How filmmakers Onir, Kabir Khan, Rima Das and Imtiaz Ali turned mentors for My Melbourne

The idea of the anthology came up when Mitu, who is the founder and director of IFFM, thought of widening the scope for emerging talent and nurturing them. “We regularly hold a short film competition for aspiring filmmakers. Onir suggested that we conduct workshops with them and make a film. I loved the idea and thought: ‘Why do one when we can do four’. All of them, Onir, Kabir, Rima and Imtiaz came on board in a heartbeat,” says Mitu.

A still from My Melbourne.

Talking about the theme, the Indian-Australian filmmaker says that she has a young daughter with disability and, hence, in everything that she does, “diversity and inclusivity” become the driving force. The film is being released with closed captions, which are a textual representation of the audio in the movie.

Describing working on his segment, titled Nandini, as “a fascinating journey”, Onir says: “The world is getting smaller and it is important to work on stories beyond one’s familiar settings.” Nandini is the story of a queer Indian man reuniting with his estranged father in Melbourne. In Jules, directed by Imtiaz and Arif Ali, newly-married Sakshi forms an unlikely bond with homeless Jules. Rima Das’s Emma follows the story of a deaf dancer grappling with self-doubt and Setara, directed by Kabir, is the story of a 15-year-old Afghan girl rebuilding her life in Melbourne after fleeing the Taliban and finding her sense of belonging through cricket.

As the producer of My Melbourne, Mitu aimed to make “an entertaining feature film that is authentic, contemporary, honest and relevant”. The project also took steps to nurture the next generation of underrepresented diverse filmmakers — who were part of the crew.

The release of My Melbourne also celebrates the efforts made by Indian and Australian governments to strengthen the cultural ties and the co-production treaty, which was signed in 2023.

When Mitu shifted to Australia in 2001 after her marriage to Roy Lange, she would attend community screenings of Indian films. Calling films and food “the biggest connect to our homeland”, Mitu recalls watching Lagaan (2001) in one such emotionally-charged screening. “The screening of Lagaan stopped midway because the reels were coming from somewhere else. We ended up watching the film over five hours, None of us minded that. When Kachra was bowling — a Sri Lankan man and I were crying together,” she shares.

Though she previously had the experience of making television shows in India, she ventured into distribution in Australia following a chance meeting with filmmaker Yash Chopra in 2002. “He told me we don’t know if people in Australia are watching our films and what the market potential is there. Why don’t you take our films and we will support you. I had no idea about distribution. He became my mentor and Yash Raj Films extended its support,” Mitu reminisces and adds that Saathiya (2002) was the first Indian mainstream release in theatres. “A big cinema chain came on board to help in its exhibition. After that, it just kept growing,” says Mitu, director at Mind Blowing Films, a distribution company.

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“Today, it’s not just big Australian cities but in the remote parts of Australia, people are watching Indian movies,” says Mitu. To watch Indian movies on their streaming service which they started a few years ago, Mitu says, people log in from across the country. That apart, theatres are showing not just Bollywood fares but Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi and other Indian language movies. “Indian films consistently feature among the top 10 Australian films,” says Mitu, adding that Australia is one of the largest overseas territories for Indian cinema.

While the diaspora remains the core audience for Indian films, according to Mitu, the non-diaspora audience, too, is beginning to appreciate them. “There is no longer that snobby reaction that Indian films are about song and dance. Today, there is a renewed appreciation and acceptance for Indian cinema in all its forms — not just independent movies or breakthrough movies like Shuchi Talati’s Girls will be Girls. There is a non-diaspora audience for hardcore mainstream and middle-of-the road movies too,” says Mitu, and adds, the second installment of My Melbourne will have another group of four Indian filmmakers working with Australian cast and crew.