Synopsis

RENUKA and SADIYA, two working-class women in love with each other, enjoy their day out celebrating Renuka's birthday. After a fun-filled day, they head home to spend the night together. But unknown to them, Renuka's son, MANGESH, is around.

MY MOTHER'S GIRLFRIEND is the story of these two relationships colliding.

Who's in the film?

The Cast:

Sushma Deshpande - Renuka, the mother

Sushma Deshpande is a veteran film and theatre actor and writer. She played the title role of Ajji in the critically acclaimed film 'AJJI' by Devashish Makhiija.

Her most iconic play is 'Whay Mi Savitribai', based on the life of social reformer, Savitribai Phule. She's done multiple other feminist plays including one on women saints of Maharashtra, a play with and for youngsters from the LGBTQ+ community, and a couple of plays with sex workers from Sangli.

Anju Alva Naik - Sadiya, the girlfriend

Anju Alva Naik is an actor from Bengaluru. She honed her craft on stage over a period of 8 years while working with some of the most reputed theatre practitioners in the city including the noted playwright and director Abhishek Majumdar under whom she also trained in direction and playwriting.

Anju made her foray into films last year with her debut feature ARISHADVARGA for which she received rave reviews and was even named one of the 30 best performances of the year in South Indian Cinema by the publication 'The News Minute'

Suhas Sirsat - Mangesh, the son

Suhas Sirsat is a well known actor popular for his work in Marathi films and TV.

He has worked with acclaimed India directors in Marathi films such as DEOOL (2011), FANDRY (2013) and KILLA (2014) and in Hindi films like KAMINEY (2009) and GANGS OF WASSEYPUR (2012).

The Crew:

Arun Fulara (aka me) - Writer/ Director

I am a writer/ director based out of Mumbai.

My debut short film SUNDAY (2020) was a soft, romantic take on the longing of and desire for intimacy that a middle-aged, working-class closeted gay man experiences.

SUNDAY travelled to over 30+ festivals internationally including Tampere Film Festival, London India Film Festival, Shorts Mexico, Inside Out Toronto and BISFF Bengaluru.

So far the film has won:

1. Jury Prize for the best short film at USN Sardinia Queer Film Festival (2020)
2. The Festival Favourite at Muskoka Queer Film Festival (2021)
3. The Best Short Fiction award at the SiGNS Film Festival (2021)
4. Special Mention at GAZE International LGBTQ+ Film Festival (2020)

And I have won

1. The Riyad Wadia Award for Best Emerging Filmmaker at Kashish MIQFF (2020)
2. The Best Director award at Yerevan Short Film Festival (2020)

You can watch SUNDAY here: moviesaints.com/movie/sunday

Here are some reviews of Sunday:

• medium.com
• theweereview.com
• filmcompanion.com

My Mother's Girlfriend is my second short film. It won the Kashish QDrishti Film Grant in 2020.
I've previously assisted acclaimed filmmaker Devashish Makhija on award winning films like AJJI & BHONSLE.

Rangoli Agarwal - Cinematographer

Rangoli Agarwal grew up in Allahabad, a small town in Uttar Pradesh.

She completed her Bachelor's in mass media at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. For the love of watching films, she started a film society in her college.

The next step was Film & Television Institute of India, where she studied cinematography. She assisted different cinematographers in Mumbai for a couple of years before starting her independent work. Her love for music and travel, especially the mountains, influences her choice of projects.

Oh, and Rangoli is also the cinematographer of our previous short film 'SUNDAY'. 😇

Journey so far

The film started its journey last May when the script was selected for ‘Pitch Please!’ at Inside Out Toronto 2020 where we got an amazing opportunity to pitch the film alongside 9 other fantastic projects.

The script won the prestigious KASHISH QDrishti Film Grant 2020 given by the Kashish Arts Foundation and Lotus Visual Production. The selection panel and the jury consisted of eminent writers, actors, and filmmakers including Onir (My Brother Nikhil, I Am, Shab), Veteran filmmaker & editor Arunaraje Patil (Shaque, Rihaee, Bhairavi , Firebrand), Anjum Rajabali (Drohkaal, Rajneeti, Satygraha) alongside the team from Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival and Lotus Visual Production.

Read more about it here: http://globalindianstories.com/index.php/2020/10/05/arun-fularas-my-mothers-girlfriend-bags-the-kashish-qdrishti-film-grant-2020/

We shot the film in December 2020 and the film is currently in post-production.

Why fund us?

We rarely see older characters as sexual agents in our films, certainly not when they happen to be our mothers. More so, in the Indian society where we put them on a pedestal, which is just another way of boxing women in.

The film explores what it means for two mature women from the working class to be in love with each other. These are characters from a part of the LGBTQ+ community that rarely gets represented on the screen. In this film we've created characters and images that haven't yet been seen in India and will hopefully open the doors to other inspiring queer stories in the mainstream.

While the film will travel to film festivals first, we intend to take the film to audiences beyond festivals by partnering with organizations and groups that can help us screen the film in schools, colleges, and communities where it can hopefully serve as a conversation starter and help open up minds to 'what can be' instead of 'what has been'.

Why crowdfund?

Stories like these rarely find producers from the mainstream.

Current backers and co-producers
We were lucky to find passionate backers like Kashish Arts Foundation and Lotus Visual Productions to help us get the film shot. Alongside them, we have experienced international co-producers like Christoph Thoke (Mogador Pictures) and Andreas Lucas (FunDeMental Studios) backing our film.
We are especially kicked to have Lucas' team bring in their perspective and do the sound design thus making it a richer, more collaborative film.

Timeline
The film has already been shot and we are currently in the midst of post-production. The film will premiere at the Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival in May 2021 and we are well on our way to meet the timeline.

Total Budget
The total budget for my short film is around ₹600,000 (approx. US $6800) and I am funding part of it.
The grant was of ₹200,000 and I am looking to raise ₹200,000, mainly for post-production, festival submissions, and the cinematographer's fees (yes, I haven't been able to pay her yet 😞).

Given that we've already finished production, and are currently editing the final cut, the film WILL get made. So there's no risk of you backing a dead horse. 😁

Community
Most importantly for me this campaign is a means to build a community around the film, a group of people who not just like the film but also agree with the larger vision of using cinema to create positive role-models and stories that can help us heal and move forward as a society. Where we prioritize love and compassion over rigid ideologies and hatred.
So even if you can't or don't want to fund us, we would love it if you still join the community and engage with the film in whatever way you can.

How is the money raised going to be used?

Creative partners and Producers

What people are saying about our script!

"The winning film script My Mother's Girlfriend was waiting to be made - about the relationship between two older women, their only escape from their mundane existence being in the arms of each other. A mature love story and a situation where the family had to accept the right of the women to live a life of their choice."
- Arunaraje Patil, Veteran filmmaker & editor (Shaque, Rihaee, Bhairavi, Firebrand)

"What I loved about My Mother's Girlfriend is that the middle-aged, middle-class lesbian couple had so much spunk. The story makes you smile and is very empowering. Congratulations to the maker and amazing that KASHISH is facilitating the process. Look forward to seeing the film."
- Onir, Award-winning filmmaker (My Brother Nikhil, I Am, Shab)

"We would like to congratulate the winning script for shining the light on one of the least portrayed sections of LGBTQ+ spectrum and that too from a unique lens, while infusing much-needed hope and optimism."
- Neeraj Churi, Producer of multiple LGBTQIA films like U for Usha, The Last Letter, Sheer Qorma

"Multilayered script, not just about the protagonists but also about social & communal cultures in our country. Make a rocking film, young man. Your script already has the punch."
- Mona Ambegoankar, Actor (Evening Shadows, Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz)