EXCLUSIVE: Sonal Sehgal reacts to the unanimous response to The Great Departure: “If a film is honest and well told, it’ll find its audience anywhere”; recalls how a French viewer’s 'kamaal' feedback made her day

Sonal Sehgal is riding high on the success of her international film The Great Departure, which has opened to glowing reviews from audiences and critics alike. This marks her second foray into global cinema after Manny (2020), helmed by Latvian director Dace Puce. Interestingly, Sonal has also donned the hat of executive producer for The Great Departure, which also features Australian actor Xavier Samuel in the lead. The story, written by Sonal, highlights patriarchy in society and she stated by no means, she was going to get a producer on board who would try to water down the subject. “It was very important to me that the producer believed in the story as much as I did”. As soon as she met Arvind Reddy, she knew he was the right fit. He completely resonated with the script and in fact opened up about having witnessed his mother being beaten every day while growing up. As a man who came from a world where domestic violence was a norm, Arvind saw the need to make this film with the honesty that the script reflected. From script to screen it took four years and Sonal said she would have had it no other way. In an exclusive conversation with Bollywood Hungama, Sonal opened up about The Great Departure, working on a non-Indian production, her experience of filming in the spiritual heart of Banaras, and much more.

 

EXCLUSIVE: Sonal Sehgal reacts to the unanimous response to The Great Departure: “If a film is honest and well told, it’ll find its audience anywhere”; recalls how a French viewer’s 'kamaal' feedback made her day

 

How has been the response and how was the process of gathering the feedback different from that of an Indian film?

 

When a film releases here, we do have a fair idea because of the association of the actors or directors with the project. Out there, you are literally on foreign ground. Yet, I feel that the emotions that people feel globally are the same. You could be of any nationality – American, British, French, Australian, Indian – but if the film has an emotional connect and if it’s well written and well told, it’ll find its audience in any part of the world.

 

The character I play in the film is a modern Indian woman, but she does have her counterpart in the West. So, it’s not one of those Slumdog Millionaire type of film, which is completely for the West and it’s like an exotic, poverty tale (laughs)! This is not that film. This film showcases the struggles of a modern Indian woman, which is the same as any woman in the world. So many women came to me and said that they completely resonated with the character. Interestingly, the attention to detail of the audience was just mind-blowing. Hence, I didn’t get broad feedback like ‘You were very nice’ or ‘Banaras is very beautiful’. But they would mention something they picked up in a dialogue. For instance, in a scene, Xavier’s character asks me the Hindi word for awesome. I reply, ‘Kamaal’. I was outside the theatre and a French guy saw me and said ‘Kamaal’! That word literally came just once in the film. For him, to hear it, remember it and use it correctly was a victory for me. I didn’t need any critic’s review after that!

 

When I saw the trailer, I was reminded of the crossover films made by Gurinder Chadha like Bend It Like Beckham (2002), Bride & Prejudice (2004) etc…

 

That was the aim. It’s a love story, but at the same time, both characters have their own parallel journey going. It’s not a traditional boy-meet-girl kind of cute film. It also has cross-cultural references, which have been very well accepted.

 

You are also the producer of The Great Departure. How was it to shoot in India and get everybody here? I believe the director and your co-actor had never been to India before…

 

Pierre had been to IFFI Goa twice before but hadn’t ever shot in India. It was everyone’s first time to shoot in India. Xavier did have an opportunity before, but he couldn’t come. Hence, for everyone, it was their first time in India. They were given strict protocols – no drinking outside water, no salad, no fruits, etc (laughs). At the same time, India is very hot right now in the world market. Look at the Kolhapuri chappals-inspired footwear being made by Prada. We are everywhere!

 

When the script was first sent to Xavier’s agent, he responded immediately, within the week. He was so excited. There was India in the script and we topped it up with Banaras, the oldest city in the world. Hence, it was not hard at all to get everyone together. The first person I approached was the director and Pierre Filmon was also on board immediately.

 

Also, I am the Executive Producer and the film has been Co-Produced by Sonal Sehgal Films (India) and Almano Films (France). The producer is Arvind Reddy. His grandfather had a production house, KVR Productions. His father relocated and so did he. Nobody carried on the film business. Arvind was looking for a project like this to make a comeback. He didn’t want to make a traditional Tollywood or Bollywood film because, obviously, his sensibilities are also Western. So, I guess the universe conspired and brought all of us together (smiles).

 

 

In the trailer, we see Xavier Samuel saying, ‘I love the Indian masala chai’. Did he and others try any Indian food?

 

Yes, but under strict supervision or through our own caterer. Masala chai, of course, was a hit with everyone. That was safe as it was boiled. So, they were allowed to have masala chai from anywhere (smiles).

 

Banaras is known for its pan. Did they have that too?

 

No. I was not going to take that risk (laughs). I told them, ‘Come next time for a holiday. Tab jo khana hai, woh khao’!

 

How many days did it take to shoot?

 

We shot for 27 days. It was a 50-day schedule as we shot at nights and then there were turnaround days.

 

What difference did you find while working in this film vis-à-vis working in Hindi films and TV shows? I believe the biggest one must be punctuality…

 

Yes. It’s like military precision. Except for the key crew, most of the people were from India. I think it all percolates from the top. If your director, DOP and lead actor are there on time, then no one would be late. Also, for Indian films, we have one AD whose job is to call the actors (laughs). We didn’t have that. Both the DOP Dominique Colin and Pierre were clear that they wanted a small crew as they are not used to 100-150 crew members. Hence, when we were cutting down on people, we realized that we didn’t require this assistant to call actors. Xavier and me were very capable to bring ourselves on the set on time!

 

Xavier came to India 10 days before the filming. It was his decision. While we suggested that he can come one week before, he insisted on coming earlier as he wanted to soak in the vibe of the place. We would rehearse and rehearse. That helped us become our characters. It was not like we would go on set and ask ‘Line kya hai?’. Moreover, he has worked with the world’s top actors (Ana de Armas in Blonde; 2022, with Robin Wright in Adore; 2013, Kate Beckinsale in Love & Friendship; 2016, etc.). Hence, it was a completely different school of acting that he comes from and it was such a delight to work with him.

 

Also, he was always standing up for the close-ups of other actors. He didn’t think that ‘I am a star and so, the assistant will give the cue’. Even for the one scene of the pandit, Xavier was there to give cue. This is because everyone’s performance eventually affects the film. This is a big difference I saw. I feel a lot of actors in India are very selfish. It’s all about them, how they are looking and their performance. They don’t understand that everyone needs to shine for the film to shine. You will shine, of course, because you are the lead!

 

I saw this with Xavier that if someone was just a character actor or an actor for one scene and if he takes 5-10 retakes, it was all right for him. He would not get impatient.

 

 

Is there a plan to release the film theatrically in India?

 

Of course, as we need to bring the film home! India release will happen next year. Paris seemed like a good place to start because they are great patrons of world cinema. Our next stop would be Australia as well.

 

Looking at the challenges faced by independent films, I hope The Great Departure gets a proper release in India…

 

Yes, that’s exactly why we are releasing it theatrically abroad first, because once the theatres and distributors see how well it’s received, it will boost their confidence.

 

The world is now ready for an Indian protagonist because until now, it used to be that Indian actors, no matter how big, were hardly ever in the lead role. But the world has changed, based on the responses that we have seen. Look at Santosh (2024). It is out-and-out an Indian film and was the UK’s entry to the Oscars. The stories coming out of India have so much more to offer the world. The world is taking notice of us. We are no longer playing characters who work in 7-Eleven or who drive taxis in foreign films, and deliberately speak in a bad accent (laughs).

 

Priyanka Chopra made a huge mark too…

 

Yes, of course. She is the global face of India and it has helped us a lot.

 

Before The Great Departure, you wrote, produced and acted in Manny. Today, we are realizing the dangers of AI, but you thought of this idea 6 years ago…

 

Manny was definitely ahead of its time. We shot it in 2019, just before COVID hit. We did all the post-production during the lockdown between India and Latvia. We were also learning how to do it online. It was a film about AI and it ended up being made over the internet! It was received very well in the world, but in India, it had still not been released. Whenever I pitched it to an OTT platform, they told me, ‘But the Indian audience is not ready for it’. Nevertheless, it opened the path for my next film, so to speak. It went to so many festivals and won so many awards.

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