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HomeDiscoveriesTalking with Amit Dhuga, about thrilling short, Prisoner

Talking with Amit Dhuga, about thrilling short, Prisoner

Today we’re speaking with Amit Dhuga, who’s thrilling short, Prisoner, depicts the world of South Asian gangs in Canada. The story feels like something we might see in a Martin Scorsese film, but, being set in Vancouver, it also seems very true to life. Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.

 

Chris McClure, UniversalCinema Magazine (UM): Could you tell us what inspired you to tell this story?

Amit Dhuga (AD): What inspired me to tell this story was just reading and hearing more and more about South Asian gang violence in Vancouver on the news and on articles online, and I wanted to spread more awareness of it. I have fellow filmmaker friends who have made great independent films about South Asian gang violence in the drama genre, but I wanted to make something different and unique too. As my first project post-graduation from film school, I wanted to take a break from drama and take my first stab at action as it is my favorite genre. The two films I would say inspired me in making this film was _Django: Unchained_ and _John Wick_. Quentin Tarantino, one of my favorite directors, did a fantastic job of creating a stylized blood-bath Western film about revenge that had some of the best blood splatter effects ever in a motion picture in my opinion. This influenced me in to purchasing a $600 blood squib to go for that over the top blood splatter effect as seen in _Django: Unchained_, and I’m glad I did so because not only did it achieve my vision, but it also made the set of _Prisoner_ very fun for my cast, crew, and I! _John Wick_, another revenge-action film, played a big role as it is also a film about the gang life, and focuses on an ex-hit-man returning to his old life to seek justice. For _Prisoner_,_ _I thought it could be very interesting to have an ex-gangster, who is suffering from PTSD but trying to live a normal and new life with his wife, interrupted by his vengeful ex-gang leader, also his cousin brother, who has a score to settle. When our protagonist, Akshay, returns to the gang life to seek justice, that is where the title and meaning of _Prisoner _come into play. This was my first time doing an action film so having the action thrilling and entertaining was a big goal of mine, but my primary focus was to tell a story that shows the dangers of the gang life, not glorifying it. This film is about what the consequences are from being in the gang life and “once you’re in, there’s no way out” is the message I would like the audience to take away after seeing it.

 

(UM): The gangsters all pray to a statue and there’s an image of what I assume to be a religious figure in the opening of the film. Could you tell us about these?

(AD): I’m glad you asked! The image and statue at the beginning of the film are of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, or simply Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. Growing up in a Sikh family, my siblings and I were taught all about Sikhism and our elders emphasized equality, honesty, hard work, and respect towards all people and religions as God is one, which are the core principles of Sikhism. I’m very spiritual, I get that from my mother haha, so I like to take some of my personal qualities and apply them to the characters I portray on screen. Since my films are generally about South Asians, regardless of the genre, I always like to add some culture, whether it be religion, history, music, clothing, or holiday festivities/celebrations. I want to add diversity to the Canadian Film Industry so I think it’s something new and educational especially for the Western audiences, plus I am just proud of my culture and want to share it! So thank you for asking!!

 

(UM): It seems ironic that these brutal gangsters take time to say prayers as they do. Was this part of your intention by showing this?

(AD): Yes it was my intention to have the irony of the gangsters praying. I thought it could be ironic to see the “bad guys” praying after committing a crime. Religion is such a huge part of Indian culture, so I thought it could be a little interesting to see the gangsters, although ruthless and cold-blooded, still considering themselves religious. What I really like about the two praying scenes that you see in the film are they play with comparing and contrasting between the protagonist and the antagonist’s characters, and they both have two completely different emotional tones. Seeing the audience have two different feelings towards both of the praying scenes is an achievement for me.

 

(UM): The world you depict seems quite rich and it would be great to see more of it. Are you planning on making this into a feature?

(AD): I don’t intend on making this film into a feature, but I do intend on exploring this world a little more in the future. I have a story idea for a feature that serves as both a sequel and a stand-alone film. The ending of this film left it open for a sequel and there is still so much more of the world to explore. However, it won’t be till quite a while we will hopefully get to see Akshay again. Because if I make the sequel, it will be unlike any film I’ve made. It will require tremendous amount of prep and a large budget  so I think I would rather work my way up to it instead of jumping the gun haha.

 

(UM): Prisoner also shows us a world we don’t see much of. Do you feel like Canadian are becoming more open to seeing this type of diverse content, or are there still a lot of barriers?

(AD): I think it depends. I feel like Canadians would be open to seeing this type of diverse content if it is meaningful and has a strong message, rather than a film that glorifies the gang life and shows no trauma or peril from that lifestyle at all. It all comes down to really knowing what kind of story it is that you want to tell. I’m a firm believer of all films should have a message, they need to be entertaining but they also need to leave the audience with a message, and if it is a message that they can apply to themselves or their daily
lifestyle, the better.

 

(UM): I’m a big fan of gangster films, but I still found some of the brutality in Prisoner shocking. I’m thinking about the fate of Sukhmani. Is this kind of violence true to life?

(AD): I’m not sure if this kind of violence applies to Indo-Canadian gangviolence in Vancouver, although there could be a possibility as sex-trafficking is one of the criminal activities of the gangs. But I know for a fact that unfortunately for women in India this type of violence is extremely common. Be it from gangs, from a group of friends, or from a single man. I really wanted to show how vengeful the antagonist of this film is, and what I really wanted to show was exactly how sick and twisted he is instead of just telling. If you really think about it, Mavi has every right to be angry with Akshay, but obviously he takes his rage too far by commiting the unspeakable. In my opinion the best antagonists are those that not only have an advantage over the protagonist, but actually have valid reasons as to why they are evil or committing the actions they are etc.

 

(UM): You also played the main character in the film. How did you prepare for the role?

(AD): Preparing for the role of Akshay really wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I spent over a year working on the script so everything about the character, ie. the mood, lines of dialogue etc, really stuck with me. Not much physical preparation was needed either as I already had experience in stunts and on-screen combat, so to me it was a matter of preparing to lead my small team as Director/Producer for such a heavy film. I was very lucky to have such an amazing team on board for this project and we all had a great time coming to set each day! Although I will say, without spoilers of course, that the scene where Mavi the antagonist arrives had me nervous for quite a while haha. It was by far the most challenging scene I’ve ever done as an actor and I really needed to make sure it was perfect. It was one of those scenes where it needs to be perfect otherwise it just looks fake. Luckily I had the support of a fantastic on-screen cast to help me react and give my best performance for the scene! I think when you’re the Writer, Director, and Actor, it’s a lot easier because you have a very clear vision in your head of how you want the character to be, so juggling the Writer and Director hats while wearing the Actor hat really helped!

 

(UM): Could you explain the relationship between Akshay and Mavi? They’re described as brother cousins.

(AD): Akshay and Mavi are cousin brothers. In Indian culture we have different words for aunts and uncles, depending on your mom and dad’s sides. In the case of Akshay and Mavi, their dads were brothers, Mavi’s dad being the elder. That is why when Mavi refers to Akshay’s mother as “Chachi Ji”, that means “Aunt that is your dad’s younger sister-in-law”. There is no word for cousin though in Indian culture as we all treat each other like siblings, so that is why Mavi refers to Akshay as “Bhaji” which means “brother.” Akshay wanted to join Mavi’s gang so that Akshay could support his mother financially, but when his mother found out he wants to turn to gang life, she disowned Akshay. Mavi supported Akshay after that by allowing him to stay in his home, and recruiting him to be a part of “Mavi’s Boyz”. Despised by Mavi’s right-hand man, Gurtej, Akshay was favoured by Mavi until Akshay left “Mavi’s Boyz” to elope and start a new life with Sukhmani. Akshay thought that under new identities and moving to a different city, him and Sukhmani couldn’t be found by Mavi, but Akshay underestimated his cousin brother. When writing the script, I compared Akshay and Gurtej to Batman and Bane as it is “The Hero” vs “The Muscle”, but I also compared Akshay and Mavi to Batman and The Joker, as it is “The Hero” vs “The Mastermind”. While Gurtej challenges Akshay physcially, Mavi on the other hand challenges Akshay psychologically. While Akshay dominates Mavi physically, Mavi has the upper hand over Akshay as he knows what Akshay’s weaknesses are and is very clever when it comes to pushing Akshay’s buttons.

 

(UM): Could you let us know about any future projects?

(AD): I produced a thriller short film with a few good friends of mine titled _Maya_ that is also in the festival circuit right now. That is a film that focuses on the value of family and “being the first you.” I am currently working on the script for my next short film, titled _You’re Mine_ which will be a slasher/action-horror film focusing on incels and sexual harassment towards women. I am also producing an action short film that is still in the early script-writing phase. All of these films have one thing in common, blood and/or action, which is my signature haha. All of these films are produced through my production company BOUNDLESS LION PRODUCTIONS, you can find more info about _Prisoner_ and my other projects on www.boundless-lion-productions.com or Instagram boundlesslionproductions and amitdhuga or Facebook Amit Dhuga. Thank you very much for this interview and for taking the time to watch _Prisoner_, I’m glad you enjoyed it! I hope to be back at this
festival soon with another project!

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