Welcome to our Indiegogo page for “Tadap!”
Tadap: Yearning, a feeling of intense longing for something
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I’ve always believed that art has the power to engage and empower social change, and I hope that our film can make a small difference in bringing the unfortunate reality of child marriage to the forefront. The idea behind this film was born after having read Balli Kaur Jaswal’s novel, Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows.” In short, this novel is the story of the widowed community in Southall finding liberation after using creative writing as a medium to express their sexual desires and stories of trauma, including their experiences of being child brides. As I progressed through this novel, often feeling shocked at the character’s stories, the visual of a child bride on her wedding night, sitting on a bed while her husband approaches her, became strikingly clear. I was drawn to explore the emotions of a young girl being forced to embrace womanhood against her own will. While my interpretation of these emotions certainly involves anger, resentment, and rebellion, “Tadap,” also explores the character’s acceptance of her reality, simply due to hopelessness.
We hope that you can help bring our vision to life!
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Set in Pre-Partition India, “Tadap” is a dance-drama film capturing 14-year old Rani’s plight of being forced to embrace womanhood on her wedding night, against her own will.
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Stylistically, this film takes on an experimental approach. We hope to truly take you inside Rani’s head.
Rani is put into a situation that leaves her voiceless. Her suppressed anguish, paranoia, and yearning for comfort will be captured through an Indian-classical and contemporary-inspired dance. The intent behind the contemporary dance style is to create a contrast between modern and vintage, given the period-era of the film. The dance serves as a contribution to the narrative; it has been choreographed with an arc to show Rani’s initial rejection of her maturation, comfort in the memories of a childhood that is gone forever, and eventual inability to grieve after embracing her new role.
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Production for “Tadap” is set to shoot in late October 2021, shooting primarily in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The film is set to go through rigorous post-production immediately following production, as we aim to have a fully completed project by the end of 2021 and a film festival release in 2022, depending on which film festival we decide to premiere at.
Once released, our primary goal with this project is to spark a discussion on the trauma of child marriage, as well as marital rape.
*Note: An intimacy choreographer/coordinator will be present on set at all times.
About the Team.
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Ishq Pradhan - Writer, Director, Actor
Ishq is currently studying at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. She is a trained Indian Classical Dancer, a form of storytelling in which the dancer must individually portray the many characters. She has written and Directed Many Short Films, such as “Dear Fay,” (Best Director at Moonwhite International Film Festival) and “East and West ” (Best Student Film at The Global Indian Festival). She is currently working on her feature, “Shigmo,” which was recently selected to compete at the LA Femme International Film Festival. She has interned under Filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane and writer/director Lara Shapiro. Ishq aspires to create films that are sensitive and explore familial themes and dynamics while blending in the art of dance within the narrative. Ishq is extremely passionate about diversifying South Asian representation through film.
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Adrian Sobrado - Producer
Adrian is a Costa Rican writer/producer based in NYC. Adrian has had his work selected in major film festivals such as Raindance and was nominated for a Student Academy Award. He has won several Vimeo Staff Picks and his work has been on Peacock TV and NBC. His passion for people and life has led him to work on numerous short films focused on humanistic storytelling. Growing up in Costa Rica and constantly surrounded by international cultures since birth, has inspired him to work on projects and films that focus on stories told from underrepresented voices in today’s media.
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Swarali Karulkar - Dance Director & Choreographer
Swarali is a choreographer, global dance educator, and dance/movement therapist. Originally from Mumbai, Swarali has over 13 years of experience in the Bollywood Industry working with A.R.rahman, Riz Ahmed, Hrithik Roshan, Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Aishwarya Rai, and Madhuri Dixit to name a few. A finalist on Asia's biggest dance reality show - Dance India Dance 4, Swara continued her commercial dance journey through multiple dance reality shows, Off-Broadway & Broadway musicals, IIFA awards, The Stephen Colbert Show, Mystic India - The World Tour, and international music videos. Swara continued her commercial dance journey in the US and was featured on IIFA awards with A.R.Rahman, The Stephen Colbert Show, Mystic India - The World Tour, and international music videos. She is also the founder of BollyHeels - a one of a kind dance company that offers therapeutic movement weaved through commercial Bollywood fusion choreographies and classes Since its conception in 2017, Swara has successfully taught workshops in 23 different cities across the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, U.K., and India! Swara continues to teach outdoor, virtual and in-studio classes in New York. She has strived to create a space for dance lovers, to teach them how to enhance their uniqueness and stand out!
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Luc Ung - Director of Photography
Luc Ung is a Franco-Chinese cinematographer based in New York City. His love for cinema finds its roots in the streets of La Rochelle, France, when a fortunate encounter led him to the La Rochelle International Film Festival; a yearly cinephilic celebration that leaves no place for politics and businesses, as there are no competition or prize. Ever since his graduation from NYU Tisch School of the Arts in 2019, Luc has been working as a freelance cinematographer and set electric for Local 52. His influences include cinematographers Sven Nykvist, Darius Khondji, Mark Lee Ping-Bing as well as directors Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Céline Sciamma, Lynne Ramsay, and Ingmar Bergman.
Mehula Singh - Production Designer
Hey! I am Mehula,
My journey started off in India with short films and advertisements and then went on to being an art assistant on some commercial Bollywood feature films. I am now based in New York, where I am pursuing my MFA at NYU Tisch. I am a theatre and production designer and I create spaces that convey emotion-evoking stories :)
Budget.
In order for "Tadap," to come to life in the best way possible, we will need adequate funding, the majority of which will be going towards recreating the era authentically. As you can imagine, this film requires solid production design & art, given that it is a period piece.
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For further interest in becoming a financier of this film, or inquiries about seeing more of our work, email us here: tadapshortfilm@gmail.com