‘Our industry needs new voices’

‘Our industry needs new voices’

The Academy Awards or the Oscars is considered one of the most prestigious awards in the entire film fraternity. Some people have to wait an entire lifetime to win an Oscar. But it’s worth the wait. 
Youngster Nishad Chaughule, however, did not have to wait that long. He bagged the Student Academy Award for his short film Border Patrol in the foreign language category in 2014. Proving his mettle in production back then, Chaughule has now wowed audiences worldwide with his directorial skills for The Bare Knuckle Gentlemen, which premiered in Los Angeles recently.  
He tells us more about his filmmaking journey, life after the big win and his latest short.  

Tell us about your journey as a filmmaker? 
I grew up in Dombivli near Mumbai and after completing school, moved to Pune. I was always interested in theatre, literature and movies but never thought of it as a career option. Like many I was pursuing engineering but a chance encounter and a lucky visit to a film set followed by a subsequent opportunity to study film in England opened the doors. That was eight years ago and since then one thing led to another. I was lucky to make short films in the UK, Germany, Ireland, Russia, Europe and now in Los Angeles. 

Other than working on my own films I had to take jobs working for other companies and filmmakers as making films on your own terms doesn’t really let you earn enough money to live. I worked with Creative England in the UK, later in India, I had a chance to work with Guneet Monga and Sikhya Entertainment to produce an Indian-American film, The Ashram. Later, in Los Angeles, I worked in the story and development department at Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners and my last job was working on an upcoming George RR Martin show Wild Cards on Hulu.

Filmmaking is tough if you are from an average background with a modest upbringing. Whether it is India or elsewhere, it is a bit of an elite world where ‘who you know’ can matter more than ‘what you know’. So far filmmaking hasn’t given me money to buy a house or a car but I have been incredibly lucky to meet some amazing people, travel to some spectacular places but most importantly it has given me some incredible life experiences.


Your latest short film The Bare Knuckle Gentlemen has premiered at various film festivals. What is the film about? 
The synopsis of The Bare Knuckle Gentlemen goes like this: In 1810, in a private cellar in London, one of the most auspicious fights in boxing took place. It was a fight between Tom Molineaux, a freed slave from America and Tom Cribb, the reigning Champion of England. Whoever won this fight would be the indisputable Champion of the World. Molineaux lost the fight unjustly. Bill, an African  retired boxer and trainer, wants to get a rematch for his protege, Molineaux. Consumed by his obsession over the unjust and discriminatory outcome of the fight, Bill goes to Cribb’s trainer, Percy, to negotiate another fight. But Percy is unwilling to take another chance since Cribb could lose this match. Bill spends the film trying to transform Molineaux into an English gentleman and secure a rematch. The film is about their strange but endearing relationship. For me, at the heart of the film is about how people deal with finding identity and trying to fit in a society as an outsider. 

Tell us about your previous film Border Patrol and where did you get the story idea from?
Border Patrol was a fun idea that was born in the dining room of my flat when I was living in England. I was having dinner with my roommates, Peter, from Germany and Justin, from America. We were talking about what would happen if you found a dead body as a cop and you have to dispose it, so you won’t have to deal with the paperwork. At the same time, there was a parallel discussion about football rivalries. Peter had a great idea to unite these two ideas and Border Patrol was born. He ended up directing it, I produced it and Justin shot it. It was a fun idea born in our house and it was even more fun to bring it to life. Producing it was a great learning experience. Contrary to what people think in India, producing is not just financing the film. I had no money, I raised it through the film school and other sources and we made it on our own. And after that, the making, promotion, distribution and awards campaign were independently done.

Did things change after winning the Student Oscar and Royal Television Society (RTS) Award for Border Patrol? 
Things definitely changed after Border Patrol won the Student Oscar and The Royal Television Society (RTS) award. Firstly, the film was screened at more than a 100 film festivals and was eventually distributed by HBO Europe. This led to my other work being noticed which led to me winning the British Council UK Alumni Award for Professional Achievement.  

Border Patrol gave me credibility and opened a door for me in Los Angeles in the industry there. But at the same time, awards come with expectations and people expect more from you and also some people find it hard to believe that someone with no background of the industry can pursue their dreams. But, I feel these are good and privileged problems to have.

Where do you find inspiration for your stories?
Inspiration for stories can come from anywhere — music, books, politics, other films, life, literally anything. But, I think you mostly create or respond to things that have shaped your life experience.

You say that you wish to bridge the gap between Bollywood and Hollywood. Are you talking about the gap in the budget or content, and how do you propose to do that? 
The gap I see is in democratising our industry as the source of power lies with very few people in India which needs more formal structure. Our industry needs new voices and new ideas for all the new emerging distribution platforms along with the traditional theatrical ones. Unlike the ’90s and the last decade people are willing to see beyond the big stars, so hopefully there is a market for entertaining and engaging content in India for creators and producers like me.

How do you see the market for content driven films that make way to international film festivals? 
If by content you mean good storytelling, then there is always a market for that. It may not make tonnes of money at first but good engaging and entertaining content will always find an audience somewhere especially if the audience can find something universal and relatable in it.

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