By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Endeavour Hills couple Deo and Kusum Narayan have laid it on the line to make their first feature-length Bollywood movie, WOH.
Inspired by Deo’s long-held movie-making dream, the pair self-funded the Hindi film’s $120,000 production and marketing budget.
With little experience but with a long line of loyal friends and a compelling storyline, they managed a cast of 130 actors shooting in homes and locations in Hallam, Cranbourne, Endeavour Hills and Dandenong.
WOH, a Hindi word for ‘that’, is about heartbroken girl Costina who returns from London after the breakdown of her marriage.
She then gets involved with a troubled man accused of murdering his mother-in-law and described as “deeper than the ocean”.
Deo said the couple tried to highlight the challenges for some migrants settling in Australia.
“I personally feel that the most challenging issue people throughout the world are facing is integration.
“Bollywood’s recent trend towards very commercialised films with a limited number of subjects …. had failed to provide much education to the people.”
During the film’s making, Melbourne actors of many backgrounds were integrated, resulting in a rewrite of the Hindi language script.
Kusum describes the finished product as “beautiful”.
“We put our heart and soul into it for the past two years.
“It’s our little baby that we have grown and nurtured.”
After two years, the couple’s Tri Avatar Productions will launch WOH’s poster, CD soundtrack and trailer with much festivity on 6 November at Nazareth College in Noble Park North.
Kusum said the next challenge is to find cinemas to screen their 90-minute film.
She said she was surprised by the uphill and so far unsuccessful battle required to win government film funding.
“You just have to have faith. Just think positive and it comes”.
