Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Step into the heart of the conversation with FACE to FACE, the podcast where compelling stories meet sharp journalism. Hosted by our team of highly skilled journalists, each episode features in-depth, face-to-face interviews with influential guests from all walks of life. Expect informative questions, honest dialogue, and powerful insights that go beyond the headlines.
Hello everyone. I am excited to welcome Uttara Singh and Rishi Kulkarni to today's conversation. Uttara is a talented actor, filmmaker and adjunct professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Her feature directorial debut Pinch is premiering at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival under the International Narrative Competition. Alongside her is Rishi Kulkarni, an accomplished composer and classical pianist based in Los Angeles.
Speaker 1:Rishi's distinctive musical voice spans genres from drama to animation and her work can be heard in films like A Nice Indian Boy, Wedding Season and the Disney plus film World's Best. Rashi and Uttara recently collaborated on Pinch and I am delighted to dive into their creative journey, inspirations and what's next for both of them. So welcome to ITV Gold both Uttara and Rashi. Thank
Speaker 2:you so much.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
Speaker 1:Let's start with the questions right away because I know you have Tribeca to go to as a panelist or something really big and exciting. Right, Uttara?
Speaker 2:Well, we're on a panel this evening, which is with South Asian House. So yes, excited about that.
Speaker 1:Uttara, let's talk about Pinch, your featured directorial debut premiering at Tribeca. Congratulations of all and share some milestone journey for this film and what does this film mean to you personally and professionally?
Speaker 2:Well, firstly, thank you so much for having us on ITV. This is kind of a fangirl moment. I have watched ITV in my uncle and aunt's home and my grandparents' home, so thank you so much for having us. Pleasure. Our film is premiering at Tribeca Festival with as part of the International Narrative Competition.
Speaker 2:And, you know, it's a story about a mother daughter dealing with an incidence of assault, and I think it's a comedy. So we'll find out what other people think. But I wanted to approach this drama with some comfort humor and a little bit of more, you know, a different take on most assault films.
Speaker 3:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:So we can make the conversation more accessible Mhmm. And bring men into the conversation. Hello, friends. Welcome back to my channel.
Speaker 1:What inspired the story of Panch and how did you approach bringing it to life on screen?
Speaker 2:Well, it's an old school completely indie film. So it was, you know, going back to my hometown in Indore and filming there, and very grateful that my entire community came together and helped me. So the credit goes to them. And then when I came back and was editing the film and doing the post, my other community came together, which is my film school community, and that's where Rashi and I met.
Speaker 3:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:So, you know, it was working with my friends, working with people I I knew from college. So it's actually a huge collaborative effort in how this film has come together.
Speaker 1:Okay. You you were talking about the film coming together, but how was the seed?
Speaker 2:Actually, my Nanu used to tell me the story when I was six years old about how one of my cousins would was so naughty that she would go into crowds and pinch people. Oh. And every time I would go back, you know, go you all you all go to Nanny's house. You know? So every time I would go to her house, I'll be like, Nani, please tell me that story.
Speaker 2:You know? Tell me that story again. And and that image remained with me for a long time. I wrote it as a short film and then one of my producers told me, no. You know, pursue it as a feature film.
Speaker 2:So wrote that, then my co writer came on board, and we finished the screenplay. And then we wrote it in English and then wrote it in Hindi all over again. It was a long process.
Speaker 1:I can imagine. Are you the protagonist of this film?
Speaker 2:Yes. I am. How much do you pinch people
Speaker 1:on screen and off screen?
Speaker 2:Well, that's a tough question to answer. I don't go around pinching people because I think I don't want to get in people's faces. And but but in the movie, I pinched once.
Speaker 1:That's it.
Speaker 2:I gave away the gave away the big reveal of our film. The pinch only happens once.
Speaker 1:Okay. But but there must be, a buildup and someone you really wanna pinch in the film. God. Getting clothes warmer.
Speaker 2:Well, it's a different take, and that's why I highly recommend you should come watch the movie. And please, all your audiences, you know, if you are in New York, please come watch our movie.
Speaker 1:Rashi, coming to you. Congratulations to you as well.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much. Yeah, I'm so happy to be here. Thank you for bringing me along on this interview as well.
Speaker 1:Pleasure. Your work spans a wide range of genres and formats. How do you adapt your compositional style to suit something like Pinch?
Speaker 3:That's such a great question. You know, it really depends on my collaborator and having a very open communication. So when Uther and I started talking about this film, we met up for coffee and we just talked. We want I wanted to know, like, what is she looking for? What is the style of music maybe she's thinking of?
Speaker 3:She came over to my studio and we just kind of jammed, know, and, like, we that's what I'm saying with Uttar, it was so special because she was very hands on. And we would sit together while I would go through my my library of sounds and, like, really decide together if we like certain sounds for the film, if we like certain, you know, rhythmic beats. So she was very involved in that process. But it's all about open communication and just going back and on ideas. That's kind of how I approach every project.
Speaker 3:And
Speaker 1:this takes place in a small town in Indore, maybe not that kind of a small town. And you are based in LA. Were you born and brought up in LA or are you from India?
Speaker 3:I was I've been in LA for ten years. I was actually born in Maryland. So I Okay.
Speaker 1:So that's like you know, how did you, like, really navigate the the culture and, you know, the the folk the folk beats in Indore or that part of the world?
Speaker 3:I mean, I my parents are very musical, and I grew up in a very musical household. So listening to Indian music, Indian classical, Bollywood, all the things, it was something that was very much part of my childhood. So it didn't seem like, you know, I was really reaching. It's just a part of who I am and what I've grown up with.
Speaker 1:Did you go to India for this?
Speaker 3:I didn't go to India for when she was shooting, but I was involved quite early. So we were actually working together, and I was writing music that she ended up going back and shooting in India for, like, additional footage. So that's to be able to be involved so early in a process where the music is kind of helping tell certain points of the story, but Uthera can talk more about that.
Speaker 1:Did she give you some examples or, you know, some kind of pieces that you could listen to so that you have an idea of what she wanted?
Speaker 3:You know, it no. Because it it was it was her coming over and, like, me giving ideas. Again, it like, with this story, we wanted the music to be really propulsive and helping to add tension to certain scenes. Mhmm. Because, you know, music is universal language.
Speaker 3:It's it's supposed to help tell the story and help support her vision as the director and the lead and the producer and the writer. So, like, you know, it's yeah. It was it was a lot of just, like, sending different ideas back to her and seeing what she liked and seeing how things would fit to picture.
Speaker 1:Mhmm. Uttura, coming to you now. You balance multiple roles as an actor, filmmaker, and professor. How do these roles influence each other in your creative process?
Speaker 2:Well, I I just really relate to Charlie Chaplin. You know? I think it's it just is my way of functioning. So I think it was easier teaching is separate. I enjoy it.
Speaker 2:I come from a family of educators, so I've been in a school environment for a long time. And and, you know, seeing my both my parents be educators, it's it's just comes not comes naturally. I think it's a very respectable and a very hard profession. And and, you know, I just enjoy teaching. I enjoy sharing not that I know everything.
Speaker 2:I actually learned more of my teaching than I have by being a student. And as for the other parts, I I love doing it. I love it's it come you know, I enjoy it. So it I look forward to doing it, doing all the roles.
Speaker 1:Rashi, you've scored many notable projects including A Nice Indian Boy and World's Best. How does working on a film like Pinch compare?
Speaker 3:I mean, I am very lucky that I've gotten to work with my friends. To me, those are the most fun collaborations. And so each of those experiences were wonderful because I was working with people that I really enjoyed working with. And with Uttara, I've known her for so long. I came to know her work on a web series that our friend did called The Faub and I, and I saw her as this wonderful actor.
Speaker 3:And then I saw her in her work called Fanny Pack. It was a short. And I knew, like I was like, well, there's a star. I I just you you just know. And so, yeah, each project is very different and asks for different things musically.
Speaker 3:And I think the most, you know, amazing thing you can do is work with your friends and grow together. And that's what I got to do on on each of those projects.
Speaker 1:Wonderful. Uttarak, talk about working with such a diverse and talented cast, including Geeta Agrawal, Sunita Rajwar, and others.
Speaker 2:Also, I just wanna quickly say Rashi is a star. Rashi is amazing to work with, and it was an honor to work with her. As for Geeta ma'am, Sunita ma'am, Sapna ma'am, and, you know, our entire cast. It was an absolute pleasure, to be honest. I learned so much from them, and it was something that I'm so grateful because they gave me they trusted me, and they were okay that I was directing and I was in it.
Speaker 2:And they never ever questioned that, which I'll I will forever be grateful for that because they're all very accomplished actresses, very well trained.
Speaker 3:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:And they bought you know, they actually brought that training and discipline to set every single day. They were prepared. They were on time. They were kind to everybody. So that was actually one of the best experiences for me to work with work with them.
Speaker 1:Talk about the production process, pre production, and also how difficult or easy was it to raise funds for your film?
Speaker 2:Well, it's always hard. You know, independent films are a miracle in themselves. Actually, any film or any project is a if you just keep going and that's how you get done. You know, preproduction, we had intended to make it as a short film and then decided to make it as a feature. So everything changed and then took us ten months to put it together.
Speaker 2:We, you know, we've shot over 24, and it was a mix of my USC, my co writer who's also the cinematographer, who actually took a lot of the burden of of, you know, framing the shots, and I depended on him, Adam, for, you know, for the for the cinematography, and I trusted him. And, like, when I'm in front of the camera, I knew that he's gonna shoot it properly, which he did. You know? We're very happy with the way it looks. So it's it's been a journey, and independent cinema is a journey.
Speaker 2:We're still on it.
Speaker 1:Great. Rashi, you're an advocate for women in film music. How do you see the industry evolving, and what advice would you give aspiring composers?
Speaker 3:Oh wow, what a great question. Yes, you know, I've talked about this so many times ad nauseam, but I think it's an important conversation to have. Women composers are the least represented demographic in our industry, and so I'm a I'm a huge advocate for amplifying women, amplifying underrepresented communities just because the the barriers to entry are high. And so I'm a governor of the Recording Academy for the LA chapter. I'm also on the board of it's called the Alliance for Women Film Composers, and it's an organization that amplifies women and women identifying composers.
Speaker 3:So I do a lot of work to amplify women and women identifying composers in the community, whether it's through panels, whether it's through referring people for jobs that they would be a good fit for, and basically getting it out there that we are just as capable of doing this work as our counterparts. And it's just about leveling the playing field and creating opportunities that give access that and that's the that's the main thing is the the opportunity is not always there. There are there's the limitation to the access that, you know, women often get in this industry. So if you are an aspiring composer, I would just say keep working on your craft because nobody can take your work away from you. Great, great answer.
Speaker 1:Uttarah, coming to you now, what themes or messages do you hope audiences take away from Pinch?
Speaker 2:That's a really good question, and I have a very biased answer to that. I am I said what I needed to say with the film, and now it's open to interpretation. Whatever the audience chooses to feel and take away from it is theirs. If you heal, you heal. If it makes you angry, makes you angry.
Speaker 2:If it's you know, brings you joy, you know, we've accomplished our goal. It's you know, if it makes you feel something, and that was our intention. So I'm I'm excited to hear from our audiences, and I'm here to listen. Great.
Speaker 1:Rashi, outside of film, your solo albums and global performances have gained acclaim. How do these personal projects feed back into your film work?
Speaker 3:Oh man, yeah. Those albums are for me, you know. I always say that as an artist, as a composer, you have to make space for art that is just your work, you know. I as a composer for film and TV, you're an artisan. You're helping to tell someone else's story and and collaborating with those people to bring their vision to life.
Speaker 3:That is my job as a composer. But then when I release my own music, that is that's my thing. That's my my baby. You know? And so I just think it's important to be able to tell my story, you know, and that's why I put those albums out because I, you know, I I wrote the two albums that I've released so far, you know, while I was working full time in film and television, and it became an outlet for me to then tell my story.
Speaker 3:And then and yeah. So I think having both is wonderful. Being able to tell other people's stories and then, you know, being able to tell my story.
Speaker 1:And what's your story like?
Speaker 3:It's still being written.
Speaker 1:You know, I see a very interesting backdrop where you are in your Zoom frame. So I want to ask you, is that like a real backdrop or is that like a virtual one? Me or Uthra? For you for you, Rashi.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah. This is my studio. These are sound panels. They kinda dampen the sound
Speaker 1:a And I was like, those are like blank canvases. Like
Speaker 3:They look like like yeah. They do. But it's a Where we this is where
Speaker 2:we compose the music where the magic happens.
Speaker 1:Is that a little piano or a Casio next to you?
Speaker 3:Yeah. That's my my dad actually got this in the eighties. It was his Wow. like, big purchase. And Wow.
Speaker 3:Now I used that was, like, one of the things I ever learned to play on when I was, like, six years old. Nice.
Speaker 1:So do you have something from Pinch that you can, like, quickly play for us?
Speaker 3:That well, a lot of that is very percussive. I'll just give that away. But the one thing that I can should we just say the one line that we use a lot, Wadhara?
Speaker 2:Let's do it. You you have you have a better singing voice than I do.
Speaker 3:I'm not gonna sing it. But we used a lot of percussion in this film, and one thing that we were able to do to kind of then, I guess, add to the rawness of it was include vocals. So you're going to hear a lot of this phrase, Takadumi, and that's all I'm going to say because you have to watch the movie to
Speaker 1:Uttar, what challenges did you face during production and how did you overcome them? Production and how did you overcome them?
Speaker 2:Well, as anybody in production would answer that, you know, every day is a new challenge. Every day is a new day. So you are facing and you just one thing my father always tells me, and I I kind of now live by it, he's Sachin Tandulkar only focuses on the next ball. That's it. That's all he thinks about.
Speaker 2:When Sachin Tandulkar plays, he only thinks about the next ball, and that's all you can do is focus on the next ball. Everything else, we'll figure it out. Wow. So each day, I'm trying to listen to my dad and be like, okay.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:What's my next ball? What's in front of me? And that's all I can, you know, focus on.
Speaker 1:Wonderfully answered. I'm I'm sure your father will be very happy to hear that. You mentioned your grandfather and now your father also. Yeah. Other members of your family, what role did they have in your film?
Speaker 2:I think it's a big family production. They all have it, you know. I'm there because of them, so they get all the credit.
Speaker 1:Wonderful. What's next for you as a filmmaker after Tribeca? Any upcoming projects or goals you'd like
Speaker 2:to share? Well, we have a have a festival run coming up, so we're excited to travel the world with our film. And, hopefully, we get to screen it in India, and we all go to India together and, you know, see it with the cast and crew. And then working on a couple of projects, writing and and teaching.
Speaker 1:Great. Wonderful. Wonderful having both of you here at ITV Gold. Thank you, Uttara and Rashi for sharing your insights and stories with us today. Best of luck with Pinch at Tribeca and all your exciting future endeavors.
Speaker 1:We look forward to watching your continued journey unfold and please do share any details about your film screening at Tribeca.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much. And please please tell your audiences to come. We need the support. You know, we are, we want to see you at our screenings in New York. So our screening is sold out after we were featured in New York Times.
Speaker 2:Our screening is on June 7 at 11AM at the VEC Angelica Theater. The screening is on June 9 at 03:15, again at the no. At the AMC nineteenth Street, and the screening is on the June 14 at eleven a. M.
Speaker 1:Alright. Thank you so much for talking to us and good luck.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having us. Thank you.
Speaker 1:Pleasure. Bye.