Halwa Movie Poster

Emerging as the next generation of filmmaking visionaries, directing duo Gayatri Bajpai & Nirav Bhakta have seen rapid success with their short film HALWA, for which co-director Nirav has been named a finalist in HBO’s Asian Pacific American Visionaries Competition of 2019. This is the first time a South Asian-directed film has been honored in this competition. HALWA tells the story of an older Indian woman who rekindles a treasured relationship with a childhood companion through Facebook messages, but her abusive husband takes notice.

The film will have its premiere hosted by HBO at the prestigious Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival in May. The filmmakers’ intent in creating the project was to “give an authentic voice to the voiceless. South Asian culture in the media too often takes the form of stereotypes played for laughs, with older Indian characters always arranging someone’s marriage. With our film, we hope to draw our audience into the quiet psychology of these characters, and share what makes them human.”

On becoming a finalist in HBO’s APA competition, co-director Nirav Bhakta says, “it’s an incredible honor that we don’t take lightly. For us, it’s not about the awards. Rather, it’s about being heard. I’ve grown up as an undocumented immigrant in this country with a fear of remaining unseen or not having a voice. It’s now empowering to give a platform through storytelling to the quiet and complex lives of immigrants. There are thousands more such stories waiting to be told.”

Co-director Gayatri Bajpai says, “When you’ve moved a lot growing up, your identity can start to feel fragmented. One of the joys the digital age affords us is keeping alive the connections that sustain our histories and identities. I wanted to explore, in an intimate way, how reconnecting with someone from her past helps this immigrant woman over 50 rekindle a sense of self. We wanted to tell this story against the backdrop of a seemingly calm domestic world, the kind which often masks volatile situations.”

HALWA stars Vijaya (Vee) Kumari as the protagonist Sujata, followed by a full cast of South Asian actors. Says Vijaya, “I was motivated to make this movie in order to push the boundary of characterization of Indian mothers in movies and TV beyond that of women arranging marriages for their children. Ultimately, the story is about a universal experience, regardless of ethnicity or nationality.

HALWA TEAM  BIO’s

Nirav Bhakta:

Raised as an undocumented immigrant in motels, with an educational background in architecture, Nirav Bhakta began his journey in film as an actor. With the lack of authentic roles for Asian Americans, Nirav began to create narratives focusing on the immigrant experience. He created his first experimental short film ‘Honor’ revolving around the topic of honor killings, which traveled to film festivals around the world, including the prestigious UK Asian Film Festival. Nirav and Gayatri Bajpai, who both are co-directors of the HBO APA Visionaries short film ‘Halwa’ are next co-directing a portrait documentary short about a Mexican trans woman who was human trafficked by a drug cartel into sex slavery.

Nirav Bhakta
Nirav Bhakta

Gayatri Bajpai:

Gayatri Bajpai is the director of the short films Muck (2014), Housewarming (2017) and Rio (2017), a short film executive produced by James Franco and incorporated into a feature film anthology of the same name. She produced a documentary about Francis Ford Coppola’s Live Cinema production, Distant Vision (2016). She is a two-time UCLA Directors’ Spotlight Winner: of Best Documentary for Muck in 2014 and Best Comedy for Housewarming in 2016. With a multiethnic, international upbringing, Gayatri is interested in stories about people who find themselves caught between cultures. She is developing a feature screenplay as a co-production based in India and North America, and finishing a documentary with co-director Nirav Bhakta about the experiences of a Mexican trans woman who escaped a cartel. She holds an MFA in directing from UCLA.

Gayatri Bajpai
Gayatri Bajpai

Vee (Vijaya) Kumari:

Vee (Vijaya) Kumari is known for GLOW, Anger Management, Teachers, Criminal Minds, among others. She spent over three decades as a neuroanatomy professor, neuroscience researcher, and , for ten of those years, an Associate Dean for Medical Education at the University of California Davis Medical Center. She has received numerous teaching awards during this period. In 2008, she moved to Los Angeles to be closer to her daughters and grandsons, and, taught at USC Keck School of Medicine for five years. In 2012, she retired to pursue a career of acting and writing. She calls this “a journey from the left side of my brain to the right”.

SYNOPSIS:

On the eve of her wedding anniversary, empty-nester Sujata Chopra attempts to find some joy in her broken marriage, until she learns about the passing of her childhood companion’s spouse on Facebook. Having been disconnected from this woman for over 30 years over a misunderstanding, Sujata finds the courage to reach out to send her condolences. They reconnect, sparking friction when Sujata’s controlling husband, Dr. Chopra, finds out.

FAQs

1.) What is your film Halwa about?

Halwa is a quiet film about finding one’s lost sense of self again and gaining inner strength. The story of Halwa, co-directed by Nirav Bhakta and Gayatri Bajpai, centers around an Indian immigrant who decides to rekindle her relationship with her childhood companion through Facebook until her controlling husband finds out about her secret.

2.) What inspired you to make this film?

The core of this film started with our lead actress, Vijaya Kumari. As an actor she was always being put in a box with regards to casting. She’s a minority within a minority in Hollywood. We wanted to change that and create a role with her: that of a South Asian woman who wasn’t arranging someone’s marriage. As we started our collaboration we spoke about many experiences within the South Asian diaspora, and Vijaya’s own story, which in part inspired the film. After hearing her story, it became very important for us to make our protagonist, Sujata, the victor and not the victim.

3.)What is the meaning behind the title ‘Halwa’?

Halwa is a South Asian sweet dish, which in our film, becomes a metaphor for Sujata’s nostalgia for home.

4.)Why is it important to tell this story?

It’s important to tell narratives like Halwa, because they are our narratives. The younger Asian generations are breaking through with new characters that push representation forward. However, characters above 50 are still generally stereotypes, even amongst Asians. Themes of identity, desire, abuse and relationship problems in modern culture are not exclusive to younger generations. This story is important, as the main character of Sujata could be any of our friends or mothers. It’s important to see this woman beyond labels. She is a complex human being.

5.)How do you feel becoming an HBO visionary? How is this opportunity helping you and your film?

“It’s an incredible honor. The first time I ever saw myself on TV was while watching Mira Nair’s Mississippi Masala on HBO. And here we are today sharing a film on the same platform, hoping to push South Asian narratives forward.” – Nirav

“Telling a small, intimate story and having it be recognized in this groundbreaking contest heralds something major–a shift in consciousness regarding South Asian narratives and what they have to be about.” – Gayatri

6.) This year’s prompt is about Asian Americans and technology. How is this influence of technology inspired within your film? How do you feel about technology pertaining to the Asian American experience?

Nowadays, certain experiences are more fluid among generations, including the use of social media. (Some of our moms have Facebook and Twitter accounts and are very active.) Modernity affects older people’s social lives, too. Specifically, in our film, we explore how technology gives an older woman an outlet and support. She can reach out beyond the private realm of a controlling relationship and reassert who she is.