Megha Ramaswamy

Megha Ramaswamy is a Mumbai-based screenwriter, director and producer. Having made her debut as a screenwriter in 2011, she transitioned into filmmaking with her directorial feature debut What Are The Odds, a Netflix film starring Abhay Deol, Karanvir Malhotra, Monica Dogra and Yashaswini Dayama.[1][2]

Megha Ramaswamy
Born
Megha Ramaswamy

India
NationalityIndian
Alma materFilm and Television Institute of India, Pune
OccupationDirector, Screenwriter
WebsiteOfficial Website

Ramaswamy's body of work includes two other acclaimed short-films as well. The hybrid short documentary, Newborns, giving an inside look into the lives of acid-attack survivors, and Bunny - Ramaswamy's first fiction short film. Both films premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and have traveled to several other film festivals, having being met with critical response and accolades .[3][4] They've both also seen releases on the cinephile OTT service, MUBI.[5][6]

Outside film, Ramaswamy co-hosts Cause Effect, a platform that produces cause related content and outreach programs.[7] Her banner, Missfit Films, is dedicated to producing innovative films, which subscribe to being neither independent nor commercial.[8]

Career

Early work and directorial debut (2011–14)

Ramaswamy studied film at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. She moved to Mumbai after graduating and was discovered by Anurag Kashyap, who offered her a writing job in his production. She worked as a screenwriter for Bejoy Nambiar's 2011 black comedy Shaitan, which received positive response from film critics.[9][10]

Ramaswamy made her directorial debut with the 2014 short film Newborns. Set in New Delhi, the film follows the daily lives of acid attack survivors. The film takes us through the ennui of their domestic and public spaces in a nameless dystopian city, its factories, houses and motels, and its promises, never honoured. The film featured Laxmi Agarwal and other New Delhi-based human rights activists and a survivors of acid attacks.[11]

Newborns had is works premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. The film won the German Star Award for Best Documentary at the "Indisches Filmfestival Stuttgart, JIFF’15 Worldwood International Panorama and Moonfaze Feminist Film Festival in LA. In addition to those, Newborns was awarded the Best Short Documentary Award at the Mumbai Women's International Film Festival and the Delhi Shorts International Film Festival (Jury Prize). At the London Asian Film Festival, the film won both the Audience and the Jury Award for Best Short Film. The film was also given the cARTel Select Special Mention for Innovation Award in Los Angeles.

During the making of the film, director Megha Ramaswamy executed a nationwide initiative called the ‘Spot of Shame’ campaign that aims to generate public awareness around the issue of acid-attack violence and to terminate the recurrence of such attacks. In association with Stop Acid Attacks, a Delhi-based NGO, ‘Spot of Shame’ entails marking ‘spots’ in the city where women have been attacked with acid in broad daylight.[12] For the campaign, typography was designed and stencilled into walls, street plays were performed, placards and signs were displayed. This was primarily to serve as a constant reminder of public apathy and government negligence.[13]

Short Films (2015–16)

In 2015, Ramaswamy’s MissFit Films created Bunny, a live-action short film that explores the fantasies and fears that accompany childhood. Bunny is an elegiac look at how fantastical childhood is, and evocative of the heartbreak with which we leave it behind. The film had its world premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Bunny has been acquired by sales agents New Europe Film Sales and is distributed via Canal Plus and EU Shorts in Europe. According to the Indian Express, "The 15-minute silent short unfolds through visuals and required Ramaswamy to develop a visual code that would serve as a way to communicate the film’s emotions to the audience."[14]

In 2016, Ramaswamy premiered her latest documentary short, The Last Music Store at the South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF), where it won the Audience Award for Best Documentary. The 38-minute film documents the closure of Rhythm House, Mumbai’s oldest large format music and video store, that went out of business due to rise of piracy and highlights the lament of the store’s eccentric, dedicated, long-standing employees of the store and how they cope with this loss. Ramaswamy's connection with Rhythm House first started when she first discovered the store back in 2001. Ramaswamy met Aliya Curmally, producer of The Last Music Store and daughter of Rhythm House owner Amir Curmally, at a writing programme.[15] The film does not delve into Rhythm House’s commercial history but instead asserts its role in enhancing Mumbai’s musical culture over the decades.[16] In March 2016, a short sneak peek of the film was released on Facebook and instantly went viral. It was covered by various news sites such as BuzzFeed, ScoopWhoop, Scroll.in and many more.[17]

"What Are The Odds?" future projects (2017- present)

Megha's first feature film "What Are The Odds?" follows the story of two unintentional teenage friends, Vivek (Yashaswini Dayama) and Ashwin (Karanvir Malhotra), who skip a scholarship exam and end-up spending an entire day together. The film uses elements of magical realism to tell a whimsical coming-of-age story as the duo meet a variety of characters, both human and animal, played by an ensemble of actors that includes Abhay Deol, Manu Rishi, Monica Dogra and Priyanka Bose. In an interview, Megha revealed the film was an homage to filmmakers she admires like John Hughes and Wes Anderson.[18]

Initially knowns as "The Odds", the film premiered at the closing night gala for the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles in 2019.[19] Having been showcased at various film festivals across the world, it saw an exclusive worldwide release on the streaming platform, Netflix on 20th May, 2020.[20]

The film was met with generally favourable reviews, with NDTV praising it in a review for "not ticking boxes, but reinventing them".[21] The New Indian Express called it " A charming new age fairy tale", praising the film's outlandish staging, screenplay and narration.[22] While most reviews seem to praise the cinematography, visual style and performances delivered by leads Yashaswini Dayama and Karanvir Malhotra, a few have critiqued the film's lack of substance. Rahul Desai called the film a "pretty but pointless flight of whimsy"[23] while Firstpost called it an "ambitious film which is a delirious pleasure till the madness withers out".[24]

Ramaswamy's next feature film Reshma Shera is currently being produced by JAR Pictures. It is a story about a little girl and her dog,[18] and was last showcased at Berlinale Co-production Market, 2019.[25]

Filmography
  • 2011 - Shaitan – Writer
  • 2012 - Ship of Theseus – Actress (Journalist)
  • 2014 - Newborns (Documentary short)[26] – Writer and director
  • 2015 - Bunny (Short)[3] – Writer and director
  • 2016 - The Last Music Store (Documentary short) – Writer and Director
  • 2020 - What Are The Odds (Feature Film) – Writer and Director

Awards and nominations

Newborns
  • Mumbai Women's International Film Festival - Best Short Documentary
  • The cARTel Select Special Mention for Innovation Award
  • Indian Film Festival of Stuttgart - Best Documentary Film
  • London Asian Film Festival- Audience & Jury award for Best Short Film
  • JIFF’15 Worldwood International Panorama - Best Documentary Film
  • Delhi Shorts International Film Festival - Jury Prize for Best Short Documentary
  • Moonfaze Feminist Film Festival, LA – Best Documentary Film

References
  1. "What Are The Odds movie review: Abhay Deol, Yashaswini Dayama's ode to Wes Anderson is cute but not crazy enough". Hindustan Times. 20 May 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  2. "What Are the Odds? | Netflix". www.netflix.com. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  3. "'Beeba Boys,' 'He Named Me Malala' Among TIFF World Premieres". India West. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  4. "TIFF.net | Bunny". TIFF. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  5. "MUBI". mubi.com. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  6. "MUBI". mubi.com. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  7. Ghosh, Sankhayan (7 April 2016). "The kids are all right". The Hindu. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  8. "Good Pitch". Good Pitch. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  9. "I don't think I'm talented enough for Bollywood: Megha Ramaswamy". India Today. 20 June 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  10. "Goodwill of Shaitan helped me a lot". Deccan Herald. 5 February 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  11. Newborns, retrieved 21 May 2020
  12. https://www.saddahaq.com/megha-ramaswamy-talks-about-newborns-and-her-campaign-for-acid-attack-victims
  13. http://www.shortfilmwindow.com/article/in-focus-a-fascinating-mind-megha-ramaswamy/
  14. http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/down-the-rabbit-hole/
  15. http://www.mid-day.com/articles/film-on-mumbais-iconic-rhythm-house-to-premier-at-international-film-fest/17782188
  16. http://thereel.scroll.in/a/823173
  17. https://www.scoopwhoop.com/Watch-This-Tribute-Video-For-Rhythm-House-Will-Give-You-Goosebumps/#.tdn59wanw
  18. Jhunjhunwala, Udita. "In Netflix film 'What Are the Odds?', love, hope, music and the magic of the wonder years". Scroll.in. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  19. "Abhay Deol's coming-of-age show, The Odds, to close Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles 2019- Entertainment News, Firstpost". Firstpost. 16 March 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  20. "Watch the Trailer for What Are the Odds?, Out This Week on Netflix". NDTV Gadgets 360. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  21. "What Are The Odds? Review: Netflix Film Doesn't Tick Boxes, It Reinvents Them". NDTV.com. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  22. "'What Are The Odds' movie review: A charming new-age fairy tale". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  23. Desai, Rahul (20 May 2020). "What Are The Odds Review: A Pretty But Pointless Flight Of Whimsy". Film Companion. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  24. "What Are The Odds? movie review: This ambitious film on Netflix is a delirious pleasure, till the madness withers out- Entertainment News, Firstpost". Firstpost. 20 May 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  25. "The 2019 Berlinale Co-Production Market line-up is revealed". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  26. "Talvar to show its edge at Toronto International Film Festival : Mail Today, News". India Today. 11 September 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2015.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/the-kids-are-all-right/article8442940.ece

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