films to see

 

As she grew older, her love for cinema transcended geographical barriers to include Hollywood movies such as Alexander Payne’s Nebraska (2013) and Noah Baumbach’s The Squid and the Whale (2005). So one can only imagine her joy and ecstasy when she received an opportunity to work on Baumbach’s Marriage Story (2019). She worked as an art department coordinator for the Oscar-nominated movie, which stars Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. 

Born and raised in Kerala’s Kannur district, she studied in Bengaluru and moved to the United States a decade ago to study at the New York Film Academy (NYFA). Soon, she was working in Hollywood dramas as an art director and coordinator. 

She speaks to The Better India about her journey in a foreign land, how she made her mark among the bigwigs of the industry, and how India has played an influential role in weaving artistic elements and visual pieces in her projects. 

“Coming from India, I am no stranger to the exquisite chaos of colours and textures, and use this background and knowledge to the advantage of the projects I am in every single day,” Sonal says.

From China to Russia and the US: Bagging international projects

Sonal believes she was destined to enter the film industry. In fact, her mother was pregnant with her when the crew of Naduvazhikal (1989), starring Mohanlal and Madhu, shot a few scenes in their ancestral house. For her, the real struggle was not convincing her parents to let her pursue a career that didn’t guarantee a stable 9-5 job, but bagging film projects in New York, a city where the finest talents compete with each other. 

Inheriting the values of hard work and ambition from her parents, she moved to Bengaluru in 2008 to study Mass Communication at Mount Carmel College. 

“I had to make a short film at the end of our final year, which further pushed me into the process of filmmaking. I knew instantly that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. It’s the thrill of creating something from scratch and being able to visualise and then execute it, which is what I wanted to chase all my life,” Sonal says. 

In 2011, she started her course ‘Filmmaking and Screenwriting’ at the NYFA. One important thing she learnt was to build a strong network with peers, professors and guest lecturers. Attending every seminar, class and workshop helped her identify the department she was most interested in — Art. While directing the actors during projects, Sonal paid equal attention to colours, props and other elements of art and design. 

Her artistic calibre and taste for visually-driven movies were reflected in her first short film ‘Tumbling After’ (2012) which was nominated at the American Spring Online Film Awards. Two years later, she co-produced ‘The Bicycle’, which won at the 2014 International Beijing Student Film Festival in China.