When was the last time you spent quality time with your grandparents? Watch the trailer of Barefoot to Goa and you will be left with an urge to remember your long gone childhood days. Hitting the big screen this April 10, Barefoot to Goa, claimed to be the country’s first crowdfunded film, is a beautiful attempt in making the viewer walk down the memory lane. In his maiden attempt at directing a full length feature film, Praveen Morchhale, an Institute of Rural Management Ahmadabad (IRMA) graduate, celebrates the innocence of the young, mocks the indifference of the adult and mourns over the loneliness of the old.
The story revolves around the journey of young siblings, who leave their house in the pursuit of finding their estranged grandmother, a cancer patient. The film was screened in as many as 12 film festivals worldwide and has received several accolades already.
In an interview with City Express, director Praveen Morchhale shares his thoughts and experiences during the entire process of making the film.
Not Preachy
Calling his venture an eye opener for viewers, Praveen says, “Today, I have observe a lot of neglect towards the elders and that is what urged me work on the subject. I tried my best not to make it too preachy because I believe there is no right or wrong. I only wanted it be an eye opener from the audiences’ perspective.”
Though the helmer of the film says that he had made the film with the intention of releasing it only at the film festivals but the kind of response it generated was not something Praveen had anticipated. “Once I started screening it in the festivals, people started advising me to release in the theatres. I distinctly remember one person coming up to me and saying, I want to watch the film with my family and that is when I wanted release it on the big screens,” he gushes.
Proud funding
Barefoot to Goa is claimed to be one of the first crowd funded films in the country. Praveen says though he wanted to make the film out of his own pocket, he did not have the kind of money it would take to release in theatres. “Hence we took to crowd funding approach where we got funds from the public. However, we believe it is ‘proud funding’ because at the end of the day, the donor should be proud to be a part of the film,” he shares. As many as 238 people from 15 countries across the globe have contributed to the film and each of them have been given credit.
So, what’s Praveen’s muse? “Though I am not very good with films, I am a huge fan of some Iranian film makers such as Jafar Panahi, Kiarostami and Majid Majidi, especially in the aspect where they choose kids as protagonists to talk about such key issues.” he says.
Looking forward to...
Currently Praveen is working on a Kashmiri film, with two children as protagonists. “Though this film also involves kids,it’s subject is entirely different. We are currently working on the script,” he says.