Mrugesh

Interviewing Mrugesh Thakor was as much of an experience for me as it is for a spectator of any of his films. The Bollywood influences and magical realism of the worlds he creates out of familial stories is seen and understood after talking to him about his journey and validation of film. From the many places he was able to call home, to the various lifetimes he experienced in his short 22 years of life – Mrugesh Thakor’s story is that of discipline, dedication and self exploration.

Where did you grow up?

Thakor’s journey begins in a small town in India, “when you live in a small town, you dream of the day you get to leave it”. His beginnings in his town feed into his interests in story telling today, but let’s not jump ahead. At the age of 11 he was sent to a boarding school in the city, accrediting this time as one of growth and discovery. He says he remembers these years fondly; “I think the best parts about me came out of that boarding school”, when asked to expand, he reiterated his work ethic and his love for running.

“Growing up in India, you either wanted to become a professional cricket player, or a Bollywood actor” So he dreamt of becoming an olympic runner. As a child, his aspirations for becoming a world renowned runner worked as his first driving force into creating habits of discipline and focus. Going as far as training and living in Kenya for two summers – he was sure that this was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.

How did you decide to pursue filmmaking?

At this point, one might be wondering how film fits into this equation. I was wondering that too. “I met film by accident,” he says. He realized that in his final teen years that he was never going to reach the level of olympic runner that he set out to be, so he decided to change career paths. He so poetically said “Film was the first thing in my life that I loved, and that I felt loved back.”

Once getting into his career at Pratt and the films he makes, it is easy to understand where these words come from. His films tell beautiful and stunning stories about people that are truly understood by the filmmaker.

His films are a mixture of two glorious worlds that come together to create a sense of magical realism on screen and transport you into the interesting stories of someone’s day to day life.

What inspires your films?

Thakor took a long pause before answering the question. Once thinking about the question deeply he responded with a simple “it always evolves”. This is something that is truly important to him, he considers himself lucky to not have to go out into the world to look for inspiration yet, but to find inspiration in the people that are dearest to him.

He is interested in stories that are generational in scale. “Everyone’s life is cinematic and has these elements within their stories”. An epic story about a family can be so simple, and that is what makes it interesting. He sees the world as interconnected stories that are waiting to be told.

What is your creative process?

Like he mentioned beforehand, he does not have the need to go out looking for stories. At this point in his career, his family and friends are the genesis to all his inspiration and creative process. He has a collection of these stories in his head and writes them down – then he finds it important to step away from the characters without judgement. He calls it a ‘barebones’ night of writing and then letting the characters guide the rest of the way.

“I want to make stories that people understand and be respectful with the audience’s time”, this is where the feedback comes in handy. He looks for different opinions and watches other films that handle similar topics in order to make sure that what he is doing makes sense.

What are the responsibilities you consider you have as a filmmaker?

He says this is another aspect of the filmmaking process that is always evolving. “I do think that my films can’t be about nothing.” He wants his films to add value into the world and tell stories that he feels are important to tell. He owes people the stories he borrows, and he wants to be respectful of that. One of his biggest compliments on his films was a friend who said “your films really believe”, that’s the ultimate goal.