Our fifth winner of the Z-KUDOS award is Kevin Shahinian, founder and lead producer of Pacific Pictures. According to Kevin, "Dil Jaanta Hai (The Heart Knows)" was his second Bollywood wedding concept film and his hope was to depart from the original with something different. Kevin’s inspirational and entertaining piece quickly caught our eye and we have awarded him with $500 worth of Zacuto products as the 5th Z-KUDOS winner.
“As a small studio, it can be difficult to get your work seen and this spotlight is a real privilege,” explained Kevin when we first told him about winning the Z-KUDOS award. “Winning the Z-KUDOS award is a huge (& unexpected) honor. A big thank you to Steve and the entire Zacuto family for their continued support of our work and other filmmakers like us.”
He was initially inspired by Anuja & Nirav's true life story, how their father's conspired to set them up and how the pair knew little about their common lives. It quickly became clear that our vehicle would be a modern Bollywood comedy set at a hospital - with the pair playing over-dramatized versions of their true-life selves, an M.D. and pharmaceutical rep.
Kevin also wanted to make sure they challenged themselves on a production level, by incorporating two musical numbers that included authentic choreography and dancers. On paper, a modern-day comedy set in a hospital seemed like something that would be easy to produce. But on the contrary, the locations turned out to be a huge challenge. They ended up with six different locations for each section of the hospital; elevators, hallway, room, lobby, & exteriors.
“I think Kevin has taken this wedding concept movie to a completely new level and he has set the bar for it. This would be challenging to shoot with real actors, how you do this with a bride and a groom is beyond me. Every time I see one of Kevin’s wedding concept movies I feel like I want them to continue just when they are ending. Congratulations Kevin on being the 5th Z-KUDOS winner, I’m so impressed with the work that you do, I can’t wait to see what’s next.” Says, Steve Weiss, Zacuto, Director.
Another challenge they faced was the schedule: five back-to-back shooting days scheduled over Anuja & Nirav's (top secret) vacation to L.A. from Albany, NY. They posted choreography videos online for them to rehearse at home and only had time for one rehearsal the day they arrived.
“It was a grueling shoot for the first time actors, especially being away from family and friends (who had no idea the couple would be starring in a film for their wedding) but in the end their hard work and dedication paid off.”
Make sure to watch "Dil Jaanta Hai (The Heart Knows)" at Zacuto.com and keep an eye out for Kevin’s future works.
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