A satirical narrative of a young second generation Indian American’s surreal fight against societal conformism.
Director’s Statement
What if you never gave up on your daydreams? Those dreams that were once so real, gave you the power to create anything you desired and be anyone you wanted to be. Visions you could feel, touch and use to build your own future. But for many of us, they eventually die. Society convinces us that these aspirations are unrealistic, childish and useless, leading us to kill and bury them with our own hands. We become what we’re told to be and try to happily live someone else’s life, while someone else lives our dreams.
This is because society prefers conformists. The so-called “Invisible Hand” worshiped as the great balancer and force behind our civilization’s progress achieves this growth by favoring the rich and privileged, while the rest of us are forced to become swarms of workers essential to turn the giant wheel of societal progress. Workers who can be used when needed and disposed of when it doesn’t make “economic sense.”
Forced societal conformity has an even stronger effect on the lives of immigrants. Conformity is often the only criterion for success as an immigrant. As a result, first-generation immigrants define success based on conformity. Consequently, for the next generation, dreams are rarely accepted by their own families and communities. Due to the fear of failure and the absence of love and care of the extended family, second-generation young adults frequently face challenges with their mental health.
Added to that, is the cultural dissonance and stigma. This often hinders entry and growth in social networks that some are generationally privileged and accustomed to. It’s not what you know but who you know, resulting in a form of latent racial and cultural nepotism which limits the scope of what one can and can’t pursue successfully.
In this film, I attempt to showcase this fight against societal conformity from the perspective of one of its critical victims: Dev, a second-generation Indian American. His dream was to become an artist. However, societal conformism enforced by his immigrant family, he descends into nothingness. But when art is merely a tool to increase the capital in the hands of the rich, is it possible for an artist to break this money-making ecosystem wrapped in pseudo-intellectualism?
However, if we did not forget how to dream, it might still be possible. After all, more dreams have changed the world than the thirst for wealth.
Trailer
Stills
Cast
Haroon Khan (Dev Roy)
Neelachal Banerjee (Sanjay Roy)
Tori DeLaney (Alex)
Joshua McQueen (Rob Brown)
Subhashis Mukhopadhyay (Lawyer)
Avni Chakraborty (Maya)
Casey Welsh (Rob Brown’s Uncle)
McKenzie Blackwood (Influential Art Critic)
Reyna Osuna & Olivia Dennis (HR Team)
Zachary Krueger, Miguel Cadiz, Kevin J. Lane, Amitava Chakraborty, Sohini Ganguly, Ahana Mukherjee, & Debapriya Sengupta (Neighbors)
Bishkoot (Dog)
Nate Bolin, Charlie O’Leary, Maurya Akula, & Catherine Lund-Molfese (Metro Passengers)
Mohona Gupta, Meghna Gupta, Jashodripto Maitra, Judhadityo Maitra, & Brishtijaa Gupta (Kids Playing Outside in India)
Jayabrata Maitra & Sohini Roychowdhuri Gupta (Neighbors in India)
Crew
Direction, Cinematography, Editing and Sound Design: Kaustuv Mukherjee
Story and Screenplay: Kaustuv Mukherjee, Goirick Das
Producers – Goirick Das, Haroon Khan, Debapriya Sengupta
Production Design and Wardrobe: Debapriya Sengupta
Prop Design: Meghna Banerjee
Featured Paintings: Amy Miller
Location Sound: Anthony Romero and Anay Bose
Drone Operation: Achirangshu De
Assistant Camera: Anthony Romero
Best Boy Grip and Electric: Anthony Romero, Maurya Akula
Colorist – Ritajit Raichu
Visual Effects: Rajib Paul
Sound Effects: Ahana Mukherjee
Locations: Sumit Ray, Anita Sengupta, Sumon Gupta, Kathryn Nahorski
Production Assistants – Anthony Romero, Maurya Akula, Sriranjani Datta, Anay Bose
BTS Photographers – Maurya Akula, Debapriya Sengupta, Anthony Romero, Catherine Lund-Molfese