The English-Telugu indie film How is That for a Monday? written, directed and produced by Sripal Sama, is a product of lockdown. The Hyderabad-bred, USA-based filmmaker had intended to make a feature film with a storyline involving elements of dance and gymnastics with actor Kaushik Ghantasala. However, lockdown changed the course of things and months later, the two collaborated for How is That for a Monday?, which releases in select multiplexes in India and the US on October 27. The genre-shifting film follows events on a fateful Monday that changes the lives of an immigrant techie, a billionaire, a bunch of amateur thieves and an elderly man. The story touches upon identity, racism, police brutality and class differences.
“The pandemic and post-pandemic phase was crazy, to say the least,” Sripal reflects. “One day the stock market would crash, and the next day it reaches new heights. One day people lose jobs, the next day they get record salaries. We all stay home and the next day we gather in huge crowds to protest against injustice — the George Floyd incident, for instance. The urge to reflect on this, within a low budget ($68,000/ ₹54 lakh), inspired me to write this story.”
