Danny Boyles Slumdog Millionaire has become the default inspiration for filmmakers across the globe. Trisha Ray an independent filmmaker wasnt immune to its muse value either. So in 2009,when she was looking for a good script to develop into a film,she turned to good friend and fellow filmmaker,Brian Stewart. He had written a story about three teenaged street performers. But the story was set in New York so we decided to adapt it to India,as Slumdog. was hugely popular, explains Ray,whose effort materialised in a 120-minute film,Sugar Baby,which received the Gold Remi Award for Best Theatrical Feature at the 44th WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival,last week. A popular film festival among independent filmmakers the world over,it regularly features films by Indian makers. This is where producer Pritish Nandy screened two films Ek Tho Chance and Saluun last year. The story of Sugar Baby is about three teenaged street singers,Maria,Sally and Tara in Kolkata,who live off the streets. Once one of their acquaintances is sent to jail,they are saddled with the accuseds baby girl and end up becoming her guardians. The three have to fight off constant harassment from local authorities,until one day their fortune changes for the better,when two American recording artists sign them up for a professional contract. The story is narrated in a linear fashion with the characters speaking in English. I think Slumdog Millioniaires success paved the way for the American audiences to react openly to films about poverty and struggle. That is also why we have made the film in English, quips the 30-plus Ray. After completing her college from Kolkata,Ray relocated to Houston,the US,where she started her production house,Next Actor. She also assisted in the 2009 Bengali feature,Bodhisattva. And in 2008,she received an award for her film,Federal Case,at the same festival,but that award was different,since it was an official selection and publicly screened. Once Ray and Stewart decided to adapt the original story to the streets of Kolkata,she was able to churn her memories of the city she grew up in,with its people,its energy and chaos. I have wanted to shoot in India for a long time and this film provided the perfect opportunity. Besides growing up in Kolkata helped me to relate to this place more easily,so I understood what was required in the script, she explains. So she worked closely with Stewart to infuse her own depiction of the city and capture the raw energy of the market place. The shooting was done across popular market places of Kolkata Park Street,New Market,Southern Avenue in a guerilla shoot fashion,without attracting unnecessary attention. Ray chose a cast of lesser-known American theatre actors who portray Indian characters,including veteran Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee,Barun Chanda and Indian-American actor San Banarje. The film travels to The Hoboken International Film Festival,New Jersey,in June next where Ray hopes to find distributors.
