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 The themes of “I Can’t Think Straight”are quite universal. Finding one’s own place within the culture and family that one is born into is something most people grapple with as they mature.
My decision when writing the screenplay was to look at the emotional journeys of Tala and Leyla in a light-hearted way - to use the power of absurdity and laughter to suggest alternative points of view. Working with Kelly Moss was not only fun but also a great help to me in crystallising characters - and making them funny!
Also, I wanted to move away from the idea that true love can cure a person’s problems and to explore the fact that often we need to face up to certain aspects of ourselves and our beliefs in order to find that true love.
The shoot itself was often a struggle, as most first movies of limited resources are, but intensified by a very difficult first financier. The schedule and budget were outside the control of anyone on the production team and as a result we couldn’t plan the way one should for a film shoot. Locations would change on almost a daily basis. The shooting schedule was cut by four days with only a week to go. But I would not trade those events for anything because it gave me invaluable experience of keeping my creative team focused and working together through some challenging circumstances, and pushed me to learn how to come in under time and budget without sacrificing the story.
Hanan, my producer and partner, was my biggest supporter. Aseem Bajaj, my DP, helped create moods and fluid shots when there seemed to be no time or equipment. Lisa Ray and Sheetal stayed focused on their characters and were consummate professionals and good friends. Hanan and I found great support on set from so many of the cast and crew and through all the drama and issues we had a lot of fun and gained a lot of satisfaction from making a scene work better than we had imagined.
And since the shoot, we regained control of the film and I consider myself incredibly lucky to be working with a team including highly supportive Executive Producers who are passionate about getting “I Can’t Think Straight”to be all we originally envisioned.
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