Goldfish, Trailer launch: Mind matters

Splendid Films yesterday released the trailer of their internationally acclaimed film, Goldfish, followed by a panel discussion, in association with Mpower Minds, an initiative of Aditya Birla Education Trust. Goldfish, which was shown at IFFI 2022, is set to release in India on 25th August, 2023. The event was held at Birla Centurion Business Centre, in Worli, Central Mumbai. For once, I was late. Very late. The venue was absolutely new to me and there were no directions on the invitation. To add to the problem, it rained heavily while I was searching for Birla Centurion, which most ‘guides’ confused with Birla Century Mills Showroom, 2 km away. But I arrived in the nick of time to catch the screening of the trailer, which, as is the norm, was screened twice.

The trailer gives you a look into the world of Anamika (Kalki Koechlin) and her mother, Sadhana (Deepti Naval) and how they navigate through their bitter-sweet relationship. With ace actors such as Kalki Koechlin, Deepti Naval and Rajit Kapur gracing the screen, and going by the trailer, Goldfish is likely to be interesting viewing.

At the core of the film is the need for developing a positive, supportive attitude while an individual, or a family, faces mental health challenges. Splendid Films is an Amit Saxena initiative. Saxena, who has roots in Delhi, runs an IT company in the US, but keeps visiting Mumbai (where he has a house) and Bengaluru (where he has his back office). It was a chance meeting with Pushan Kriplani, the (co)writer-director of the film, through a common friend, that led to him producing this film. Pushan narrated the subject, and Amit was hooked. This is his first foray into filmdom. They associated with Mpower, which is an initiative of the Aditya Birla Education Trust, led by Dr. Neerja Birla, that champions mental health causes, creates awareness, advocates prevention and provides services, with professional, holistic care.

Dilshad Khurana, Psychologist and Head Mpower, delved deep into the importance, impact and nuances of mental health challenges and ways to cope. ‘Let’s Talk 1 on 1’ toll free helpline, by Mpower, 1800 120 820050, is one of the tangible effort to ensure an immediate attention for anyone facing mental health troubles. After the event, Parveen Shaikh of MPower joined the group. Also present was Stuti, an RJ and Programming Consultant at a local radio station.

Speaking about his second directorial venture, cinematographer Pushan Kripalani, who co-wrote the film with Arghya Lahiri, said, “Goldfish began as a film about dementia, identity and diaspora but once the cast got involved and the ideas progressed, it soon became a movie about much more. At its core, Goldfish is a story about forgiveness and about retaining humanity in the face of the inevitable; it is about love. Deepti Naval and Kalki Koechlin breathed life into their characters, and made their essence come true. The team is thrilled to have the film release in India, and we are excited to see how the Indian audiences react.” He went on to add that he finds working with women more fruitful, while working with men is boring. This was, perhaps, said half in jest.

One of the four founders of the Industrial Theatre Company (2001), the other three being Rehaan Engineer, Nadir Khan and Karan Makhija, Pushan is a Master of Arts in Cinematography from the Bristol University. He is the son of popular actor Jayant Kriplani, recently seen on OTT in the Sushmita Sen starrer, Aarya. Jayant’s brother Gaurav is the Artistic Director of Singapore Repertory Theatre, and I had approached him for roles in their productions while I was based there. No luck. I gather Pushan did some theatre in Singapore.

Talking about the critical acclaim that Goldfish has garnered, producer Amit Saxena shared, “Goldfish is a content driven film. After the massive love and the wide, critical acclaim we garnered internationally, we wish to now bring the film home. The film captures various themes such as those of family, love, relationships, community, and we hope the audiences can relate to these subjects and enjoy watching the film. Deepti Naval and Kalki Koechlin have been the heart of the film and Pushan has done a spectacular job in bringing the vision to life. Goldfish is a movie that will pull you into its world and make you a part of the family of its characters, even long after you’ve left the theatre.”

Dilshad Khurana, in the field since the past 12 years, with experience spanning training, career counselling, personal counselling and testing, opined, “Films possess the remarkable power to deliver impactful social messages in a way that resonates with audiences, fostering progress and acceptance. Their ability to captivate vast audiences through compelling storytelling is truly commendable. In a society where mental health remains shrouded in taboos and judgement, despite its prevalence, Popular mediums such as films picking up story premises that deal with emotional and mental health themes stand as a beacon of hope. Through this popular medium, we aspire to ignite conversations around mental health, ultimately illuminating the path towards transformative change and encourage help seeking behaviour." She shared one experience of her counselling days, “There was this young man who needed counselling, but he would want appointments only when his father was not around. He was afraid that if his father found out that he was taking counselling, he would be mad at him. Such is the stigma attached to mental illness.”

I put to her that there was a desperate need to create awareness among family members, friends and colleagues, because many mental illnesses are not curable. “We know almost 100% about the heart and how to treat heart disease, but we only know 10-20% of the brain. Given this situation, doctors either prescribe addictive drugs or electric shocks.” Dilshaad was optimistic. “There many mental illnesses that can be cured, though some need lifelong medication. But you are absolutely right. Spreading awareness, far and wide, is a must.”

Rajit Kapoor recalled that his own father was suffering from dementia and he had a tough time interacting with him on the phone, because he would suddenly go off on a tangent. They lived in different cities, so personal interaction was not possible. Rajit had to remind himself time and again that he has to be very patient, otherwise he was prone to losing his cool. Deepti saw more and more women with mental illness now coming out in the open, which was a very good sign. As far as children are concerned, “You should look for signs. Is the child getting angry unnecessarily? Is he or she refusing to go and play with his/her friends? And more. You can find out if a child is going through mental trauma.” Later, in a private chat, she revealed that it was her poetry and painting that helped her through a period of depression, many years ago.

Goldfish, which is in the English language, marks Kalki Koechlin returning to theatres after four years. Rajit Kapoor rejoins his The Threshold director after seven years. This Indian-British-American production brings together powerhouse talents from the United Kingdom – Bharti Patel, Gordon Warnecke, Ravin Ganatra and Shanaya Rafaat – to tell a delicate, timeless story of a mother and a daughter, and of community.

Let’s be honest, let’s be considerate, let’s be caring, let’s be loving. Let’s realise that in this world, it is not only material that matters. Mind matters too.

P.S. To the best of my belief, Jayant spells his surname Kriplani. Whether Pushan prefers it this way, or as Kripalani, I am not aware.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/tcRq9j4kzQ4