An Open Letter to fellow culture vultures

Culture Vulture 
(n): A person who is very interested in the arts.

So here’s from one culture vulture to another. 
Please give our little film Culture Vulture a chance. For 108 whole minutes since the preview audience did indicate that ours is a film that takes a while to get into given the unique grammar that makes sense by the end.
Give it the same kind of attention you would in a movie hall for the best experience. The film is in 17:9 aspect ratio, tweak your TV setting.
I knew I would go crazy if I did nothing when the pandemic hit.
I had to make the film I had started, the third and the final part of my Retro Romance trilogy after Good Night Good Morning and Side A Side B, Culture Vulture - a modern day stoner retelling of Casablanca  - when two exes meet after years - but set in the middle of the pandemic chaos and the media circus around Bollywood allegedly doing drugs. 
Since it was the pandemic when most people who work as crew left for home unable to afford rent in Mumbai, I knew I had to do it myself. So I invested in DIY gear - camera lenses, gimbals, sound recording gear, lights and shot the film myself with no crew, no assistants - just a terrific ensemble of actors.
The film features comedian Shaurya Tyagi, Rashi Mal, Suchitra Pillai, Katie Iqbal, Akshay Anand Kohli, Ivan Rodrigues among others and my mentors filmmakers Nagesh Kukunoor and Cameron Crowe in special extended cameos.
Shooting a 140 page script in the pandemic wouldn’t have been possible if not for the commitment of my terrific cast towards workshops and rehearsals for weeks but still, it was always going to be a challenge to shoot it myself with a two camera set up, recording live sync sound, doing production design and costumes via orders on Amazon and finally editing it myself with an assistant initially and later by myself, until I found the tech support in Ivan Avakian, a Russian sound designer who spent months cleaning up Bombay live sound and chipped in with additional score and grade while my Side A Side B lead Rahul Rajkhowa got together with Augustus Henry to compose the songs - an eclectic jazz and blues album and a bonus Bollywood banger called Dil Hai Chillum.
The post production took longer than the shoot, given the limited resources and pandemic induced financial crunch. And we had no luck with film festivals given the anti establishment political content in the film and the rather light hearted fun tone of the film. Maybe the film doesn’t work, I thought. 
Last November, I decided to give the cast and crew some closure by organising a preview. But something magical happened at the preview. Not only did we have a full house, it was an overwhelming experience to see so much love and laughs at the screening. We finally knew we had a good film that entertained those who had given it a chance. 
While fortune favours the brave and miracles do happen, it has become increasingly difficult today to be given that fair chance - of being watched as a whole and not sampled for ten minutes or less - in the clutter we find in our lives, on the phones with many distractions and options.
Today, our audience is all online, plugged into phones, with the attention span of Ten Second Tom from 50 First Dates. So how do we get them to give us a chance?
This long old school letter is to ask you for that chance. Watch the whole film. Join the conversation in the Comments.

SYNOPSIS:
Anav Kaushik, one hit film old Bollywood star and stoner, has no opinion.
On Visarjan Day of 2020, Anav (Shaurya Tyagi), finds himself in an interview with his ex girlfriend Ila Chopra (Rashi Mal), a journalist who grills him about the politics in his nationalist and pro-Police State films and allegations of drug use in Bollywood.
During the course of the day, the poster boy of the right, must figure a way to keep the increasing media glare away from his marijuana habit, cope with the angst of being a stranger to his ex once again, reflect upon his new hookup with potential and figure out what he wants most... when his whole career is at stake.
All because of a few joints.
Now, he must take a stand. Can he afford an opinion though?
Inspired by fake news and true events.

CAST AND CREW CREDITS

MADE IN MADRAS INK. PRESENTS "CULTURE VULTURE"
WRITTEN, DIRECTED, SHOT, DESIGNED, EDITED & PRODUCED BY SUDHISH KAMATH
FEATURING SHAURYA TYAGI RASHI MAL SUCHITRA PILLAI KATIE IQBAL AKSHAY ANAND KOHLI NISHANTHI EVANI AMIT THUKRAL IVAN RODRIGUES WITH NAGESH KUKUNOOR & CAMERON CROWE. MUSIC RAHUL RAJKHOWA & AUGUSTUS HENRY PRE-MIX ANUJA SINGH SOUND DESIGN & ADDITIONAL SCORE IVAN AVAKIAN. ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS ABHISHEK D SHAH SANDEEP MAKAM SANGEETHA KAMATH ADDITIONAL EDITING RAMEEZ DALAL T.S. SURESH ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. [email protected] #CULTUREVULTURE