KAUFMAN - "Or cramming in sex, or car chases, or guns. Or characters learning profound life lessons. Or characters growing or characters changing or characters learning to like each other or characters overcoming obstacles to succeed in the end. Y'know ? Movie shit."
Kaufman is sweating like crazy now. Valerie is quiet for a moment - from "Adaptation".
We are all about CINEMA. That movie shit.
NOTHING is sacred.
NOBODY is spared.
Because we talk about films, dammit.
Not your sex life.
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11 Storytellers. 11 Perspectives. One Crazy night!
11 eclectic filmmakers come together to bring you one exciting cinematic vision.
That’s how the makers of “X” have described their film. Interestingly, it’s one-of-its-kind film because eleven Indian filmmakers with disparate styles of filmmaking have come together for this one.
So what is it about? Here’s the official synopsis
A filmmaker with a mid life crisis meets a mysterious young girl who reminds him of his first girlfriend at first, and subsequently, of every woman in his life.
Who is she? Is she real or imaginary? A stalker or a ghost? His past catching up or a character from the script he is writing?
Do check out its new trailer. The film releases on 20th November, 2015.
Cast & Crew
Cast: Aditi Chengappa, Bidita Bag, Gabriella Schmidt, Huma Qureshi, Neha Mahajan, Parno Mitra, Pia Bajpai, Pooja Ruparel, Radhika Apte, Richa Shukla, Rii Sen, Swara Bhaskar, Anshuman Jha and Rajat Kapoor
Directed by: Abhinav Shiv Tiwari, Anu Menon, Hemant Gaba, Nalan Kumarasamy, Pratim D Gupta, Q, Raja Sen, Rajshree Ojha, Sandeep Mohan, Sudhish Kamath and Suparn Verma
Written by: Abhinav Shiv Tiwari, Anu Menon, Hemant Gaba, Pratim D Gupta, Q, Raja Sen, Rajshree Ojha, Sandeep Mohan, Sudhish Kamath, Suparn Verma and Thiagarajan Kumararaja
Directors of Photography: Anuj Dhawan, Aseem Bajaj, Dinesh Krishnan, Gairik Sarkar, Katyayani Mudholkar, Maeve O Connell, Q, Ravi K Chandran, Sandeep Mohan, Siddhartha Nuni, Sidharth Kay and Viraj Sinh Gohil
The film will open the South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF) which runs from Nov 18-23, 2014. Interestingly, it’s 1 film with 11 segments directed by 11 filmmakers. The directorial bunch includes Sudhish Kamath (Good Night | Good Morning), Q (Gandu), Nalan Kumarasamy (Soodhu Kavvum), Suparn Verma (Aatma, Ek Haseena Ek Khiladi), Raja Sen, Sandeep Mohan (Love Wrinkle-Free), Pratim Gupta (Paanch Adhyay), Hemant Gaba (Shuttlecock Boys), Abhinav Shiv Tiwari Sankhnaad (Oass), Anu Menon (London Paris New York), and Rajshree Ojha (Aisha, Chaurahen). And this includes 3 film reviewers. If you don’t like the film, well, you get the drift.
Check out the first trailer of the film. And scroll down for detailed synopsis, cast & credits.
Official Synopsis :
Is man meant to stick to one woman? Is film meant to conform to one genre?
X is a one-of-its-kind film because eleven Indian filmmakers with disparate styles of filmmaking have come together to make different parts of the same film. In strikingly different styles as a bridge between the various cinemas of India. Mainstream, Arthouse, Popular, Underground, Regional and Global – all at the same time. NOT an anthology but a single story.
The story of K (Rajat Kapoor), a filmmaker with a mid life crisis, who meets a mysterious young girl (Aditi Chengappa) who reminds him of his first girlfriend at first, and subsequently, of every woman in his life. Who is she? Is she real or imaginary? A stalker or a ghost? His past catching up or a character from the script he is writing?
Each episode, directed by a different filmmaker (since every woman/story required a different genre) unravels the role of a different woman in his life. Every woman is different and through the lens of different filmmakers, X hopes to explore the role women play in shaping our lives.
What is it that makes us tick or stop? What is it that keeps us anchored or free falling? What is it that makes us move or let go? Are we products of our past or present? What is that X factor that defines who we are?
Cast & Crew
Cast: Aditi Chengappa, Bidita Bag, Gabriella Schmidt, Huma Qureshi, Neha Mahajan, Parno Mitra, Pia Bajpai, Pooja Ruparel, Radhika Apte, Richa Shukla, Rii Sen and Swara Bhaskar with Anshuman Jha and Rajat Kapoor
Directed by: Abhinav Shiv Tiwari, Anu Menon, Hemant Gaba, Nalan Kumarasamy, Pratim D Gupta, Q, Raja Sen, Rajshree Ojha, Sandeep Mohan, Sudhish Kamath and Suparn Verma
Written by: Abhinav Shiv Tiwari, Anu Menon, Hemant Gaba, Pratim D Gupta, Q, Raja Sen, Rajshree Ojha, Sandeep Mohan, Sudhish Kamath, Suparn Verma and Thiagarajan Kumararaja
Directors of Photography: Anuj Dhawan, Aseem Bajaj, Dinesh Krishnan, Gairik Sarkar, Katyayani Mudholkar, Maeve O Connell, Q, Ravi K Chandran, Sandeep Mohan, Siddhartha Nuni, Sidharth Kay and Viraj Sinh Gohil
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..
So who will have the last laugh – Sandeep Mohan’s Right Brain or Left Brain? It all depends entirely on you.
To know more about the film, you can click here for its FB page or click here for its website.
And here’s the list of theatres and the show timings for Love,Wrinkle-free:
There’s at least one film in each one of us. For those of us who make it our vocation (not profession) there are many. Debutante director Sandeep Mohan’s done with his first. Indie, short, sweet and with a home-grown, quirky sense of humour, ‘Love, Wrinkle-free’ played at MAMI yesterday. And plays again tomorrow, 20th Oct at 12.45 pm, Cinemax, Sion.
The film is about a middle-aged couple struggling with middle-age issues. The passing of youth, the wilting of relationships under the dryness of everyday living. The excitement of finding new love and all that it affirms about oneself. Well, it’s not half as serious as all this sounds, but lightly touches all these ‘deeper’ strains with a certain idiosyncrasy. Then there are crooks and fools in love making the capering continuously ticklish.
Watch the trailer to get a glimpse of what I am saying.
We rant enough about how difficult it is to make any movie, leave alone the one you want to make. Sandeep found that out first hand too and then simply decided to drop everything and make his films one way or the other. No he didn’t rob a bank. He simply, “Spent close to a year trying to raise funds – made couple of wrong moves. Learned and moved on.”
To finally find funding. “Giju John and Kamal Shah came along to help. Giju is a childhood friend. Totally trusted me. We managed to rope in close to 30 more friends (in a crowd funding of sorts!) to put in whatever they could.” It not only sounds difficult but we all know how much passion and conviction is required to convince someone to part with pennies for a film. Film! A form which has been reduced to little more than nautanki these days. Why would anyone bother with it unless the ones making it had ‘it’ in them to want to go beyond?
The film took two years to evolve from idea to image. The script was fleshed out over a period of 3-4 months. And the film completed within 22 days, within schedule, fully shot in Goa. Extended reading sessions happened with each one of them. And from there on the experienced folks took off well. As said here, “The film boasts of some good performances from the ensemble!”
Sandeep’s pre-prod office and editing studio was his own house. “So in essence this is a Vikhroli West movie as opposed to an Andheri west movie” he jests.
Cutting costs was of course, primary. No AD for entire post-production. But ensured actors were well-taken care of. “We gave the actors whatever we could. But once they realised what we were attempting, they became part of this journey, and it was smooth going.”
Indie, from start-to-finish and not just for the sake of it. That’s refreshing. Independent not only in thought but action. Not only what it creates but how. A healthy mix of both is probably the whopping leap our cinema needs to take.
This route was and wasn’t a choice for Sandeep. If you want to do something you got to get out there and find ways to do it. He had no choice but that and hence willingly made that choice.
“It all evolved after my father passed away 3 years back. His death taught me that we are not here for ever. I could just conk off one day complaining that I never made a movie. So went ahead, worked hard, didn’t complain, respected actors and crew members, restrained myself even when I got angry at times, and grew as a human being and as a filmmaker through this last 2 years.”
Every such film is a labour of love, some maybe more than the others. What matters in the end is the intention and effort. The applause then, becomes so much more sweeter.
In Sandeep’s words – “The film truly represents the indie spirit – and I hope more such films get made – the idea being not to wait for anyone to come and help me, but to go ahead and do it.”
MAMI is the World Fest Premiere of Love, Wrinkle-free. After that, it is SAIFF in New York where the film is scheduled to be screened on the 11th of November. Meanwhile, for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, catch it on 20th Oct at 12.45 pm Cinemax Sion.
Let’s show some love to the spirit of indie cinema.
F.i.g.h.t C.l.u.b 