Outfest 18 - Evening Shadows
When you come out of the closet, you push your mother into the closet.
Interview with Director/Producer Sridhar Rangayan
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
We made Evening Shadows to reach out to a larger audience about the need for families to accept their LGBTQ children. The film is more than a coming out film; it is about a woman steeped in traditions and conservative social mores, standing up for her son against all odds. Evening Shadows is a film of hope and courage.
We always felt that there was no mainstream film that youngsters can show their parents as a means of helping them understand their true reality, and also for families to understand more about their children. The film, made with a simple heartfelt narrative with no auteur, flourishes so it can appeal to a large family audience in India and across the world.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
The film is a very heartwarming story about a mother and son bond that is humorous and loving, and also tragic at the same time. Why can’t people be accepted for who they are instead of being placed into boxes and labeled? The film has the capacity to touch everyone’s hearts, which has been the reaction at every screening, be it in Sydney, LA, Amsterdam or China, Sri Lanka and India. Evening Shadows transports the audience to a small town in South India which is beautiful, enchanting and colorful, where the word gay is hardly even whispered, and social mores are very rigid. It could well be a story about the divide between two generations and a society which is unforgiving. So it is universal in this theme and goes beyond just LGBTQ audiences.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The film is set around the days of the Indian Supreme Court’s verdict in December 2013 underlining how Sec 377 effectively criminalizes homosexual relationships, deeming gay men criminal. So the personal story of the protagonist coming out to his mother, at a time when the legal system is trying to push the community back into the closet, is a very political one.
There is still uncertainty and fear among younger LGBTQ persons to come out of the closet, because of the prevailing legal and social environment. The film captures this dilemma and the effect it has on families. The film is also a strong comment about female empowerment and standing up against the patriarchy. It is quite a feminist film.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Saagar Gupta and I wrote the script 7 years ago, but we couldn’t make the film because we didn’t find producers to back it. Finally we decided to go ahead and produce it ourselves under our company’s banner Solaris Pictures, with our own funds and crowdfunding. 180 supporters from around the world invested their money and trust in this film. That was very heartening. Also top notch industry professionals worked on the film at very discounted remuneration.
The coup was to have the title song composed and sung by one of the most eminent singers in India, Shubha Mudgal, who didn’t charge a single rupee as she believed in the cause of the film. We always wanted the film to have a song by her and it was amazing that she agreed. The haunting lyrics by Saagar Gupta, the beautiful setting of the song, and Shubha Mudgal’s extraordinary voice makes the song memorable, and meaningful.
We didn’t change the script much since we felt it stood the test of time. The lead actor who plays the mother - Mona Ambegaonkar, one of the best and most underrated actress in India - was our first choice and she stood by the film. She brings in a powerhouse performance. We were very fortunate to find the young actor Devansh Doshi through auditions, and he brings in a very nuanced performance to his complicated role. It is also brave of him to play the role of a gay man at an early stage in his career, but as he says, ‘it is a good role’, and he has immensely grown as an actor through this film.
Another important aspect was to actually get to shoot in the locations that we had scripted the scenes in – the charming small town, the river bank, the centuries-old temples which have been excavated from under the sand, the roads winding getting between paddy fields – we got permissions to shoot at these locations. Some of them are archeological monuments, which is a treat for the audiences.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback at festivals has been extremely positive. While it was expected that Indian and South Asian audiences would identify with it and appreciate the film, it has been a revelation that western audiences too are emotionally moved by the film. The film has transcended linguistic, cultural and geographical barriers. For a micro budget independent film that’s a whammy.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
When we released the trailer online on Facebook and YouTube, the way it went viral with thousands of views, shares, likes and comments was quite unexpected. One of the most overwhelming forms of feedback has been the constant pouring in of messages from across India that this film should be released and seen in theaters. Many of them are actually demanding in a very strident tone! We didn’t expect this kind of eagerness and expectancy. We also didn’t quite expect the success at international film festivals across the globe – from USA, Canada, Australia to Brazil, Netherlands, China, Sri Lanka and even Kosovo!
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We are excited to be featured on www.wearemovingstories.com because that’s what this film is about – a ‘moving story’. With a story about our film Evening Shadows on your website, we are sure to reach a very new and diverse audience, with the message of acceptance. And if it can help us find a distributor, that’s a double whammy!
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Distributors. We are having a good run at the festivals across the world, with already 18 film festival selection and two awards in just 4 months (since its world premiere on February 25th in Sydney). Most importantly we need distributors to take the film ahead – both globally and in India. We are looking for a theatrical and satellite distribution, especially in India, so it can reach family audiences. We already have a UA certification by the Indian censor board making it suitable for everyone to watch the film. Then of course Netflix or Amazon for digital outreach (our earlier films The Pink Mirror and Breaking Free are already on Netflix).
Also, we want more mainstream and South Asian film festivals to also screen the film because we want it watched by universal audiences.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
We want to see it released in theaters to reach family audiences. We want it to be on-screened on television channels for it to reach every home with this important and pertinent film. We want it to be on streaming channels so it reaches every nook and corner of the world. But most importantly, we want to underline and reiterate the message of the film – “Every human being is beautiful. Accept them with love and not discrimination.”
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
‘Are you comfortable coming out about your sexual identity to your parents/ if not what is the barrier you face?’ and ‘What is stopping you from understanding and accepting your child?’
These are uncomfortable questions, but they need to be answered. We need to remove the barriers that stand in the way of truth and loving relationships.
Would you like to add anything else?
The reception and release of this film is not only significant for our film Evening Shadows but marks a new chapter for independent LGBTQ cinema which is honest, meaningful and devoid of gimmicks to bust the charts.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Enthused by the response we are receiving for the film Evening Shadows, we are already thinking about putting into motion our next feature film Songs of Eternal Love which will be a Indo-Canadian co-production – an intense love story and a thriller about a Jewish Canadian lawyer and an Indian Muslim singer. Intriguing? Wait and watch.
Interview: July 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
EVENING SHADOWS
When you come out of the closet, you push your mother into the closet.
Length: 102 min
Director: Sridhar Rangayan
Producer: Solaris Pictures
Writer: Sridhar Rangayan, Saagar Gupta
About the writer, director and producer:
SRIDHAR RANGAYAN is an award winning filmmaker and a leading gay activist whose films have laid the foundation for Indian LGBTQ cinema. He is also the founder & festival director of KASHISH Mumbai International Queer film festial, South Asia's biggest LGBTQ film festival. His films The Pink Mirror and Breaking Free are featured on Netflix.
Key cast: Mona Ambegaonkar, Ananth Mahadean, Deansh Doshi, Arpit Chaudhary
Looking for: distributors
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EveningShadowsFilm
Twitter: @Evening_Shadows
Instagram: #EveningShadowfilm
Funders: Solaris Pictures, Karim Ladak, Mohammed Shaik Hussain Ali and 180 global contributors
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Barcelona LGTIB Film Festival (October 21, 2018), Chichester International Film Festival, UK (August 12, 2018), North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (August 19 & 21, 2018), Prishtina International Film Festival, Kosovo (July 19, 2018), Outfest, Los Angeles (July 15, 2018)