January 17, 2026 • 34 mins
Kabir Chopra is an actor and filmmaker who specializes in comedy. He has written, directed and starred in several short films and web-series.
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Speaker 1 (00:11):
You enjoy or are like, you know, that's where did
that come from? Is this something you believe in or
you know.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
I'm a very proud Capricorn just putting that out and yeah,
I think, yeah, I think it's a very interesting lens
to look at life through. I'm not a hardcore astrologer.
I'm not astrologer at all. I do think the some
truth to it, and I think, you know, the there's
a reason that you know, we've been studying the stars
(00:38):
for thousands of years and I think it can shed
some light onto who we are. But I very much
am also logical and practical. You know, we're human beings
with free will and we can make choices, some of
them maybe for the best, some of them not for
the best. But that's the joy that you know makes
us human, right, So I do think this some truth
(01:00):
to it.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
You're listening to ruck Us Avenue Radio, available now on
the free iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Sollo, Hello and welcome to ruck Us Avenue Radio.
Speaker 4 (01:34):
And I am your host, Kamal Khan and my.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Show Bollywood to Hollywood, and I'm really excited today to
get Koba Chopra, who is a filmmaker and actor to
be with us here today.
Speaker 4 (01:46):
On the show.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
We're always talking about filmmakers and constantly because there's so
many out there that we're really trying to make short
films and feature films. And I think it's really exciting
when South Asias particularly are out there trying to tell
their own story or be creative in this process. And
so I just really wanted to have Kaba talk a
little bit about what his projects are. And well, thank
(02:09):
you for being on the show, Cober.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Yeah, thank you so much for having me. This is great,
and I love that you're creating this platform for artists
and giving us a little space to say hello to
the world.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
So yeah, you know, I mean, it's it's fun to
be able to do and people like yourself kind of
inspire others, and the goal in the show is to
inspire others to do more as well. So for those
listening for the first time, why don't you tell us
a little bit about your background you and know what
you do. I mean with filmmaker and actor, you know,
kind of a short snippet and bio if you like.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Sure, Yeah, let's see, I'm Caber and I'm an actor,
I'm a filmmaker. I've done dozens of short films, mostly comedies,
a lot of them romantic comedies, a lot of them
romantic comedies inspired by my own dating failures and wins,
more failures than wins. But that's okay. And yeah, I'm
(03:04):
from New York and recently moved back to New York
from LA. I was in LA for about four years.
And yeah, working on a couple of projects right now,
getting ready to direct my first feature film called Astrological
and also romantic comedy about dating and astrology and all
the wrong people we have to meet until we meet
(03:24):
the right one. And yeah, I'm just getting ready to
make my feature film debut.
Speaker 4 (03:30):
That's amazing. So it's a feature film that you're planning
to make?
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Yes, yeah, done? Yeah, tons of shorts, but no more shorts.
Now I'm ready to go into the deep end, really.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
Go into the feature film, all right?
Speaker 1 (03:42):
And why don't we call out some of your shorts
that you've done that you feel proud of.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Yeah, so I've done a couple. My very first serious
short film was called Strangers. Did that back in twenty
twelve when I was a wee little NYU student Again
into Do One Film Festival, the New York Indian Film Festival,
which I was very proud of. And then a couple
(04:07):
years later, I made another short film called Misaligned that
got into three festivals, which I'm very proud of. And
then after that, I did a comedy web series, so
I guess you can call it seven short Films Interconnected,
and that was Swiped to Death, a YouTube series. You
could check it out on YouTube, and that was about
(04:29):
bad online dating experiences that were all based on true stories,
so either weird, strange, interesting dates that I have gone
on or that my friends have gone on, both from
the male and female point of view, and we collected stories.
We wrote seven episodes, raised a little bit of money
and filmed them with some amazing actors and put it
(04:52):
on YouTube. And so you can check that out. And
that was a pretty special project that went to fourteen
festival around the world and we released it right in
the nick of time before COVID shut everything down.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
Some fourteen festivals.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
You went from one to three to fourteen film festivals,
so it's definitely on the rise. Just curious, how many
did you submit to the first time around in the
first place.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Oh gosh, too many?
Speaker 4 (05:17):
Too many?
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Okay, Yeah, I'd say I have about most filmmakers tend
to get a ten to twenty percent acceptance rate. And so, yeah,
that first film I did, I probably sent it to
ten twenty festivals, and they each cost like thirty forty
to fifty dollars for a submission fee, and so it
(05:39):
adds up quite quickly, and yeah, it can get quite expensive.
But yeah, usually your first couple of films you don't
get into that many. But as you grow and get
stronger as a storyteller, the quality goes up, and then
the acceptance rate also goes up.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Yeah, you get familiar with the the festival circuit, and yeah,
in the festival they know that film as well, So
I think that makes a big difference too. No, that's awesome.
So now I want to I'm curious this. You've talked
a lot about online dating, right, and you talk about
the mishaps and the misalignments or whatnot, And tell us
(06:22):
about the new feature film that you're going to be
talk from.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
Why is that different?
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Yeah, so this film is called Astrological, and I wanted
to do a slightly different take on modern dating stories
because I feel like there's so many things out there
that are calling out online dating and how messy and
chaotic it's become, and now everyone's miserable. Everyone's on the apps,
but everyone's still miserable. And so I wanted to do
(06:49):
a slightly different take, And so I want to focus
a little bit on the astrology aspect. And so astrology
has become the big thing right now, and everyone one
has a sign, and I think it's a really fun
and unique lens to look at relationships through. And so
my film is about a guy who is told he
(07:12):
is cursed and if he doesn't get married by thirty,
he's going to die. And so he takes it upon himself,
through some divine intervention, to date every zodiac sign in
order to find the one to get married to. And
I just thought it was a very fun plot device.
I know there's also a Bollywood film called Watsi Rashi
(07:35):
has a similar premise, and that was a source of
inspiration as well. But I want to do a very
unique take on it. But I really wanted to focus
on this immense pressure that we all face to find
the one by thirty or else or else. I have
a big quotation marks right now, and I feel like
(07:56):
that that is something that's very real that everyone is
kind of feeling who's who may be listening to this
or watching this that is still single. They're seeing on
social media that everyone else seems to be getting married
in Italy and having these you know, gorgeous festivities and
moving on with their life. But I'm still single and
(08:17):
I'm feeling behind. And so I wanted to make a
film for those people because I'm one of those people.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
Right right makes sense.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
With little different apps that are out there and everything else,
it's hard to sort of decide what to work with
and what not to work with, right, So totally with
you there, So we've done. In mind, there's something unique
about this. It's about horoscopes and so forth and so forth.
Is that something that you enjoy or are like? You know,
is that something Where did that come from? Is it
(08:46):
something you believe in or you know.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
I'm a very proud Capricorn just putting that out, Okay,
And yeah, I think, yeah, I think it's a very
interesting lens to look at life through. I'm not a
hardcore strologer. I'm not as strologer at all. I do
think there's some truth to it, and I think, you know,
the there's a reason that you know, we've been studying
(09:09):
the stars for thousands of years, and I think it
can shed some light onto who we are. But I
very much am also logical and practical. You know, we're
human beings with free will, and we can make choices,
some of them maybe for the best, some of them
not for the best. But that's the joy that you
know makes us human, right, So I do think there's
(09:31):
some truth to it.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
Yeah, I agree.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
There's a lot of studies around that, and people do
ask that question, I think when they go dating. Do
you find that that's a common thing that you also heard?
Speaker 4 (09:42):
Like that?
Speaker 1 (09:42):
I come up quite a little bit lot. Do you
tend to ask that question and dating, just so you know,
is that something that is from your own experience that
you're drawn from.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
I don't tend to ask it. It tends to come
up sooner or later, and I'll very much say if
someone asks, I'll say, I am a Capricorn and we
are the best sign. We are the goat for a reason.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
G eight.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
I love that. I love that. It's a great analogy.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Yeah, and yeah, I think I think it's a lot
of fun. And I'm not the kind of person where
you know, I'm an Earth sign and if I match
with the Leo, Leo's and capricorns historically not such a
great match. I'm not going to say, oh no, you're
a Leo, goodbye, I'm out the door. I'm not that
(10:27):
much of a stickler. I believe in giving everybody a
fair shot. But I have noticed that I tend to
go for scorpios or they tend to go for me.
That that has been a historic trend. Why it just
it is what it is.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
So obviously this you know, you've made some shorts around this,
you made you know this is now about online dating
and stuff. So who else is part of your team
or what are you looking to achieve by this? You know,
if they watched the film, assuming you're in pre production
right now.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Yes, so yeah, we're still very early on in the
production process. And so I've started fundraising. We did a
crowdfunding campaign earlier in the year, and we raise some
money to add to our starting fund. And you know,
because it's a feature, not a short, we are looking
at a six figure budget. The fundraising process is going
(11:26):
to take a bit longer. And now it's a combination,
not just crowdfunding. Online and getting donations. But now it's
you know, pitching to investors, pitching to the aunties and
uncles and pitching to anyone who has some spare cash
lying around that wants to invest in a film like
this and invest in you know, a South Asian American
(11:48):
story that talks about modern love. But you know, it's
it's a it's a diverse film. It's a film with
a very unique point of view. And if you want
to help showcase South Asian artists and not just me,
but you know incredible cast that we're hoping to get,
and you know, if you want to see a film
like this in theaters, you know, come on board with us.
(12:10):
So I'm learning a lot about investing and creating an
investment structure and looking into physical sponsorship and you know,
doing millions of versions of a pitch deck. And so yeah,
we're we're in that process right now, and we're slowly
building our team of creatives. I've got a producer on board,
I've got an amazing cinematographer on board, and now Pretson
(12:34):
will be hiring a casting director and we'll start casting
some of these supporting roles. So you have to slowly
starting to build out the team.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
That's awesome.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
Okay, well, I'm going to talk a little bit more
about the sort of film financing side of things, especially
while you're next to Wall Street. So I'm sure you
have all the onances now for folk, right, but we're
going to take a quick break just for a second,
and then we'll come back to it.
Speaker 5 (13:00):
Corg Jessic could say, Nicole.
Speaker 6 (13:12):
You're listening to Ruckus Avenue Radio.
Speaker 5 (13:19):
Dady B.
Speaker 4 (13:23):
Corg, So welcome back everyone.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
We've got Kabea Chopra, filmmaker and actor talking a little
bit about his film projects and the next film that
he's going to make. His feature film coming along about
online dating. What's the name of the film, by the way.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
The film is about yeah, sorry, yeah, the film is
called Astrological again.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
Slid down for a second. Cool astrological.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
The film is called Astrological.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
Astrological Sorry, okay, astrological. Okay, so that's a that's a
pretty cool name. I was going to say that one
of the things we wanted to dive in on, just
for people listening into is you know, what is what's
it been like sort of film financing, because that's not
an easy topic and for those listening in who are
budding South Asian kind of filmmakers, oh, filmmakers in general.
Speaker 4 (14:14):
It was curious, like how do you do that? And
you mentioned things like physical.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Sponsorship, What does that really do when you're fundraising and
what are the you know, what are the benefits there?
Speaker 4 (14:23):
So I'd love to get your take on it.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
Compre Yeah, definitely, and I'm learning as I go to
I don't. I definitely don't have all the answers. So
I'm kind of just stumbling my way through this world
and sharing whatever knowledge I find, you know, to help
others as well. And so in the past, when it
comes to making short films, a lot of people kind
of do the friends and family route. They may self
(14:47):
fund it themselves, or they'll commonly do crowdfunding like a Kickstarter,
Indiego Go, go fundme, or a combination of those. And so,
because this this is a feature film I'm making, it
is going to be a six figure budget and I
don't have that kind of cash lying around. I wish
I did, And I don't have a rich uncle or
(15:11):
auntie or someone that can just bangroll the whole film
right for ponzis and so. And I also because I'm
not as established as a filmmaker as an artist. You know,
it's difficult to pitch the film to a production company
and if they like the concept, they may purchase it,
but you know, they're definitely going to want to put
(15:32):
their creative hands on all over the project, make their
own changes. You know, they might want to hire their
own director and kind of take the career of control
out of my hands. And for my first feature, that's
not something I want to do, and so I am
going the friends and family route and trying to do
it in different phases. So the first phase, we did
(15:55):
a crowdfunding campaign back in June this year on a
platform called seeden Spark, and they're similar to Kickstarter, but
they're more geared towards film and TV and arts related projects.
And so we're able to raise about twenty five thousand
dollars through that through a thirty day crowdfundy campaign, which
(16:16):
is a great start. I'm going to need a lot more,
and so the next phase that I'm currently doing right
now is Fyscal sponsorship, and that's something that a lot
of filmmakers have done in the past. Historically has been
a great way to fund arts projects. And the way
it works is an artist would partner with a five
(16:38):
HO one C three nonprofit here in the United States,
and basically you would find wealthy people or donors or
people who want to support whatever project you're trying to create,
and they would make a tax doctible donation to that
nonprofit and the nonprofit would transfer the proceeds to you. Well,
(17:00):
they keep a small administrative fee anywhere from five to
six seventy eight nine percent, and so that way, the
nonprofit gets a little bit of money and you get
to make your film and your project and that you know,
obviously consult with a lawyer or accountant or an expert
in that field, but typically it would be a partnership
(17:24):
where you align. You're partnering with a nonprofit whose mission
aligns with your work of art that you're trying to create,
and so they help administrate the funds for you to
help make your project.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Yeah, I've definitely heard of that and use that in
my own projects too. The physical sponsorship side, there's also
those that just take the well, we'll do have the
funds there and then they'll I think they don't necessarily
take a percentage, but they maybe they take a donation
or something like that for their particular calls and whatnot. Right,
(18:02):
So there's ways to go about doing this, but it's
it does make it much more fruitful for those who
do have deep pockets because they can then write off
a lot of what the expenses that they have so
butt to donate to charity from their point of view,
right and then.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
Yeah, yeah, yeah that yeah, they are making a donation
to a charity, so they get some tax deduction benefits.
And then yeah, and then I also want to mention
the third route. I'll also be exploring if we still
need to raise the remainder of the budget, is just
taking just straight up investors who who have an equity
(18:38):
stake in the film, and so that's more of a
traditional investment. They give me money, I give them equity,
and then if the money, if the film is profitable,
then you know, the investors would get their money back
plus a return.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
And so for those who don't know, I mean, so
what did that look like? For example, I mean, there's
so many in the film industries, kind of so many
rife with so many different films being made and people
asking I get pitched myself like, hey, you know what
you put in fifty grand, you're going to make one
hundred grand potentially from this or what not? Right potentially
(19:13):
or if it fails, obviously you won't make anything. But
you know, but it's it's a risky thing to do.
But just like it is a Stockholm Yeah, but what's
the best what's the percentage return on somebody who like,
let's we find someone. You know, people listen to this podcast,
they were like, okay, great, I mean I'm going to
go donate ten grand, hopefully all of equity stake.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
Yeah. So so it's important keep in mind that most
most films, even big successful Disney Marvel films, are not profitable.
And so yeah, invest that. There are many better things
to invest your money in for return than a feature film.
But that being said, you know people, you know people
(19:57):
do it all the time, and you can and make
a profit. It is unlikely. And so I'm just very
honest and straight up with people and just say, look,
there's an eye chancy. You will not make your money back,
but if you do want to invest, this is what
it would look like. And so typically, just from the
research and talking to other folks, typically a film investor,
(20:21):
if the film is profitable and they are able to
get returned, they would get their money back plus twenty percent,
and then if there are future profits beyond that, then
those profits are split fifty to fifty between the filmmakers
and you know crew or actors or producers who also
are entitled to back end points, and then the other
half goes to the investors and those are you know,
(20:43):
additional profits once everyone has been paid back.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Right, Yeah, So that's the one thing for people to consider,
right when they actually look at it and say, well,
we could be part of this particular screen obviously, this
particular story, and maybe they're very invested in it, and
maybe they would attached to the script. And I think that
in that in the entertainment industry certainly is something that
they want to.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
Be part of as well, and they support.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
Also, I just want to mention I am not an
expert on This is my first time doing this, so
please definitely consult your lawyer, entertainment lawyer, consultant, UH accountants,
consult your local neighborhood smart person. Don't just take my word.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
No, absolutely no, I'm sure everybody will we'll do that,
but hey, you know what, you've got to start somewhere
and some people they haven't got a clue and they
but I often get asked the same questions like, well,
how do I do that?
Speaker 4 (21:33):
How do I do fiscal sponsorship?
Speaker 1 (21:35):
So for the for some people, it's very basic questions
or may seem basic to you, but they're actually, uh,
you know, just trying to learn the ropes if you like.
And then we'll get into more complex matters. But it's
always good to hear from a film perspective. So next step,
I mean, if we've talked about your you know, potent
film you're going to make, is when when's the timeline?
You know, you obviously cut it on Steven's bock And
(21:57):
if all goes well, when do you think.
Speaker 4 (21:59):
You could stop filming?
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Yeah? If everything lines up perfectly, which of course it will.
I will the stars aligned, the stars will be aligning. Yes,
if all the stars align that we'll be shooting in.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
The spring of twenty six. Right, okay, fantastic. Now do
you what about you as an actor? Let's sort of
switch gears for a second. Are you going to be
playing role in this particular movie?
Speaker 4 (22:25):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (22:25):
Yes, so I will be playing the lead role in
Astrological And that's part of the reason why I wrote
this film is because I wanted to use it as
a vehicle to not to showcase my abilities as a
filmmaker and a director and storyteller, but also as an
actor as well, because in the last couple of years,
(22:46):
I'm sure your audience knows, it's been very, very slow
and difficult period of time in Hollywood, and even for
some of my very well established actor friends, they've been
having a hard time and they've been struggling, and the
flow of auditions coming in has dramatically shrunk. And so
(23:06):
I'm not the kind of person that's just going to
sit around and wait and wait and wait for an
opportunity that may never come. And so I'm just going
to create my own opportunities. And I've directed myself as
an actor before previously and Swipe to Death my web series,
and I'm familiar with it. And I think as long
as you have a very strong team supporting you, it
(23:30):
can definitely be done and it can be done well.
And so yeah, I'm making this film to showcase my
acting abilities as well as my filmmaking abilities.
Speaker 4 (23:40):
It's fantastic.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
I think I'm very you know, brave of you, but
It's great that you're doing that because a lot of
actors just wait for the next audition or whatnot sometimes,
and to make your own film take you're destined to
your own hands is brilliant.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
So it's commendable that you're doing that.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
And then obviously you have a great hopefully as show
real as a result of it, achievement as producer, lead
actor and whatnot, because we can't always choose to be
lead actors in the next block film, but we can
certainly make our own stuff. So we'll take a quick
break again and we'll just come back to talk a
little bit about you as an actor.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Daughter.
Speaker 6 (24:22):
You're listening to Ruckus Avenue Radio Avenue available now on
the free iHeart Radio.
Speaker 7 (24:35):
I said, so, welcome back everyone, and welcome to Ruckus
Avenue Radio.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
I am your host, Kamal Khan, and I have Kabeir Chopper,
who is basically talking about himself in his role as
an actor, filmmaker and producer and so comba this film.
You know you're obviously going to be the lead role
in there, but tell us a little bit about your
journey as an actor. So way do you want to
be an actor in the first place? And being in
(25:08):
South Asian families, you know, it's kind of against the
grain typically, right, but to be an actor usually it's like, well, okay,
and that's it. You know your parents supportive?
Speaker 4 (25:19):
Were they sort of encouraging? How did that come about? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (25:23):
So I'm very lucky that I have two very loving,
incredibly supportive parents who have pushed me to be the
best in the arts and entertainment and anything that I do.
And actually I think I was more on the back end.
I loved writing, I loved being behind the camera and
(25:44):
telling stories. But I think it was my mom who
was pushing me more to be an actor than I was.
And it started like as soon as I was like
three or four years old. My mom started pushing me.
And she used to work at the un and she
would do some work with UNISEF, and so I remember,
I think I must have been super young, like three
(26:05):
or four years old, and she put me in a
promotional video for UNISEF and I just remember, you know,
the sun was super bright, and I'm like, I don't
want to be here. I just want to play with
my Thomas the tank Engine. Yeah, they're doing the makeup
on me. But you know, once we started doing it
then it was kind of fun. And then I started
(26:28):
doing drama classes when I was a little older, when
I was about ten years old, and I really loved
just you know, being in a state of play and
just being silly and pretending to be different characters. And
I thought that was a ton of fun. And so
I kind of you do a little acting, then kind
of go back and you do other interests. And I
(26:50):
think I really started taking acting seriously a bit after college,
when I was about twenty five, and you know, two
of my friends started the company in New York. It
was the Hypocrite Theater Company, and they put on their
first show, which was a Bollywood version of Romeo and Juliet,
and I got cast in that, not as Romeo, I wish,
(27:13):
but as Paris. And that was an incredible experience. And
that was my first off off Broadway credit. And just
having that ability to be on a stage, embody a
new character, entertain and make an audience laugh, you know,
right in front of you on a New York stage
was such an incredible feeling. So after that I really
(27:36):
wanted to keep performing, both in theater and in film
and TV. And yeah, that's kind of how it all
got started.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
That's fantastic. So you did get support from your family
and obviously.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
Yeah, of course, you know, my parents are like, Okay,
go to college, you know, study hard, you know, do
do some other courses outside of theater. But my dad
was like, you know, if you want to do acting
in film, do it would be the best to do it,
but also studied and take some business classes on the side.
Speaker 4 (28:10):
Which did you I did? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (28:13):
Yeah, I did a minor in the business of entertainment.
This is an entertainment Okay.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
I was gonna say, yeah, I mean I met somebody
who basically was a Wall Street banker and then went
into acting.
Speaker 4 (28:21):
So it's it's interesting.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
Yeah, I think I'll I think that's better. I mean,
I went to n y U. I studied dramatic writing
at Tish, so I was just immersed in this world
of storytelling and writing and film and theater and performing.
But I think that people who study something else like
(28:43):
finance are going to Wall Street or in politics or
in you know, marine biology, what have you. I think
those are fantastic experiences because then when you do come
to the arts, you have all this other life experience
that you can bring with you you and you can
draw on that, and I think that's equally as important.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
I think you hit upon a very interesting point could
be here, because that's exactly what most of my conversations
especially with pretty you know, smart South Asian people or
even creatives we just have have talked to even later
on in life.
Speaker 4 (29:18):
Who got life.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
Experience when you're a Wall Street banker. This one person
played a Wall Street banker in multiple roles they played.
If there was there was a doctor I talked to
was also an actors singer. They knew what it's like
to be a physician in a room, and so that
came to them very naturally and very organically. They were
and they were like typecast me. That's fine, no problem.
(29:40):
But at the same time, they also had life experience
about to deal with people. And that gives you some
diversity because at the end of the day, you played
many embody, many characters right as you are as an actor,
and you're not always playing one role. So that's where
you if you do different jobs I guess, or have
(30:01):
different hobbies, that's what you bring to the table, you know.
Speaker 4 (30:06):
So I think that.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
That's also a good thing when you've actually done that
job or yeah, yeah, you know, rather than just I
do embody that particular role of being a lawyer for
twenty years or whatnot. But yeah, so I think that
that's also cool. And then I encourage people to say,
you know, use a right brain, left brain, do as
much as you can and achieve it. But look, I
think what you've got going here with your new feature film,
(30:30):
and then what could people do out there listening in?
What would you encourage them to do? It's a call
to action for them and say, hey, you know, I'm
making this film. This is why it's interesting. Is there
a website or a student spark a location they can
point themselves too.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
Yeah, yeah, so website is coming very soon. But yeah,
right now, you can follow me on Instagram. I'm Kabir
is here on Instagram. You can follow the movie for
updates Astrological movie on Instagram. And yet we'll have an
online link where, even though our our first crowdfunding campaign
is finished, we'll have a link up shortly where you
(31:09):
can make a donation through our fiscal sponsor. So if
you want to put in twenty thirty hundred, one hundred
thousand dollars online with your credit card. You can go
ahead do that, you can supports it anyway, but I
think honestly, the best thing you could do is just
stay in touch online and not just me, but but
other films you know, or other creators, other South Asian filmmakers,
(31:32):
other South Asian artists you know. Go to their shows,
go to their concerts, watch their films when they come out,
leave some nice words online, you know. Every little bit
of engagement really truly helps. So support your local artists.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
Yeah, I think that's so important, right, support each other,
and that's part of the community. I'm going to ask
you one question which I tend to ask most of the
people I have in my show, which I think is
always interesting to kind it is, and I'll put.
Speaker 4 (32:00):
You on the spot here. But if you were, you know, managed.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
To host a dinner, there was two people that are
alive that you could, you know, invite over for this dinner.
Speaker 4 (32:08):
Who would they be? And then why?
Speaker 2 (32:11):
Oh man? Oh many?
Speaker 4 (32:14):
Spot right?
Speaker 3 (32:15):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (32:16):
Yeah on spot okay?
Speaker 3 (32:19):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (32:22):
Christopher Nolan, He's one of my favorite filmmakers. I have
a bagillian questions I would love to ask him, so
I'd have him, and then I feel like I should
pick someone dead because I'll never have the chance to uh,
the Notorious Big Why not because obviously I'm from New York.
(32:47):
I love Biggie, I love music, and I just feel
like he's got so such a fascinating life story and
has so many amazing experiences and I just want to
ask a million questions and just celebrate his his music.
Speaker 4 (33:04):
That's awesome. That's great, just just the.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
Two of them together. Yeah, that would be and Christopher
and Allen and me. I think we'd have a great time.
Speaker 4 (33:13):
I think you would. That's fantastic.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
Well, Ye're awesome, Like like, it's been a pleasure talking
to you and learn you a little bit more about
your background.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
Thank you, thank you. I appreciate it. Thank you for
having me on. And yeah, let's keep the party going.
Speaker 4 (33:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (33:29):
Absolutely, we'll check in I'm sure soon and watch your space.
Speaker 4 (33:35):
For everyone. Thank you so much for having me on
being on the show. I really appreciate it. We'll talk soon.
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (34:06):
The world's most listen to South Asian radio and podcast
network
You enjoy or are like, you know, that's where did
that come from? Is this something you believe in or
you know.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
I'm a very proud Capricorn just putting that out and yeah,
I think, yeah, I think it's a very interesting lens
to look at life through. I'm not a hardcore astrologer.
I'm not astrologer at all. I do think the some
truth to it, and I think, you know, the there's
a reason that you know, we've been studying the stars
(00:38):
for thousands of years and I think it can shed
some light onto who we are. But I very much
am also logical and practical. You know, we're human beings
with free will and we can make choices, some of
them maybe for the best, some of them not for
the best. But that's the joy that you know makes
us human, right, So I do think this some truth
(01:00):
to it.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
You're listening to ruck Us Avenue Radio, available now on
the free iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Sollo, Hello and welcome to ruck Us Avenue Radio.
Speaker 4 (01:34):
And I am your host, Kamal Khan and my.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Show Bollywood to Hollywood, and I'm really excited today to
get Koba Chopra, who is a filmmaker and actor to
be with us here today.
Speaker 4 (01:46):
On the show.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
We're always talking about filmmakers and constantly because there's so
many out there that we're really trying to make short
films and feature films. And I think it's really exciting
when South Asias particularly are out there trying to tell
their own story or be creative in this process. And
so I just really wanted to have Kaba talk a
little bit about what his projects are. And well, thank
(02:09):
you for being on the show, Cober.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Yeah, thank you so much for having me. This is great,
and I love that you're creating this platform for artists
and giving us a little space to say hello to
the world.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
So yeah, you know, I mean, it's it's fun to
be able to do and people like yourself kind of
inspire others, and the goal in the show is to
inspire others to do more as well. So for those
listening for the first time, why don't you tell us
a little bit about your background you and know what
you do. I mean with filmmaker and actor, you know,
kind of a short snippet and bio if you like.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Sure, Yeah, let's see, I'm Caber and I'm an actor,
I'm a filmmaker. I've done dozens of short films, mostly comedies,
a lot of them romantic comedies, a lot of them
romantic comedies inspired by my own dating failures and wins,
more failures than wins. But that's okay. And yeah, I'm
(03:04):
from New York and recently moved back to New York
from LA. I was in LA for about four years.
And yeah, working on a couple of projects right now,
getting ready to direct my first feature film called Astrological
and also romantic comedy about dating and astrology and all
the wrong people we have to meet until we meet
(03:24):
the right one. And yeah, I'm just getting ready to
make my feature film debut.
Speaker 4 (03:30):
That's amazing. So it's a feature film that you're planning
to make?
Speaker 2 (03:34):
Yes, yeah, done? Yeah, tons of shorts, but no more shorts.
Now I'm ready to go into the deep end, really.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
Go into the feature film, all right?
Speaker 1 (03:42):
And why don't we call out some of your shorts
that you've done that you feel proud of.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Yeah, so I've done a couple. My very first serious
short film was called Strangers. Did that back in twenty
twelve when I was a wee little NYU student Again
into Do One Film Festival, the New York Indian Film Festival,
which I was very proud of. And then a couple
(04:07):
years later, I made another short film called Misaligned that
got into three festivals, which I'm very proud of. And
then after that, I did a comedy web series, so
I guess you can call it seven short Films Interconnected,
and that was Swiped to Death, a YouTube series. You
could check it out on YouTube, and that was about
(04:29):
bad online dating experiences that were all based on true stories,
so either weird, strange, interesting dates that I have gone
on or that my friends have gone on, both from
the male and female point of view, and we collected stories.
We wrote seven episodes, raised a little bit of money
and filmed them with some amazing actors and put it
(04:52):
on YouTube. And so you can check that out. And
that was a pretty special project that went to fourteen
festival around the world and we released it right in
the nick of time before COVID shut everything down.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
Some fourteen festivals.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
You went from one to three to fourteen film festivals,
so it's definitely on the rise. Just curious, how many
did you submit to the first time around in the
first place.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Oh gosh, too many?
Speaker 4 (05:17):
Too many?
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Okay, Yeah, I'd say I have about most filmmakers tend
to get a ten to twenty percent acceptance rate. And so, yeah,
that first film I did, I probably sent it to
ten twenty festivals, and they each cost like thirty forty
to fifty dollars for a submission fee, and so it
(05:39):
adds up quite quickly, and yeah, it can get quite expensive.
But yeah, usually your first couple of films you don't
get into that many. But as you grow and get
stronger as a storyteller, the quality goes up, and then
the acceptance rate also goes up.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Yeah, you get familiar with the the festival circuit, and yeah,
in the festival they know that film as well, So
I think that makes a big difference too. No, that's awesome.
So now I want to I'm curious this. You've talked
a lot about online dating, right, and you talk about
the mishaps and the misalignments or whatnot, And tell us
(06:22):
about the new feature film that you're going to be
talk from.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
Why is that different?
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Yeah, so this film is called Astrological, and I wanted
to do a slightly different take on modern dating stories
because I feel like there's so many things out there
that are calling out online dating and how messy and
chaotic it's become, and now everyone's miserable. Everyone's on the apps,
but everyone's still miserable. And so I wanted to do
(06:49):
a slightly different take, And so I want to focus
a little bit on the astrology aspect. And so astrology
has become the big thing right now, and everyone one
has a sign, and I think it's a really fun
and unique lens to look at relationships through. And so
my film is about a guy who is told he
(07:12):
is cursed and if he doesn't get married by thirty,
he's going to die. And so he takes it upon himself,
through some divine intervention, to date every zodiac sign in
order to find the one to get married to. And
I just thought it was a very fun plot device.
I know there's also a Bollywood film called Watsi Rashi
(07:35):
has a similar premise, and that was a source of
inspiration as well. But I want to do a very
unique take on it. But I really wanted to focus
on this immense pressure that we all face to find
the one by thirty or else or else. I have
a big quotation marks right now, and I feel like
(07:56):
that that is something that's very real that everyone is
kind of feeling who's who may be listening to this
or watching this that is still single. They're seeing on
social media that everyone else seems to be getting married
in Italy and having these you know, gorgeous festivities and
moving on with their life. But I'm still single and
(08:17):
I'm feeling behind. And so I wanted to make a
film for those people because I'm one of those people.
Speaker 4 (08:24):
Right right makes sense.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
With little different apps that are out there and everything else,
it's hard to sort of decide what to work with
and what not to work with, right, So totally with
you there, So we've done. In mind, there's something unique
about this. It's about horoscopes and so forth and so forth.
Is that something that you enjoy or are like? You know,
is that something Where did that come from? Is it
(08:46):
something you believe in or you know.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
I'm a very proud Capricorn just putting that out, Okay,
And yeah, I think, yeah, I think it's a very
interesting lens to look at life through. I'm not a
hardcore strologer. I'm not as strologer at all. I do
think there's some truth to it, and I think, you know,
the there's a reason that you know, we've been studying
(09:09):
the stars for thousands of years, and I think it
can shed some light onto who we are. But I
very much am also logical and practical. You know, we're
human beings with free will, and we can make choices,
some of them maybe for the best, some of them
not for the best. But that's the joy that you
know makes us human, right, So I do think there's
(09:31):
some truth to it.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
Yeah, I agree.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
There's a lot of studies around that, and people do
ask that question, I think when they go dating. Do
you find that that's a common thing that you also heard?
Speaker 4 (09:42):
Like that?
Speaker 1 (09:42):
I come up quite a little bit lot. Do you
tend to ask that question and dating, just so you know,
is that something that is from your own experience that
you're drawn from.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
I don't tend to ask it. It tends to come
up sooner or later, and I'll very much say if
someone asks, I'll say, I am a Capricorn and we
are the best sign. We are the goat for a reason.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
G eight.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
I love that. I love that. It's a great analogy.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Yeah, and yeah, I think I think it's a lot
of fun. And I'm not the kind of person where
you know, I'm an Earth sign and if I match
with the Leo, Leo's and capricorns historically not such a
great match. I'm not going to say, oh no, you're
a Leo, goodbye, I'm out the door. I'm not that
(10:27):
much of a stickler. I believe in giving everybody a
fair shot. But I have noticed that I tend to
go for scorpios or they tend to go for me.
That that has been a historic trend. Why it just
it is what it is.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
So obviously this you know, you've made some shorts around this,
you made you know this is now about online dating
and stuff. So who else is part of your team
or what are you looking to achieve by this? You know,
if they watched the film, assuming you're in pre production
right now.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Yes, so yeah, we're still very early on in the
production process. And so I've started fundraising. We did a
crowdfunding campaign earlier in the year, and we raise some
money to add to our starting fund. And you know,
because it's a feature, not a short, we are looking
at a six figure budget. The fundraising process is going
(11:26):
to take a bit longer. And now it's a combination,
not just crowdfunding. Online and getting donations. But now it's
you know, pitching to investors, pitching to the aunties and
uncles and pitching to anyone who has some spare cash
lying around that wants to invest in a film like
this and invest in you know, a South Asian American
(11:48):
story that talks about modern love. But you know, it's
it's a it's a diverse film. It's a film with
a very unique point of view. And if you want
to help showcase South Asian artists and not just me,
but you know incredible cast that we're hoping to get,
and you know, if you want to see a film
like this in theaters, you know, come on board with us.
(12:10):
So I'm learning a lot about investing and creating an
investment structure and looking into physical sponsorship and you know,
doing millions of versions of a pitch deck. And so yeah,
we're we're in that process right now, and we're slowly
building our team of creatives. I've got a producer on board,
I've got an amazing cinematographer on board, and now Pretson
(12:34):
will be hiring a casting director and we'll start casting
some of these supporting roles. So you have to slowly
starting to build out the team.
Speaker 4 (12:42):
That's awesome.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
Okay, well, I'm going to talk a little bit more
about the sort of film financing side of things, especially
while you're next to Wall Street. So I'm sure you
have all the onances now for folk, right, but we're
going to take a quick break just for a second,
and then we'll come back to it.
Speaker 5 (13:00):
Corg Jessic could say, Nicole.
Speaker 6 (13:12):
You're listening to Ruckus Avenue Radio.
Speaker 5 (13:19):
Dady B.
Speaker 4 (13:23):
Corg, So welcome back everyone.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
We've got Kabea Chopra, filmmaker and actor talking a little
bit about his film projects and the next film that
he's going to make. His feature film coming along about
online dating. What's the name of the film, by the way.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
The film is about yeah, sorry, yeah, the film is
called Astrological again.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
Slid down for a second. Cool astrological.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
The film is called Astrological.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
Astrological Sorry, okay, astrological. Okay, so that's a that's a
pretty cool name. I was going to say that one
of the things we wanted to dive in on, just
for people listening into is you know, what is what's
it been like sort of film financing, because that's not
an easy topic and for those listening in who are
budding South Asian kind of filmmakers, oh, filmmakers in general.
Speaker 4 (14:14):
It was curious, like how do you do that? And
you mentioned things like physical.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Sponsorship, What does that really do when you're fundraising and
what are the you know, what are the benefits there?
Speaker 4 (14:23):
So I'd love to get your take on it.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
Compre Yeah, definitely, and I'm learning as I go to
I don't. I definitely don't have all the answers. So
I'm kind of just stumbling my way through this world
and sharing whatever knowledge I find, you know, to help
others as well. And so in the past, when it
comes to making short films, a lot of people kind
of do the friends and family route. They may self
(14:47):
fund it themselves, or they'll commonly do crowdfunding like a Kickstarter,
Indiego Go, go fundme, or a combination of those. And so,
because this this is a feature film I'm making, it
is going to be a six figure budget and I
don't have that kind of cash lying around. I wish
I did, And I don't have a rich uncle or
(15:11):
auntie or someone that can just bangroll the whole film
right for ponzis and so. And I also because I'm
not as established as a filmmaker as an artist. You know,
it's difficult to pitch the film to a production company
and if they like the concept, they may purchase it,
but you know, they're definitely going to want to put
(15:32):
their creative hands on all over the project, make their
own changes. You know, they might want to hire their
own director and kind of take the career of control
out of my hands. And for my first feature, that's
not something I want to do, and so I am
going the friends and family route and trying to do
it in different phases. So the first phase, we did
(15:55):
a crowdfunding campaign back in June this year on a
platform called seeden Spark, and they're similar to Kickstarter, but
they're more geared towards film and TV and arts related projects.
And so we're able to raise about twenty five thousand
dollars through that through a thirty day crowdfundy campaign, which
(16:16):
is a great start. I'm going to need a lot more,
and so the next phase that I'm currently doing right
now is Fyscal sponsorship, and that's something that a lot
of filmmakers have done in the past. Historically has been
a great way to fund arts projects. And the way
it works is an artist would partner with a five
(16:38):
HO one C three nonprofit here in the United States,
and basically you would find wealthy people or donors or
people who want to support whatever project you're trying to create,
and they would make a tax doctible donation to that
nonprofit and the nonprofit would transfer the proceeds to you. Well,
(17:00):
they keep a small administrative fee anywhere from five to
six seventy eight nine percent, and so that way, the
nonprofit gets a little bit of money and you get
to make your film and your project and that you know,
obviously consult with a lawyer or accountant or an expert
in that field, but typically it would be a partnership
(17:24):
where you align. You're partnering with a nonprofit whose mission
aligns with your work of art that you're trying to create,
and so they help administrate the funds for you to
help make your project.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Yeah, I've definitely heard of that and use that in
my own projects too. The physical sponsorship side, there's also
those that just take the well, we'll do have the
funds there and then they'll I think they don't necessarily
take a percentage, but they maybe they take a donation
or something like that for their particular calls and whatnot. Right,
(18:02):
So there's ways to go about doing this, but it's
it does make it much more fruitful for those who
do have deep pockets because they can then write off
a lot of what the expenses that they have so
butt to donate to charity from their point of view,
right and then.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
Yeah, yeah, yeah that yeah, they are making a donation
to a charity, so they get some tax deduction benefits.
And then yeah, and then I also want to mention
the third route. I'll also be exploring if we still
need to raise the remainder of the budget, is just
taking just straight up investors who who have an equity
(18:38):
stake in the film, and so that's more of a
traditional investment. They give me money, I give them equity,
and then if the money, if the film is profitable,
then you know, the investors would get their money back
plus a return.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
And so for those who don't know, I mean, so
what did that look like? For example, I mean, there's
so many in the film industries, kind of so many
rife with so many different films being made and people
asking I get pitched myself like, hey, you know what
you put in fifty grand, you're going to make one
hundred grand potentially from this or what not? Right potentially
(19:13):
or if it fails, obviously you won't make anything. But
you know, but it's it's a risky thing to do.
But just like it is a Stockholm Yeah, but what's
the best what's the percentage return on somebody who like,
let's we find someone. You know, people listen to this podcast,
they were like, okay, great, I mean I'm going to
go donate ten grand, hopefully all of equity stake.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
Yeah. So so it's important keep in mind that most
most films, even big successful Disney Marvel films, are not profitable.
And so yeah, invest that. There are many better things
to invest your money in for return than a feature film.
But that being said, you know people, you know people
(19:57):
do it all the time, and you can and make
a profit. It is unlikely. And so I'm just very
honest and straight up with people and just say, look,
there's an eye chancy. You will not make your money back,
but if you do want to invest, this is what
it would look like. And so typically, just from the
research and talking to other folks, typically a film investor,
(20:21):
if the film is profitable and they are able to
get returned, they would get their money back plus twenty percent,
and then if there are future profits beyond that, then
those profits are split fifty to fifty between the filmmakers
and you know crew or actors or producers who also
are entitled to back end points, and then the other
half goes to the investors and those are you know,
(20:43):
additional profits once everyone has been paid back.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Right, Yeah, So that's the one thing for people to consider,
right when they actually look at it and say, well,
we could be part of this particular screen obviously, this
particular story, and maybe they're very invested in it, and
maybe they would attached to the script. And I think that
in that in the entertainment industry certainly is something that
they want to.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
Be part of as well, and they support.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
Also, I just want to mention I am not an
expert on This is my first time doing this, so
please definitely consult your lawyer, entertainment lawyer, consultant, UH accountants,
consult your local neighborhood smart person. Don't just take my word.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
No, absolutely no, I'm sure everybody will we'll do that,
but hey, you know what, you've got to start somewhere
and some people they haven't got a clue and they
but I often get asked the same questions like, well,
how do I do that?
Speaker 4 (21:33):
How do I do fiscal sponsorship?
Speaker 1 (21:35):
So for the for some people, it's very basic questions
or may seem basic to you, but they're actually, uh,
you know, just trying to learn the ropes if you like.
And then we'll get into more complex matters. But it's
always good to hear from a film perspective. So next step,
I mean, if we've talked about your you know, potent
film you're going to make, is when when's the timeline?
You know, you obviously cut it on Steven's bock And
(21:57):
if all goes well, when do you think.
Speaker 4 (21:59):
You could stop filming?
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Yeah? If everything lines up perfectly, which of course it will.
I will the stars aligned, the stars will be aligning. Yes,
if all the stars align that we'll be shooting in.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
The spring of twenty six. Right, okay, fantastic. Now do
you what about you as an actor? Let's sort of
switch gears for a second. Are you going to be
playing role in this particular movie?
Speaker 4 (22:25):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (22:25):
Yes, so I will be playing the lead role in
Astrological And that's part of the reason why I wrote
this film is because I wanted to use it as
a vehicle to not to showcase my abilities as a
filmmaker and a director and storyteller, but also as an
actor as well, because in the last couple of years,
(22:46):
I'm sure your audience knows, it's been very, very slow
and difficult period of time in Hollywood, and even for
some of my very well established actor friends, they've been
having a hard time and they've been struggling, and the
flow of auditions coming in has dramatically shrunk. And so
(23:06):
I'm not the kind of person that's just going to
sit around and wait and wait and wait for an
opportunity that may never come. And so I'm just going
to create my own opportunities. And I've directed myself as
an actor before previously and Swipe to Death my web series,
and I'm familiar with it. And I think as long
as you have a very strong team supporting you, it
(23:30):
can definitely be done and it can be done well.
And so yeah, I'm making this film to showcase my
acting abilities as well as my filmmaking abilities.
Speaker 4 (23:40):
It's fantastic.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
I think I'm very you know, brave of you, but
It's great that you're doing that because a lot of
actors just wait for the next audition or whatnot sometimes,
and to make your own film take you're destined to
your own hands is brilliant.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
So it's commendable that you're doing that.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
And then obviously you have a great hopefully as show
real as a result of it, achievement as producer, lead
actor and whatnot, because we can't always choose to be
lead actors in the next block film, but we can
certainly make our own stuff. So we'll take a quick
break again and we'll just come back to talk a
little bit about you as an actor.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Daughter.
Speaker 6 (24:22):
You're listening to Ruckus Avenue Radio Avenue available now on
the free iHeart Radio.
Speaker 7 (24:35):
I said, so, welcome back everyone, and welcome to Ruckus
Avenue Radio.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
I am your host, Kamal Khan, and I have Kabeir Chopper,
who is basically talking about himself in his role as
an actor, filmmaker and producer and so comba this film.
You know you're obviously going to be the lead role
in there, but tell us a little bit about your
journey as an actor. So way do you want to
be an actor in the first place? And being in
(25:08):
South Asian families, you know, it's kind of against the
grain typically, right, but to be an actor usually it's like, well, okay,
and that's it. You know your parents supportive?
Speaker 4 (25:19):
Were they sort of encouraging? How did that come about? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (25:23):
So I'm very lucky that I have two very loving,
incredibly supportive parents who have pushed me to be the
best in the arts and entertainment and anything that I do.
And actually I think I was more on the back end.
I loved writing, I loved being behind the camera and
(25:44):
telling stories. But I think it was my mom who
was pushing me more to be an actor than I was.
And it started like as soon as I was like
three or four years old. My mom started pushing me.
And she used to work at the un and she
would do some work with UNISEF, and so I remember,
I think I must have been super young, like three
(26:05):
or four years old, and she put me in a
promotional video for UNISEF and I just remember, you know,
the sun was super bright, and I'm like, I don't
want to be here. I just want to play with
my Thomas the tank Engine. Yeah, they're doing the makeup
on me. But you know, once we started doing it
then it was kind of fun. And then I started
(26:28):
doing drama classes when I was a little older, when
I was about ten years old, and I really loved
just you know, being in a state of play and
just being silly and pretending to be different characters. And
I thought that was a ton of fun. And so
I kind of you do a little acting, then kind
of go back and you do other interests. And I
(26:50):
think I really started taking acting seriously a bit after college,
when I was about twenty five, and you know, two
of my friends started the company in New York. It
was the Hypocrite Theater Company, and they put on their
first show, which was a Bollywood version of Romeo and Juliet,
and I got cast in that, not as Romeo, I wish,
(27:13):
but as Paris. And that was an incredible experience. And
that was my first off off Broadway credit. And just
having that ability to be on a stage, embody a
new character, entertain and make an audience laugh, you know,
right in front of you on a New York stage
was such an incredible feeling. So after that I really
(27:36):
wanted to keep performing, both in theater and in film
and TV. And yeah, that's kind of how it all
got started.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
That's fantastic. So you did get support from your family
and obviously.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
Yeah, of course, you know, my parents are like, Okay,
go to college, you know, study hard, you know, do
do some other courses outside of theater. But my dad
was like, you know, if you want to do acting
in film, do it would be the best to do it,
but also studied and take some business classes on the side.
Speaker 4 (28:10):
Which did you I did? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (28:13):
Yeah, I did a minor in the business of entertainment.
This is an entertainment Okay.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
I was gonna say, yeah, I mean I met somebody
who basically was a Wall Street banker and then went
into acting.
Speaker 4 (28:21):
So it's it's interesting.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
Yeah, I think I'll I think that's better. I mean,
I went to n y U. I studied dramatic writing
at Tish, so I was just immersed in this world
of storytelling and writing and film and theater and performing.
But I think that people who study something else like
(28:43):
finance are going to Wall Street or in politics or
in you know, marine biology, what have you. I think
those are fantastic experiences because then when you do come
to the arts, you have all this other life experience
that you can bring with you you and you can
draw on that, and I think that's equally as important.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
I think you hit upon a very interesting point could
be here, because that's exactly what most of my conversations
especially with pretty you know, smart South Asian people or
even creatives we just have have talked to even later
on in life.
Speaker 4 (29:18):
Who got life.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
Experience when you're a Wall Street banker. This one person
played a Wall Street banker in multiple roles they played.
If there was there was a doctor I talked to
was also an actors singer. They knew what it's like
to be a physician in a room, and so that
came to them very naturally and very organically. They were
and they were like typecast me. That's fine, no problem.
(29:40):
But at the same time, they also had life experience
about to deal with people. And that gives you some
diversity because at the end of the day, you played
many embody, many characters right as you are as an actor,
and you're not always playing one role. So that's where
you if you do different jobs I guess, or have
(30:01):
different hobbies, that's what you bring to the table, you know.
Speaker 4 (30:06):
So I think that.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
That's also a good thing when you've actually done that
job or yeah, yeah, you know, rather than just I
do embody that particular role of being a lawyer for
twenty years or whatnot. But yeah, so I think that
that's also cool. And then I encourage people to say,
you know, use a right brain, left brain, do as
much as you can and achieve it. But look, I
think what you've got going here with your new feature film,
(30:30):
and then what could people do out there listening in?
What would you encourage them to do? It's a call
to action for them and say, hey, you know, I'm
making this film. This is why it's interesting. Is there
a website or a student spark a location they can
point themselves too.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
Yeah, yeah, so website is coming very soon. But yeah,
right now, you can follow me on Instagram. I'm Kabir
is here on Instagram. You can follow the movie for
updates Astrological movie on Instagram. And yet we'll have an
online link where, even though our our first crowdfunding campaign
is finished, we'll have a link up shortly where you
(31:09):
can make a donation through our fiscal sponsor. So if
you want to put in twenty thirty hundred, one hundred
thousand dollars online with your credit card. You can go
ahead do that, you can supports it anyway, but I
think honestly, the best thing you could do is just
stay in touch online and not just me, but but
other films you know, or other creators, other South Asian filmmakers,
(31:32):
other South Asian artists you know. Go to their shows,
go to their concerts, watch their films when they come out,
leave some nice words online, you know. Every little bit
of engagement really truly helps. So support your local artists.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
Yeah, I think that's so important, right, support each other,
and that's part of the community. I'm going to ask
you one question which I tend to ask most of the
people I have in my show, which I think is
always interesting to kind it is, and I'll put.
Speaker 4 (32:00):
You on the spot here. But if you were, you know, managed.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
To host a dinner, there was two people that are
alive that you could, you know, invite over for this dinner.
Speaker 4 (32:08):
Who would they be? And then why?
Speaker 2 (32:11):
Oh man? Oh many?
Speaker 4 (32:14):
Spot right?
Speaker 3 (32:15):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (32:16):
Yeah on spot okay?
Speaker 3 (32:19):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (32:22):
Christopher Nolan, He's one of my favorite filmmakers. I have
a bagillian questions I would love to ask him, so
I'd have him, and then I feel like I should
pick someone dead because I'll never have the chance to uh,
the Notorious Big Why not because obviously I'm from New York.
(32:47):
I love Biggie, I love music, and I just feel
like he's got so such a fascinating life story and
has so many amazing experiences and I just want to
ask a million questions and just celebrate his his music.
Speaker 4 (33:04):
That's awesome. That's great, just just the.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
Two of them together. Yeah, that would be and Christopher
and Allen and me. I think we'd have a great time.
Speaker 4 (33:13):
I think you would. That's fantastic.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
Well, Ye're awesome, Like like, it's been a pleasure talking
to you and learn you a little bit more about
your background.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
Thank you, thank you. I appreciate it. Thank you for
having me on. And yeah, let's keep the party going.
Speaker 4 (33:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (33:29):
Absolutely, we'll check in I'm sure soon and watch your space.
Speaker 4 (33:35):
For everyone. Thank you so much for having me on
being on the show. I really appreciate it. We'll talk soon.
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (34:06):
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