Local Filmmakers Hoping to Make Splash

Scott Gulbransen
For the North County Times

ENCINITAS - 9/1/02 ---- Greed and its effect on a married couple riding the financial roller coaster of the 1990s dot-com boom economy is the story La Costa computer programmer Vikram Yashpal wants to tell.

The first-time filmmaker is busy shooting his independent feature length film Tradeoffs, shot on location in San Diego County, including Encinitas. The huge undertaking is being done on Yashpal's spare time, with the help of friends who also squeeze in weekend filmmaking around their full-time jobs.

Budget constraints mean nearly everyone juggles two or three roles vital to the film's success.

Yashpal and the other movie-making newcomers involved in Tradeoffs hope it will be the first of many such projects and give rise to future film careers.

"For most of us it's the first time and this is something special," Yashpal said. "We have others who are veterans in the industry but it's a new experience for most of us and we're all loving it."

The 32-year-old Yashpal is a novice director who has written a film that follows the story of a young Indian couple that immigrates to San Diego soon after their arranged marriage. They soon discover the opportunity, temptation and dark side of the American dream.

Yashpal, who grew up in India and moved to the United States when he was 18 to attend college, has been a theater actor for 12 years, performing in English-language plays in Vancouver, British Columbia and in numerous Hindi plays since he moved to North County five years ago. Acting was a hobby for Yashpal but at his friends urging, he decided to give filmmaking a shot.

"We all (his friends) told him to start a screenplay and really go for it," said Vandana Kumar, a friend of Yashpal's and the film's location and production manager and local finance professional.

After some of what Kumar calls "ego-bruising edits and constructive criticism," Yashpal polished the script and secured funding by selling the idea to his friends, who quickly signed up to work on the film and to help fund it.

With the recent success of Indian filmmakers including The Sixth Sense writer and director M. Night Shyamalan, Yashpal hopes to follow in his footsteps by telling a compelling story that reaches a wide audience.

Shooting his film through what the filmmaker calls "a cultural lens," Yashpal believes the story is what will make the film a success.

"When I say we are shooting the film through a cultural lens, it doesn't mean the story only applies to one culture, in this case the Indian culture in America," Yashpal said. "It's a universal story that all Americans can relate to. If I didn't believe this story was worth telling, I wouldn't be doing all of this."

On a recent warm Saturday, the cast and crew were shooting a series of scenes at Kumar's home in Encinitas. Deypika Singh, the film's lead actress and a Del Mar resident, was eager to talk about her desire to be part of Yashpal's film.

"It's amazing because we all have a shared vision working on this project," said Singh, a UC San Diego student and veteran of live Hindi theater and other independent films. "It's also a film that will reach a large audience. The Indian community has never seen a film like this because it really crosses cultures and tells a very human story."

Singh, who possesses the kind of beauty Hollywood clamors for, praised Yashpal and her other colleagues on the film.

"He's a first-time filmmaker but you would never know it," Sing said. "It's also great to be working with people who have regular jobs but still find the time to follow a dream. It makes the experience more meaningful for us all."

Raul Malhorta, who plays leading man Manu Bhatnagar, called the film "a dream come true."

A first-time actor and software programmer at Qualcomm, Malhorta said, "Sure, we're all professionals outside of the project but we all love what we're doing and we just hope we can work on future projects together."

In interviews, it's clear that Yashpal is uncomfortable with getting all the attention.

He quickly shuffles in and out various cast and crew to make sure they are able to tell their story with a reporter on the set. He is more concerned with what lies ahead than getting personal accolades.

"I am more concerned with taking this film to the next level," Yashpal said.

What is that next level? The next level is a distribution deal, which has so far eluded the filmmaker. With shooting about to wrap, Yashpal knows no matter how good his film is, people need to see it.

"We're shopping it around now to some distributors and because of the interest from the Indian community and because it's such a universal story, I am confident we'll find someone who believes in it as much as we do," Yashpal said.

In addition, Yashpal will screen the film at select film festivals that usually help create a buzz around a film and can help secure a distribution deal.

"The idea is for people to see the film and we're hopeful they will," Yashpal said.