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Puja Maewal is an Indian American filmmaker from Fort Worth, Texas. Inspired by a real story she read in a newspaper while on a Fulbright Grant in India, Puja has just made a short film, called Jaya, about a teenage girl in a Mumbai street gang, who masquerades as a boy and makes a living as a thief, until the day she encounters a man who may be her long-lost father.
She now needs the support of the Indian community in America to finish the film. Several members of her crew are Indian American, and they would like JAYA to reach an international audience, and in doing so, not only entertain viewers with a compelling and suspenseful tale, but also raise awareness of those living in less fortunate circumstances. They want the film to be shown widely at film festivals and Indian events, and see it also encourage young Indian Americans to make similar films. She and her team need to raise about $8000 to finish post production, do sound design, and record the original score.
You can watch the trailer for her film here:
www.indiegogo.com/jaya
By visiting this site, you can become a part of the project, purchase DVDs, or even get screen credit as a Producer.
Directing plays and children's theater in high school sparked Puja's interest in storytelling, and she went on to graduate one year early from Yale University, where she studied English Literature. Afterwards, she moved to California to pursue her dream of filmmaking. She started as an assistant for a prominent producer in Hollywood, and then applied to film school. Currently, she is a Directing Student at the University of California at Los Angeles, where her last film (Sidekick) was nominated for a BAFTA Student Award, and featured in the UCLA Director's Spotlight, a prestigious event which has launched the careers of such filmmakers as Alexander Payne (Sideways) and Todd Holland (Malcolm in the Middle).
Puja and her team heavily researched the lives of streets kids, especially girls, in order to tell the story of Jaya as accurately as possible. They auditioned hundreds of real teenagers from the streets and slums for the lead roles, and shot on the streets of Mumbai, in real locations, to keep the film authentic. They had to surmount tough obstacles when shooting, including harassment from local police, avoiding the unpredictable Indian monsoon, and handling street casting. .
The film has already received attention in the UK's FILM NEWS magazine, and on Miss Malini's famous blog about Bollywood.
They have only about two weeks left in their campaign to raise the funds, and would greatly appreciate the support of the Indian American community. This is an exciting project, with the potential to reach a large international audience via film festivals and the like. Please visit www.indiegogo.com/jaya, and become a part of the film!
Website: www.indiegogo.com/jaya
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