“A Son’s Journey”

BY AYUSH MADAN

This month, we’re shining a spotlight on filmmaker Ravi Gopilal Tak and his touching short film, SonDesh, which translates to “message” in Hindi. Dedicated to his own father, Lt. Shri Gopal Tak, the film explores themes of family, loss, and the deep connection between a son and his father. 

We had the opportunity to chat with Ravi about his inspiration for the film, the challenges and triumphs of bringing it to life, and his future goals as a director. Let’s delve into his creative journey and the story behind SonDesh.

Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind your direction journey and SonDesh?

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 who share my vision. My pre-production team helped with logistically managing the 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 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 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?

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. 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 thought of his mother and we played the famous and emotional Bollywood song “Mai Teri Chunariyan” behind the scenes for him while he did so.

What are your long-term goals and vision as a director? What do you think is the future of the industry?

I hope to very soon direct a full-length mainstream feature film which sheds light upon some societal problems. I think in such creative industries, there is always room for some unique and inspiring content.

How can individuals who are interested in supporting India and its pride help you?

I believe India’s soldiers are our pride. And by connecting to the feeling of soldiers, we can share in that feeling of pride and love for the nation which makes them want to wear their heart on their sleeves and risk their lives for us.

What advice would you give to other young individuals who aspire to make a similar positive difference in their communities?

In life, we must prioritise time over money. Money can be earned, accumulated and made, but time cannot. On a deathbed, even if a billionaire offers up his entire fortune, he cannot postpone death for even a second.