Starring: Deep Katdare, Purva Bedi, Jim Miller, Savannah Boyer, Lisa Dodd, Arthur Roses, Ron Micca Music : Christopher McGlumphy Location Sound : Bubbo Kakati Sound Design : Ken Hansen Art Direction : Madhurika Sona Jain, Tema Levine Cinematography: Erla Skulladottir Producer: Jessica Sharzer Writer/Editor/Director: Madhurika Sona Jain

Synopsis

Vasarma, the great Indian artist of the 18th century, is famous for his lost masterpiece, which he tore upon the death of his lover. Over 200 years later, one half of the same painting resurfaces in an art restorer's studio in British Columbia. The painting brings with it, flashes from another world and the possibility of reincarnation.

An artist can't truly come up with a story because it's the flavor of the month or because he/she thinks that's what the audience wants to see. I realize that the Holly and Bollywoods of the world have made fortunes doing just that. But, in my mind, a truly original piece is not based on hire-on-demand. A truly original story is just floating in the air and you just have got to listen and put it on the page and eventually on celluloid.

That's how Vasarma's Lovers evolved from me. It was an idea that was germinating, then became a dream and finally I put some craft into putting it on paper and finally it became a film. I believe that the first ideas don't "come up". They are given to you. And after that, it's up to me to apply the craft that I have as a film-maker and a screenwriter and fixate the idea onto a tangible form (in this case, a screenplay and then a film.)

Vasarma, the great Indian painter of the 18th century, inspired by his wife, made a masterpiece of two lovers. His wife died shortly afterwards during childbirth, and Vasarma was so devastated that he tore the painting in two. The two pieces were'nt seen for centuries and came to be known as Vasarma's Lovers. Over 200 years later, in the Art Restoration Center of British Columbia, a young Restorer comes by one half of the same painting. Haunted by the feelings the discovery evokes, he's determined to find the other half of the painting and restore it to its natural glory. Meanwhile, in New York, the other half of the painting languishes in the apartment of a young woman whose going through a personal crisis, with no idea of the significance of the painting hanging on her wall. The young restorer's search brings with it, haunted flashes from his past life in India and the possibility of reincarnation.

The idea stemmed from the need to communicate my belief in reincarnation and soul-mates. The idea of using the painting was a creative choice I made to lend a visual motif that signifies the soul-mates split apart. And (thank God!) it works.

This film, to me is the perfect example of originality and craft. I knew I was onto a really good thing, that I'd been "given" a really great idea. The problem was that the idea was too big for the scope of a short film (and my budget was too small to make anything other than a short film) and I just knew that somehow I had to get the idea across. So the visual image of a split painting proved to be very effective and economical.

The main challenge in making this film was recreating 18th century India, or what I thought it would have been like, in a sound stage in New York City. (Remember here that we were working on nil to none budget) I shaved things down, made all the shots tighter and it seemed to be workable if we lit everything really dark so that the background just kinda fell off. It worked. Except, the day when we reached the set to shoot, we found out that the Art Director had fled the ship leaving an unfinished floor. Now I'm not sure what floors in 18th century India looked like, but I'm sure as hell it didn't look like the gray concrete soundstage floor. Everyone panicked, things were going off, we were losing time. And then, I remembered the quintessential flowers in a honeymoon suit, that cover the bed in all Hindi movies that I'd seen in my growing years. That was it! We got 5 dozen roses and covered every inch of exposed floor with rose petals. People have complimented that choice so often since the release of the film. I always tell them that it was a creative solution, rather than an original idea. They tell me to lie, take credit and just say, "Oh ThankYou. I'm a Genius!" Not!

Vasarma's Lovers was completed in March 2000. The film is doing phenomenally well. It is truly a labor of love and is very close to my heart because it was also my first learning ground. I learnt that film is a whole new language that I had to learn - to talk through visuals. That is a humbling experience. (And dare I say, continues to be.)

Vasarma's Lovers has been featured at many Prestigious International Film festivals such as the BBC British Short Film Festival in London; Message to Man in St.Petersburg, Russia; Fukuoka International Film Festival in Japan; Philadelphia International Film Festival, USA; Canadian International Film Festival where it was awarded a Special Commendation from the judges etc. I am thrilled by its success and proud of the achievement of my crew and cast who believed and made a wonderful film with no money. More than anything else, personally, it's the biggest encouragement for me to go on doing what I'm doing; to ruthlessly and fearlessly put my beliefs and my questions first on paper and then on film. Because I've learnt, if it has a heart, it'll have an audience.

I continue with other projects, writing my next film (a feature length drama called "Afreen" that spans the hills of Northern India to Bollywood and ultimately Hollywood) while writing for other people (I recently wrote a script titled "Com'mon" for French film-maker Pascal Aubier starring Sarita Choudhary, which is slated to premier at the Hamptons Film Festival in October). I live in New York and write about the rest of the world and my dearest home, India. Unfortunately, I don't think being 25 years old and a woman, I'm about to get a chance to make my first feature in Bollywood.(Believe me, I tried!) Anyhow, I'll suck directing a song-dance slap-stick/ melodrama flick. Moreover, I don't want to do that.

I was recently asked by a journalist about Indian filmmakers (such as myself) "who are constantly putting themes such as reincarnation and kamasutra stuff in their International works to lure the western audience." At that moment, the question had stumped me for it's naiveté about the artistic process, but now I've worked out a more sophisticated answer- No original piece comes from the idea of a result; it comes from just believing in the story that needs to be told in that moment. Because, human experiences and feelings are universal. The key, I think, is to express a universally human experience and then wrap it in unique, culture-specific details. The details are important to craft, but then, they're only details. Again, if it has a heart, it'll find an audience.

Madhurika Sona Jain is a graduate from St. Stephen's College, Delhi who has done her Masters in Fine Arts In Film from New York University. Her credits include various shorts and documentaries.