A blog about a success story
This blog is the by-product of an exersize as prescribed by my life coach, as a means of reframing my overall outlook of the past. The next sentence starts with the words âone of my greatest success stories isâ âŚ.
One of my greatest success stories is having produced a feature film. Though I can write a whole book on the experience as I still have vivid memories of that whole three month period, Iâll sum it up as brief as possible.
âTUâ (You) was a Hindi short film I produced and starred in April 2018, and that is what gave birth to the idea of producing a feature. My director Sandeep said, âsir if you can make an 18 min movie for Rs. 3 lacs (under $5k), and get it distributed on one of Indiaâs biggest short film platforms, why not make a feature 90 minute feature (4x the length of the short) for just 4x the cost of the short? Somehow, the idea immediately settled well, even though I knew, that low a budget wouldnt be plausible. But it was the birth of a pursuit, and one thing I knew immediately was that I was going to launch my own company in New York and pursue this as an independent American feature, not a Bollywood film. For those who donât know, âindependentâ means, without studio backing. I knew the trials and tribulations of making a small Bollywood film. They ensure as best possible it stays small and that cynicism has proven true, as till date Iâm pursuing an Indian streaming release. By making an American film, I knew the World is my stage. The US acquired it, as did Australia and Africa, but India wants a star or something in Hindi, both of which are false claims and lousy ways of saying no (not yet). But Iâll break through that and thatâll be another success story. The journey began, and if this was going to be my âHollywoodâ debut, it would be shot in New York, center around Christmas, showcase an apt role for me and fit into a budget Iâd be able to procure the funds for. And I did. Six investors within 30 days, a solid writer, an affordable and good director from Brooklyn, a Kenyan actress to complete the ethnic equation (tailor made for the role), a great supporting cast and crew, THE BEST CO-PRODUCER, and all the pieces of the puzzle that go into making a film. Within 12 days and nearly 0 degree temp everyday, we made a feature film. As for the budget, I wonât mention that (Iâll save that for a greater publication).
I was now a producer. And my greatest take away as a producer was, play your part as best you can but keep God close. For it is God who taught me that I must also learn the virtue of playing peacemaker, within, and within the team. My second greatest take away, always keep an extra 10% of the budget and 2 more days on hand, the product will be just that much better, and NOT EVERYTHING CAN BE FIXED IN POST(production).
But hey, I sold the film, weâre getting a tax credit, its on Amazon and it went to 15 film festivals. Three years later, it is still being viewed, has great ratings and reviews and still teaching me valuable lessons.
Iâd say thatâs a success story. Wouldnât you? A NEW CHRISTMAS gave birth to a new me.