Vidhi's Jukebox

As part of the preview for my screening of Last Film Show (2021), I spoke to its writer, director and producer, Pan Nalin. I was familiar with Nalin’s previous work but this film connected on a deeper level. One reason was that it’s set in Kathiawad, Gujarat, a region in western Indian that my family hails from. It was refreshing to watch an international film set in Kathiawad along with the authentic dialect and food portrayed effortlessly on screen. Another reason was the protagonist’s love for cinema that I could relate to. Over a transatlantic phone interview, Nalin shared fascinating stories from his childhood: attending school illegally with his siblings, sharing his lunchbox with the projectionist at his local theater in exchange for watching unlimited movies countless times, going to the remand home for stealing film reels, watching his first Hollywood film and being surprised at the absence of song and dance, etc. Listen to the complete interview through the podcast link at the top of the page. Please remember to subscribe to the podcast to receive updates of future episodes.

Last Film Show was screened at Epsilon Spires in Brattleboro, Vermont on August 18th 2023 to an incredible response from local audiences. My pre-screening music comprised songs by contemporary artists in the Kathiawadi dialect. Before and during the screening, audiences savored the chai and samosas and shopped for Indian handicrafts some of which I have sourced from Gujarat. Last Film Show was recently given two National awards by the Government of India: ‘Best Gujarati Language Film’ and ‘Best Child Actor’ to Bhavin Rabari who played the protagonist Samay in the film.

This is my first podcast episode and couldn’t have been a better start than with an interview of Bollywood playback singer, KK. It’s heartbreaking to share this interview after his death but all the more reason to listen to his voice and remember him by his kindness and sincerity.

The much-loved singer, Krishnakumar Kunnath, better known simply by his initials, KK, passed away suddenly on May 31st, 2022. He was only 53 and died of a cardiac arrest after collapsing in the hotel where he was staying. It’s almost poetic that he passed away after a performance he gave in a packed auditorium of over 6000 people. Lucky are the people that attended that concert not knowing it would be his last.

I had the good fortune of interviewing KK in 2019. It was an interview that he did not need to give, but one that turned me into a lifetime fan of his. I was writing a piece on playback singing in Bollywood for the On Stage magazine of the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA). The article required me to interview various artistes from the field and add quotes about their experiences with anecdotes and examples. The topic of the article, although interesting, wasn’t going to focus on any particular singer but the art form as a whole. Usually, in such a scenario, it’s tough to get responses from the artistes because they have an unimaginably busy schedule and not enough incentive to get press coverage. In addition to responses in the form of WhatsApp voice notes from Kavita Krishnamurthy, KK was the only singer that agreed to get on a phone call. Not only was he busy touring and recording, but, as he said to me in the interview, he had returned from an overseas trip the previous night and was super jet lagged and sleep deprived. His exuberant tone exhibited none of that. He was so humble, warm and personable that I felt as if I was talking to a friend. Over the last 10 years, I have interviewed a number of personalities from Indian music and films and KK will always remain the most special of the list because of his generosity. He was so sporting in the interview that he even sang my favourite songs and recorded a show id for me. Listen to the full interview on my podcast by clicking on the link at the top of the page.