Curry Munchers to hit big screen next month
Talk of carrying coals to Newcastle! While New Zealand has long been promoting its locales to Hollywood and Bollywood, here is Curry Munchers, a New Zealand film conceived and produced by Kiwi Indians whose innovative team is taking this slickly produced home production all the way to Bollywood – and beyond.
Several years in conception, Curry Munchers was produced on a shooting schedule that was as tight as its budget and completed in record time by a multinational, multitalented cast and crew.
The film is a light-hearted comedy about love, hope – and some hot and spicy curry. It is a story of change, chasing one’s dreams and the challenges one faces when faced with the situation of re-location and resettlement.
The film deals with some of the most contentious issues that new migrants face: what stops a migrant from integrating, assimilating into a new country and culture? Is it language? Loss of the traditional family safety net? Lack of acceptance by locals? Could it be the failure to attract local girls? Or scarce job opportunities? The film is set in modern, contemporary New Zealand society with its cosmopolitan mix of people and cultures.
Shot in New Zealand and New Delhi, the film has a very Kiwi feel in its treatment. This New Zealand made film by local artistes and crew also has a universal appeal, talking of the problems that young people face in all environments. The narration is in English and the production values are extremely professional as testified by experts who have seen the first rushes.
Curry Munchers has been produced by Mahayana Films, a team of professionals specialising in feature film production, commercial/music video production, line-production and web advertising.
Indian Weekender is proud to be associated with the film and to present it to New Zealand audiences. Our next issue will carry an extensive feature on the film introducing readers to the film’s cast and crew and run a contest that kicks off both in our print and online editions with several prizes to be won. To find out more about the film and to win prizes read these pages and participate in the contest that will appear online and our next issue on February 4. To participate online, subscribe online to our newsletter at www.indianweekender.co.nz.
Can’t wait to have more curry? Have a first look at the trailers of the movie on You Tube Channel. Just go to the following link: http://www.youtube.com/user/mahayanafilms Or just go to the search option and type ‘Curry Munchers the movie’. You can always find more on Facebook and My Space.
How the curry was cooked…
“I was sitting under a Pohutakowa tree after work on a balmy Friday summer evening about six years ago, while having a glass of mango juice, pondering on the monotonies of my life. The frustration of having to work a 10 to 12 hour shift continuously for the last two weeks on an academic career pre- decided by my parents was clearly imprinted in my forehead,” says lead actor Anand Naidu, who also conceived the film and co-produced it.
“I was bemoaning my life when my gorgeous wife chastised me for being a whinger and complainer. She confronted me saying, ‘there was nothing to stop me from doing what I wanted to do now’ and questioned me on what I’d be doing if I was given a chance to re-live it.
“At first, her words added fuel to the fire, especially since according to her, I had done well out of my parents’ chosen career, but once she left I actually realised I hadn’t fully given it a thought. I picked up a pen and started writing. Hence I wrote the first draft of this script,” he continues reminiscing how he began putting together the recipe.
“I took my first draft to professional writers who took it apart. Reflecting on their advice I reworked the script, learnt about script writing and rewrote various versions of the script. In the process I got various people involved as co-writers who have added huge value to the script.”
But Anand realised that cooking up a mean dish was only part of the story. There had to be the necessary commercial nous to make it work.
“I realised, as a trained prudent business person would, that this story needed to have all the commercial attributes to ensure it reached a wider audience and it could obtain a reward for the investors involved.
“I then defined the elements required for commercial success and ensured the script ticked off all the boxes. After many years and numerous rewrites, the script eventually got ready to go for production.
The screenplay was then re-written by Padma Akula, a screen play writer,” he says remembering the blood, sweat and tears shed during the hard yards.
“The story is loosely based on my life ‘what if’ scenarios, except I had of course wanted to be an actor and an entertainer but became a chartered accountant. My wife’s words did impact on me, and I had been training and acting for the last six years, whilst still working as a financial controller to realise my dreams.”
The story in a nutshell
Curry Munchers tells the story of Sid, an Indian immigrant recently arrived in New Zealand. Instead of studying to become an engineer, Sid goes behind his parents back and gets a part time job at a restaurant to earn money and independence. Sid's plans however take a surprise turn when he and the kitchen crew have to come to the rescue of the failing restaurant, which leads to deceiving his parents, conflict over girls and cultural stereotyping all with hilarious results!
The who, what where…
Produced by Mahayana Films, the movie is directed by Cristobal Lobos, shot on location in Auckland and New Delhi.
Cast: Anand Naidu, Alison, Vidya Venugopalan (featured in Indian Weekender this week), Leela Patel, Tarun Mohanbhai, Raj Verma, Ajay Vashist, Bhavnesh Soni.
New Zealand premiere: February 21. Opens to public on February 24. The film also releases in Fiji and Australia shortly thereafter before moving on to India and other parts of the world.
Talk of carrying coals to Newcastle! While New Zealand has long been promoting its locales to Hollywood and Bollywood, here is Curry Munchers, a New Zealand film conceived and produced by Kiwi Indians whose innovative team is taking this slickly produced home production all the way to Bollywood –...
Talk of carrying coals to Newcastle! While New Zealand has long been promoting its locales to Hollywood and Bollywood, here is Curry Munchers, a New Zealand film conceived and produced by Kiwi Indians whose innovative team is taking this slickly produced home production all the way to Bollywood – and beyond.
Several years in conception, Curry Munchers was produced on a shooting schedule that was as tight as its budget and completed in record time by a multinational, multitalented cast and crew.
The film is a light-hearted comedy about love, hope – and some hot and spicy curry. It is a story of change, chasing one’s dreams and the challenges one faces when faced with the situation of re-location and resettlement.
The film deals with some of the most contentious issues that new migrants face: what stops a migrant from integrating, assimilating into a new country and culture? Is it language? Loss of the traditional family safety net? Lack of acceptance by locals? Could it be the failure to attract local girls? Or scarce job opportunities? The film is set in modern, contemporary New Zealand society with its cosmopolitan mix of people and cultures.
Shot in New Zealand and New Delhi, the film has a very Kiwi feel in its treatment. This New Zealand made film by local artistes and crew also has a universal appeal, talking of the problems that young people face in all environments. The narration is in English and the production values are extremely professional as testified by experts who have seen the first rushes.
Curry Munchers has been produced by Mahayana Films, a team of professionals specialising in feature film production, commercial/music video production, line-production and web advertising.
Indian Weekender is proud to be associated with the film and to present it to New Zealand audiences. Our next issue will carry an extensive feature on the film introducing readers to the film’s cast and crew and run a contest that kicks off both in our print and online editions with several prizes to be won. To find out more about the film and to win prizes read these pages and participate in the contest that will appear online and our next issue on February 4. To participate online, subscribe online to our newsletter at www.indianweekender.co.nz.
Can’t wait to have more curry? Have a first look at the trailers of the movie on You Tube Channel. Just go to the following link: http://www.youtube.com/user/mahayanafilms Or just go to the search option and type ‘Curry Munchers the movie’. You can always find more on Facebook and My Space.
How the curry was cooked…
“I was sitting under a Pohutakowa tree after work on a balmy Friday summer evening about six years ago, while having a glass of mango juice, pondering on the monotonies of my life. The frustration of having to work a 10 to 12 hour shift continuously for the last two weeks on an academic career pre- decided by my parents was clearly imprinted in my forehead,” says lead actor Anand Naidu, who also conceived the film and co-produced it.
“I was bemoaning my life when my gorgeous wife chastised me for being a whinger and complainer. She confronted me saying, ‘there was nothing to stop me from doing what I wanted to do now’ and questioned me on what I’d be doing if I was given a chance to re-live it.
“At first, her words added fuel to the fire, especially since according to her, I had done well out of my parents’ chosen career, but once she left I actually realised I hadn’t fully given it a thought. I picked up a pen and started writing. Hence I wrote the first draft of this script,” he continues reminiscing how he began putting together the recipe.
“I took my first draft to professional writers who took it apart. Reflecting on their advice I reworked the script, learnt about script writing and rewrote various versions of the script. In the process I got various people involved as co-writers who have added huge value to the script.”
But Anand realised that cooking up a mean dish was only part of the story. There had to be the necessary commercial nous to make it work.
“I realised, as a trained prudent business person would, that this story needed to have all the commercial attributes to ensure it reached a wider audience and it could obtain a reward for the investors involved.
“I then defined the elements required for commercial success and ensured the script ticked off all the boxes. After many years and numerous rewrites, the script eventually got ready to go for production.
The screenplay was then re-written by Padma Akula, a screen play writer,” he says remembering the blood, sweat and tears shed during the hard yards.
“The story is loosely based on my life ‘what if’ scenarios, except I had of course wanted to be an actor and an entertainer but became a chartered accountant. My wife’s words did impact on me, and I had been training and acting for the last six years, whilst still working as a financial controller to realise my dreams.”
The story in a nutshell
Curry Munchers tells the story of Sid, an Indian immigrant recently arrived in New Zealand. Instead of studying to become an engineer, Sid goes behind his parents back and gets a part time job at a restaurant to earn money and independence. Sid's plans however take a surprise turn when he and the kitchen crew have to come to the rescue of the failing restaurant, which leads to deceiving his parents, conflict over girls and cultural stereotyping all with hilarious results!
The who, what where…
Produced by Mahayana Films, the movie is directed by Cristobal Lobos, shot on location in Auckland and New Delhi.
Cast: Anand Naidu, Alison, Vidya Venugopalan (featured in Indian Weekender this week), Leela Patel, Tarun Mohanbhai, Raj Verma, Ajay Vashist, Bhavnesh Soni.
New Zealand premiere: February 21. Opens to public on February 24. The film also releases in Fiji and Australia shortly thereafter before moving on to India and other parts of the world.
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