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The Hero’s Journey of Siddharth Salgaonkar

Posted by peterdekuster on

What is the best thing that I love about my work? The thing that has always fascinated me the most about being in the creative field, is the opportunity to tell new stories. Just the mere concept of weaving a whole new world full of characters you created is fulfilling enough and is what made me fall in love with cinema in the first place.

Photo credits: Pranav Nahata

What is my idea of happiness? Keeping my filmmaker lens aside for a minute, I want to use this question as an opportunity to appreciate my family. My idea of happiness is people. Whether it’s the family you are born into or the friends you meet along the way, the thing that brings me joy is having these people to share my life with. Being away from your family for two years is not easy. That one phone call from home every night cheers me up after a long day on set.

What is my greatest fear? If I may get a little dark and existential for a bit, I always fear fading into obscurity. It is my dream to make a difference through my work and the fear that I might fail to do just that lurks in the back of my head.

What is the trait that I most deplore in myself? Procrastination is my biggest enemy. Sometimes even when I’m in full flow while working, I cannot focus for too long. I’ve had attention issues since I was a kid. My solution is usually going for a walk or freshening up before returning to work.

Which living persons in my profession do I most admire? In terms of their work I’ve always looked up to filmmakers/writers like Martin McDonough, Quentin Tarantino, Armando Ianucci, etc. But as a brown creator, I am really inspired by Riz Ahmed and what he is doing for the South Asian community. It’s always uplifting to see one of your own, killing it in the real world. It gives you hope for your own dreams.

What is my greatest extravagance My student loans.

On what occasion would I lie? On my resume.

What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work? Probably the budgeting. As an independent filmmaker, you have to restrict yourself while writing a film to make sure you can afford to make it. I want to get to a point where money won’t be an issue anymore, and I can express my creativity as freely as possible.

When and where was I the happiest in my work? It has to be when I watch people watch my work. When your edit is ready and you screen it, the live reaction from the people fills my heart (even if it is bad – criticism is a part of the process). I still get compliments sometimes for something I made 5 years ago.

If I could, what would I change about myself? I’d love to be able to have more focus when writing. It’s something I’ve always struggled with and would definitely want to keep working on.

What is my greatest achievement in work? When my 1-minute short, Monster was selected among 23 films from around the world to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival and was commended by Awkwafina herself. A film so guerilla that it was written, directed, shot, and edited by me, in my house, with no crew, and my mom as the only actor. I’d never thought it’d do that well.

Where would I most like to live? I feel like I am where I want to be. I’d always dreamt of living in New York since I was little. I’m in love with the city and the people and want to continue living here for the foreseeable future. That is until I become famous and buy a mansion in L.A. Haha.

What is my most treasured possession? I know I’ve already said this before and it’s a lot of cheese, but I treasure the people in my life the most. They’re the reason the highs are enjoyable, and the lows are tolerable.

What is my most marked characteristic? I would like to believe that my ability to write humor – especially the dark, satirical kind – is a treasurable characteristic for me. I also take pride in being a multi-faceted artist (I act and perform stand-up as well).

What is my most inspirational location, in my city? In my experience, solo trips to the park at golden hour facilitate the creative juices. And what better park than Central Park itself?

What is my favorite place to eat and drink in my city? There are a few but Myrtle Pub in Queens definitely has to be up there. It’s a regular spot for my friend Gurru and me, where we discuss everything from relationships to cinema. Also, how can you not love a place that serves a free hot dog with every drink?

What books influenced my life and how? Being a writer, people always judge me when I tell them I’m not an avid reader. I never was. That title can be claimed by my brother. But I always looked to films for inspiration. I will say though that I loved reading comic books and that does influence my filmmaking style to a certain degree.

You Only Die Once. What music would I listen to on my last day? The Radiohead discography will play me to the pearly gates.

Who is my hero or heroine in fiction? I resonated with Joe Buck from Midnight Cowboy a lot. A small-town boy moves to New York City with the dream of becoming someone. That can be used as the film’s logline and/or my life’s story.

Who are my heroes and heroines in real life? My parents. The personal sacrifices they made to ensure my brother and I have a comfortable life, are not unlike the ones you see on the big screen.

Which movie would I recommend to see once in a lifetime? There are so many, but gun to my head I’m picking Cinema Paradiso. If you don’t shed a heartfelt tear at least once while watching this film, I’d love to have a discussion with you.

What role do stories play in my life and work? As a writer first, I’d say they play the most important role. Coming from a small town in India, there are a lot of culturally unique stories and experiences I have picked up that I want to narrate to the world outside.

What do the words ‘You are the storyteller of your own life’ mean to me? It’s actually really uncanny to hear this question. It does mean a lot to me because since I was in high school, my mom has been saying the exact same quote to me, only she says it in Marathi instead of in English. I do believe that you have the ability to decide your destiny yourself… to an extent. I think luck is also a small factor, but there is no substitute for hard work.

Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime? My parents are my greatest fans, and my best friends are my partners in crime in almost everything I do.

Which people or companies would I like to work with? A24, Adult Swim, Comedy Central, Saturday Night Live, HBO, Christopher Nolan, Martin McDonough just to name a few.

What project am I looking forward to work on? For the longest time I’ve been wanting to make a semi-autobiographical film about my experiences as a middle-class immigrant student in America. I’ve been holding it off to amass a good enough budget to do it justice.

Where can you see me or my work?

What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me? Just take a look at Martin Scorsese. His latest film comes out this year. The man is eighty years old. Enough said.

Which creative professionals should Peter invite to tell their story? Gurrucharan Anvekar, a fellow indie filmmaker and a childhood friend.

How can you contact me? My email address is sid.salgaonkar94@gmail.com

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