Interview with Devaki and Luke – Rise Of The Zombie
On 16th January 2013, Bandra Amphitheater will be host to all things unnatural. This is no place for the meek-hearted, but for those of you who love the thrill of a scary movie, the Rise of the Zombie music and film trailer launch is not to be missed.
We caught up with writer Devaki Singh and actor Luke Kenny, here’s what they had to say about the movie:
IndiEarth: Rise of the Zombie – India’s first zombie movie, has the independent movie scene buzzing! Tell us about the movie.
Luke: Well, it is India’s first zombie origin film. Every zombie was human once, so Rise of the Zombie is the story of one such human being told in a simplistic format, so that Indian audiences are gently eased into the zombie universe.
Devaki: We’ve seen lots of zombie films made internationally so we thought why not make an Indian one? We are aware that Indians are not that familiar with zombies, so we are beginning with the ABC of one man who starts turning into a zombie. We are planning a trilogy, so will explore more zombies as the story grows.
IndiEarth: What is the atmosphere like on the set of a zombie film? Any interesting anecdotes you can share?
Devaki: It was great fun as nobody here had worked on something like this before. Everyone was excited and very curious as they didn’t know what to expect and how it would shape up. Even the little town in Uttarakhand where we shot our film, now knows what a zombie is. Every day after shooting was done, we had to pass through the town square and we would stop at a popular eating place. The locals would be horrified at Luke’s zombie appearance, which got worse by the day. Many would come up to him and advise him “Aap koi doctor ko dikhaiye. Davaa lagaiye”. It was hilarious!
IndiEarth: There’s a whole ghoulish world out there filled with vampires, werewolves and mummies! Why a zombie movie?
Luke: Throughout the past four decades of pop culture, zombies and the space they inhabit have become a metaphor for mans shortcomings. While vampires, werewolves’ et al, are more fantastical departures in the natural space, zombies have always been a reflection for humanity gone wrong; be it science or their own psychological faculties. This makes the zombie world an immensely kaleidoscopic storytelling playground.
Devaki: As I said earlier, the Indian audience is not familiar with zombies, so we thought maybe it was time to have an Indian zombie film. Luke and I are horror fans anyway…. and zombies are definitely high up there. So here’s our zombie film – in Hindi, but with realistic treatment.
IndiEarth: From the Zombie walk in Mumbai to Mithibhai Kshitij Festival; from contests and merchandise to ‘Rise of the Zombie’ at colleges across India – how has the concept of the movie been received so far?
Devaki: It has been an amazing experience; we’ve been going to so many college fests in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Pune. There’s been a huge curiosity and that’s what we want, to start some serious ‘zombification’. It’s a whole new flavour to experience in the world of entertainment.
Luke: Well it has been tremendously encouraging to be able to reach out to our potential target audience. The reaction to the teaser trailers and the music has been heartening.
IndiEarth: What can we look forward to pre-launch? And where can viewers get more details?
Devaki: We are having our music launch and film trailer launch at the Bandra Amphitheatre on 16th January. The soundtrack of the film has a number of interesting and fantastic musicians contributing songs – the legendary Biddu, Suraj Jagan, Caralisa Monteiro, Aditi Singh Sharma, Boomerang, Arfaaz, Sofia Jannok and Luke Kenny. We also have our Facebook page ‘Rise of the Zombie’ and twitter too.
IndiEarth: Can you share some words of wisdom for all indie filmmakers out there trying to get their work seen?
Devaki: We are going through the learning process ourselves, but I guess having a great team of people who are passionate and hard working is a must. However, luck is definitely such an important ingredient too! All the pieces of the jigsaw must come together and fit. It’s easy to make a film but to get it out there is the most difficult part. It is encouraging that in today’s digital world there are a lot more options on how one can get their film seen!
Luke: Never give up!
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