During the turmoil of the financial crisis of 2008, Kurush Mistry was offered an opportunity to invest in a small-budget movie, and what he thought was a very hands-off investment quickly turned into a very significant and deep involvement in various aspects of the production. The writer/director of the film was his partner at the time, which made the production process and the various inherent tensions in the production process even more personal and combustible.
The script was based on four young South-Asian professionals living in New York at various stages of their relationship lives: single, dating, engaged and married. The themes explored in the film were cross-cultural dating, the tussles between traditional “values” and liberal thinking, and the now-veiled practice of urban dowry, all under the pressures of stressful work-life balance. These opposing pressures presented the protagonists with stark choices: which alternatives would they walk away from?
Throughout the process, mainly because most of the team were novices, so-called plans and budgets were constantly revised or thrown out the window. Very early on, the scope of the script and the profile of the cast increased dramatically, which caused the budget to balloon. What started as an ultra-low-budget film funded by a few people quickly needed a more “crowd-sourced” approach, relying on the incredible generosity of many friends.
Challenges came at the movie from all directions, as is probably familiar to all first-time filmmakers. Locations need to be “borrowed” and thus could be canceled at the last minute; some scenes were shot on the street without permission. Unexpected costs (for novices) kept cropping up, from actor overtime to equipment needed at the last minute. The production was briefly paused while a SAG union dispute was worked on.
Kurush got much more involved in the process as things went along, not only in the budgeting and finances but also in hiring some key personnel, dispute negotiations with actors, and even rewriting parts of the script. The initial writers were much younger than the protagonists in the film, and some of the language needed to be rewritten to not sound like a 20-year-old but a 30+-year-old! Kurush was at the filming of the resolution scene for one of the relationships, which he co-wrote, and remembers tearing up seeing his words being acted out and filmed.
The movie was released in many theaters across the US, received mixed critical reviews, and had very poor commercial returns. In hindsight, the lack of a comprehensive marketing plan for a release of this size and the difficulty of getting the diaspora audience to watch a movie without any known “stars” contributed to the commercial challenges. Perhaps a slower, word-of-mouth release would have served the film better, but that’s Monday morning quarterbacking.
A few things Kurush wishes he had known before embarking on this venture, especially given his background in a much more structured academic and work environment:
- They need to hire at least a few more experienced people, specifically a producer or an assistant director so that they can more accurately budget and advise on the possible variability of the process and the pitfalls.
- Some basic knowledge of regulations and union rules
- How much of the process is managing people, egos and varying strong personalities
- The inherent role friction between producer and director and being more prepared for those while working in those roles with one’s partner
Regardless of the various challenges and the poor commercial performance of the film, Kurush is extremely glad to have had the opportunity to participate in something beyond his comfort zone. It exposed him to a much more unstructured environment. It necessitated a lot of flexible, out-of-the-box thinking and quick decision-making. He effectively managed many more people than he had, who needed to conform more in a corporate environment. But most of all, it allowed him to express his creative side. He was the co-composer of one of the songs in the film and re-wrote several parts of the script.
Looking back, the experience was intense, challenging, and frustrating but also deeply rewarding and memorable. Kurush would advise anyone thinking of taking the plunge to set low or realistic expectations, recognize the value of intangible returns, have an open mind and patience, and get ready for a wild ride.
Published by: Holy Minoza
