6 Oct
2006

Comments

Filmmaking
Tatvam

My interview on Eteraz, link on Sepia Mutiny

Ali, the blogger behind Eteraz, pinged me with a few questions about my new direction in life. The interview is up on his site. Here one snapshot…

AE: Your website name is a Sanskrit word/idea. Care to explain that?

SM: I was looking for a name for my website that really meant something to me. My Grandmother (a Sanskrit scholar) came up with Tatvam and I instantly fell in love with it. Tatvam means the truth, the inner meaning, or ‘that which is’–obviously at a fundamental level the subject of most serious films. I guess I chose that name because I want to make that kind of movie. Maybe this will come back to bite me if what I do looks more like Dude Where’s My Car than Trois Couleur, but it’s sort of a declaration of intent. Also, of course, it’s Sanskrit, which I guess means that something about my projects will be rooted in India and Indian culture, even though I hope to avoid the narrow limitations that can create.

Sepia Mutiny then covered SAIFF and linked to Ali’s interview.

Comments

  • Fabdiva82, thanks for the comment. I think Ali's question was meant innocently since *most* South Asian parents would react quite traditionally.

    The feature script has been stuck at page 30 for about two months, but I hope to make some progress in the next couple of weeks.

    Thanks for reading the Tatvam blog! :)
  • fabdiva82
    Wow! Super impressive interview!!

    Nice mention of Wong Kar Wai -- I saw 2046, and it had incredible visuals. The only annoying thing was that I had to keep reading the subtitles to follow the story, and between that and the richness on the screen, I was exhausted at the end of it.

    Also, why does every interview with a South Asian person who does anything off the beaten track have to include the "are your parents annoyed?" question. I find it a very, yes, annoying question. Like, hello, not ALL South Asian parents of our parents' generation are of the "doctor/lawyer/engineer/failure career" mold. I thought you handled that question really well, too.

    How's the full-length feature coming? How many pages are you at right now?

    Can't wait to read more!! :)
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