BY SONAM MIRPURI - ‘Growing up Smith’ is a feel-good, coming-of-age story about a 10-year-old boy named Smith, who moves from India to a small town in America in 1979. Smith and his family strive to maintain a balance between preserving their Indian heritage and embracing the American Dream/culture. The movie has brought together an amazing ensemble cast which includes Anjul Nigam, Poorna Jagannathan,
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Samrat Chakrabarti, Brighton Sharbino, Hilarie Burton, Jason Lee, along with rising young actor Roni Akurati who plays the titular role. Nigam who donned many hats for this film -actor, writer, and producer- took time to talk with IJ. Here are some excerpts:
Q. What inspired the story
A.The inspiration is a culmination of many stories of the immigrant experience. The original draft of the screenplay was written by Gregory Scott Houghton, on his roommate Ramesh Raju who grew up as an Indian immigrant in Ponca City, Oklahoma. When I acquired the rights, I did a rewrite infusing my perspective as an immigrant Indian growing up in Cheshire, Connecticut. I then brought on board Paul Quinn, and he and I co-wrote another version that added a layer of Paul’s experiences of growing up in Chicago with Irish immigrant parents.
Q. How long has the ‘Growing Up Smith’ process taken?
A. Paul and I finished the version of the script you see on screen in 2004. Then began a long journey of nearly ten years to secure financing for the movie. Once we had financing, we went into production and completed the movie in about nine months. We then did a 25 festival run that went on for about one year. And here we are, in February of 2017, expanding from our five-city launch and bringing the movie to mainstream audiences... an “overnight success” as they say!
Q.What obstacles did you face?
A. Honestly, the biggest challenge was money. We met one fraudulent investor after another, or numerous legitimate financiers who expressed interest, even to the point of signing financing agreements, dragged us along for months at a time and then ultimately never came through. Fortunately, we met a financier out of the New York hedge fund industry who had it on his bucket list to make a movie, and he took a liking toward our script.
Q. Why did you choose a small town in America as well as 1979?
A. By placing the story in a small town, there’s more of an opportunity to tell a fish-out-of-water story. In an urban environment there’s already enough exposure to various ethnicities and cultures. And placing it in a bygone era, it provides an affinity and longing for simpler times. We’re telling a story of an adult’s memory of his childhood as a ten-year-old Indian immigrant boy, and by seeing the story from this filter of time, we evoke a greater sense of optimism than we may be able to achieve if kept in the current time.
Q.Which aspect of film making do you enjoy most?
A.I’ve been a professional actor for nearly 25 years, and this was my first venture wearing three hats as a producer, writer, actor. However, I found producing the most enjoyable. Certainly there are constant fires to put out, but as a producer while navigating the ship from development to distribution and bringing it to audiences, I have greater control than afforded as an actor. And the fact is, I’m a “control freak”!
Q.A word of advice for those trying to make it in the industry?
A.“Making it” is a very dangerous phrase, as it implies the glamour of the industry is what is being sought. One needs to define success on an individual basis, but know that it may change over the course of the years. But most importantly, one needs to commit to anything one does with 110% conviction... without that, someone else will grab the opportunities available to you.
Q.What are your upcoming projects?
A.I’m producing and acting in ‘Mr. Sharma’s Atom Bomb,’ a family comedy. And on another project, ‘The Last Day Of April’, I’m again wearing three hats -producer,writer,actor. As an actor only, I’m back on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ in their 13th season, again playing the character of psych Dr. Raj Sen.
‘Growing Up Smith’is currently playing in theaters in the Los Angeles area- at the AMC Burbank 16 and the AMC Orange 30.
Q. What inspired the story
A.The inspiration is a culmination of many stories of the immigrant experience. The original draft of the screenplay was written by Gregory Scott Houghton, on his roommate Ramesh Raju who grew up as an Indian immigrant in Ponca City, Oklahoma. When I acquired the rights, I did a rewrite infusing my perspective as an immigrant Indian growing up in Cheshire, Connecticut. I then brought on board Paul Quinn, and he and I co-wrote another version that added a layer of Paul’s experiences of growing up in Chicago with Irish immigrant parents.
Q. How long has the ‘Growing Up Smith’ process taken?
A. Paul and I finished the version of the script you see on screen in 2004. Then began a long journey of nearly ten years to secure financing for the movie. Once we had financing, we went into production and completed the movie in about nine months. We then did a 25 festival run that went on for about one year. And here we are, in February of 2017, expanding from our five-city launch and bringing the movie to mainstream audiences... an “overnight success” as they say!
Q.What obstacles did you face?
A. Honestly, the biggest challenge was money. We met one fraudulent investor after another, or numerous legitimate financiers who expressed interest, even to the point of signing financing agreements, dragged us along for months at a time and then ultimately never came through. Fortunately, we met a financier out of the New York hedge fund industry who had it on his bucket list to make a movie, and he took a liking toward our script.
Q. Why did you choose a small town in America as well as 1979?
A. By placing the story in a small town, there’s more of an opportunity to tell a fish-out-of-water story. In an urban environment there’s already enough exposure to various ethnicities and cultures. And placing it in a bygone era, it provides an affinity and longing for simpler times. We’re telling a story of an adult’s memory of his childhood as a ten-year-old Indian immigrant boy, and by seeing the story from this filter of time, we evoke a greater sense of optimism than we may be able to achieve if kept in the current time.
Q.Which aspect of film making do you enjoy most?
A.I’ve been a professional actor for nearly 25 years, and this was my first venture wearing three hats as a producer, writer, actor. However, I found producing the most enjoyable. Certainly there are constant fires to put out, but as a producer while navigating the ship from development to distribution and bringing it to audiences, I have greater control than afforded as an actor. And the fact is, I’m a “control freak”!
Q.A word of advice for those trying to make it in the industry?
A.“Making it” is a very dangerous phrase, as it implies the glamour of the industry is what is being sought. One needs to define success on an individual basis, but know that it may change over the course of the years. But most importantly, one needs to commit to anything one does with 110% conviction... without that, someone else will grab the opportunities available to you.
Q.What are your upcoming projects?
A.I’m producing and acting in ‘Mr. Sharma’s Atom Bomb,’ a family comedy. And on another project, ‘The Last Day Of April’, I’m again wearing three hats -producer,writer,actor. As an actor only, I’m back on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ in their 13th season, again playing the character of psych Dr. Raj Sen.
‘Growing Up Smith’is currently playing in theaters in the Los Angeles area- at the AMC Burbank 16 and the AMC Orange 30.
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