Page 26 - Masala Lite Issue 160 April 2024

26 IN FOCUS

Director Ravi Gopilal Tak
on his short film about

Fatherhood and Patriotism

BY AYUSH MADAN

his month, we’re shining a spotlight thought of his mother and we played the famous and emotional Bollywood song “Mai
on filmmaker Ravi Gopilal Tak and Teri Chunariyan” behind the scenes for him while he did so.
his touching short film, SonDesh, What are your long-term goals and vision as a director? What do you think is the
which translates to “message” in Hindi. future of the industry?
Dedicated to his own father, Lt. Shri
I hope to very soon direct a full-length mainstream feature film which sheds light upon
Gopal Tak, the film explores themes of
some societal problems. I think in such creative industries, there is always room for some
family, loss, and the deep connection
unique and inspiring content.
between a son and his father.
How can individuals who are interested in supporting India and its pride help you?
We had the opportunity to chat with
Ravi about his inspiration for the film, I believe India’s soldiers are our pride. And by connecting to the feeling of soldiers, we
the challenges and triumphs of bringing can share in that feeling of pride and love for the nation which makes them want to wear
it to life, and his future goals as a director. their heart on their sleeves and risk their lives for us.
Let’s delve into his creative journey and What advice would you give to other young individuals who aspire to make a similar
the story behind SonDesh.
positive difference in their communities?
Can you tell us more about the
inspiration behind your direction In life, we must prioritise time over money. Money can be earned, accumulated and
journey and SonDesh? made, but time cannot. On a deathbed, even if a billionaire offers up his entire fortune,
he cannot postpone death for even a second.
My inspiration is actually
inspiration itself. Allow me to elaborate. I always loved to inspire emotions
through art in people. As a child, I was astounded by my father who wrote
poetry. And like any son who thinks his father is his superhero, I followed
in his footsteps and fell in love with writing, art and evoking emotions.
The second part of the story is that my father belonged to a very small
town, which is my hometown. It was his heart’s desire to visit Mumbai
and experience the urban city life. As someone who is based in Bangkok
with his family, I had obviously tasted city life, but due to circumstance
and because “life happens”, I never had the privilege of experiencing city
lights. He passed away in 2015. And I made this short film, which follows
a soldier navigating the streets of Mumbai with his father’s ashes and an
amicable taxi driver.
How did you collaborate with other organisations to promote and
make SonDesh happen?
I had to create my own team. I had no contacts and no background in Bollywood and
the film industry. I contacted freelancers and production houses. And in the process of
developing connections, I formed a team of hardworking and equally creative individuals Like any son who thinks his
who share my vision. My pre-production team helped with logistically managing the father is his superhero, I
locations we would shoot at, and the execution of the screenplay I created in terms of
technology and camerawork. While, for my post production team, I enlisted three to followed in his footsteps and
four editors and sat beside them to edit the film multiple times. For me, invoking a sense
of connection and catharsis in the audience is of utmost importance. By getting these fell in love with writing, art
and evoking emotions.
multiple perspectives on the movie, I was able to do that and make the film flow beautifully.
I later collaborated with the production house Hungama to launch the movie, as well as
hiring a marketing team to launch SonDesh on my own YouTube channel: Damru and
Damru Films. ‘Damru’ was the nickname my father gave to me.
Could you share some memorable experiences or success stories from SonDesh and
your other directing experiences?
Watch the short
As expected, it was a difficult process to inspire and invoke such emotions in people. In
doing so, the actors and creators themselves need to deeply feel those emotions first. film SonDesh here:
One memory I have is that while shooting one of the key scenes where the protagonist
Army Man remembers his father and tears up emotionally, our protagonist Vibhav Roy

MASAL A LITE ISSUE 160 - APRIL 2024