New York Emmy Award-nominated Indian-American filmmaker and actor Tirlok Malik is best known for making films about Indian immigrants in the US. It all started with his 1990 film Lonely in America which he wrote and produced and also acted in it. The film was shown in over 70 countries and screened at several leading festivals all across the globe. Since then he has made several other films about issues pertaining to the Indian diaspora such as Love Lust and Marriage,Khushiyaan , and On Golden Years . Malik, who is in India on a short visit, is currently developing the script for the last part of Lonely in America .
Excerpts:
What prompted you to make “Lonely in America”?
I wrote the story because I wanted to make the film in America about immigrant Indians. I was determined that I will never show India in a bad light. ‘Lonely in America’ is a story about how the Indian immigrants want their children to fulfil their dreams and aspirations while living in America but when it comes to marriage they want them to get settled with an Indian. That creates a conflict. How can you be a part of a culture and not be a part of it at the same time? Assimilation is very important, if you want to feel at home because as an immigrant you are always looking for an anchor but a lot of them don’t have that anchor. The film explores all this and more.
How did the success of “Lonely in America” help shape up your career?
Well, I wrote the story, developed the screenplay, and even produced the film. And the journey was quite successful. The film made a lot of money for my distributors. It also received good reviews. And that film today has achieved a cult status. It’s more than 25 years now and people still talk about it. Spike Lee gave a cameo in the film. The film’s success helped me in making more films on the immigrant themes and basically paved the way for a long and successful career as an actor as well as a filmmaker.
Tell us about your second production venture “Love, Lust, and Marriage”.
“Love, Lust, and Marriage” tells the story of an Indian-American doctor’s inability to balance his work and life. I star opposite Deepti Naval in the film. It is an exploration of what Freud described as ‘Madonna–whore complex’. It essentially examines whether love and lust can coexist in a marriage. I believe that it was a film ahead of its time. Interestingly, a girl named Samia Shoaib whom I gave break in the film went on to star in films like “The Sixth Sense”, “Requiem for a Dream”, and “Pi”.
How has the situation changed for filmmakers who want to tell stories about Indian immigrants?
When I made “Lonely in America” there were hardly any films about Indian immigrants. But the film’s success opened up new horizons for young filmmakers who too wanted to touch upon similar issues. Fortunately, the situation has greatly improved over the years. We now have many more films that focus on the stories of Indian-Americans. Also, the audiences are more open to new ideas and fresh themes, thereby allowing filmmakers to tell stories that they have always wanted to tell.
What are you doing next?
I like to see myself as a filmmaker and a healer. Right now, my major focus is on a new educational platform that I have developed for healthy and happy living. It is called ‘Happy Life Yoga’. India has been a spiritual teacher for the whole world and I firmly believe that the Indian philosophy holds the key to living a healthy and fulfilling life.
My platform endeavours to provide a holistic approach towards life by leveraging upon the combined power of Yoga, Ayurveda, and Indian Philosophy at large. It was launched in New York on the occasion of International Yoga Day 2019.
As far as my film work is concerned, I am trying to develop the script for a film which is the last part of “Lonely in America”. So, basically, it will be the fifth in the series on Indian immigrants.
Published - November 07, 2019 05:06 pm IST
