyderabad Blues of this generation…

RB:

it is good to be an optimist, but don’t be stupid bugger…

LB:

What stupid…If a middle class guy like me could make a movie, things are changing in india and Indian films…

RB:

Yeah but the roads to the Love, Wrinkle-free theatres are full of craters…

LB:

Fuck roads ya…roads will soon be obsolete…helicopters will be the norm…people will go to watch movies in helicopters soon…

RB thinks about it…

RB:

Are you planning to make a Love, Wrinkle-free part 2

LB gives him a cold stare…

LB:

i hate sequels…the only sequel i liked was Waisa Bhi hota hai part 2! in any case, does life have a sequel?

RB:

deepak chopra thinks so…

LB (ignoring him):

…the reviews have just started coming in yaar…

RB:

Does it matter if they say good or bad…you still have to take care of your 2 year old daughter when your wife goes to work tomorrow no?

LB (ignoring it again):

The initial reviews have been pretty good…

RB:

Come bugger, don’t stress yourself, let’s go and have a fruit salad now

LB:

Here I am talking of my dreams, and you are thinking of Fruit Salad?!!!

RB:

…why can’t you dream of Angelica Jolie’s bee stung lips instead?!

LB:

Movies are my passion idiot…passion…you know what that word means?!!! Bee stung lips it seems?!

RB:

Eating fruit salad is my passion…what is wrong?!

LB:

…my movie, I am setting her free today to be judged by the world….i feel naked…

RB:

Put on some edible lingerie….

LB smacks RB on his head.

LB: i hope…Word of mouth is going to take Love, Wrinkle-free to a lot of people. It is a fun film man…and there have been so few fun films in the indie space…

RB(Moaning):

Who do you think you are…some kinda indie-saint to spread happiness all around…anyways, don’t worry, not many know about your movie? There is not even a bloody hoarding…even underwear companies have hoardings these days

LB:

Love, Wrinkle-free is not an underwear…it is my movie…my dream can’t be hung up there in some bloody hoarding for all and sundry to stare at…

RB:

You are losing it bugger, big time you are losing it…

LB:

I can feel it…lakhs of people are waiting for the Box Office to open tomorrow, and just like when the new version of the iPhone hits the stores, there will be a stampede to buy tickets…I can feel it…there is like a love, wrinkle-free wave out there…

RB(looks around):

Where?!

LB feels the air around him. Closes his eyes

LB:

Feel it…and you can feel it only when you stop talking…

RB closes his eyes and tries hard to feel it

RB:

..ok ok…now let’s go…even your bloody uncle Woody Allen never said that you can’t have feni or fruit salad on the day of the release..

LB:

Watch your words!!! And don’t get Woody Allen into this mess man…

RB:

…Everyone should pick their own nose….or Everyone should wear their own underwear

LB:

What is that?!

RB:

i have quotes too…like Allen

LB:

Allen is classy man…you are cheap…

RB:

Hey how are you guys related?!

LB gives him that look….and walks away hurt

RB:

Bugger, I was just kidding of course,…chill ..where are you going?

LB:

I am going home…I think I have some edible lingerie at home…i am starving…

RB:

Got some feny?

LB nods. RB runs after him and joins him…

RB:

…you did your best bugger…put your heart, soul, brain and groin into the film, now let’s have some feni and edible…whatever that thingy is…, dig into your next script, and soon you will be into your second film mode….c’mon man…this is the 21st century, you gotta be cool..