Sonal Sehgal on her film 'The Great Departure': Not a film that has a banner of feminism

Sonal Sehgal

In 2022, the Ontario Creates International Financing Forum had taken actor Sonal Sehgal's script, then titled Travellers, to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). In the two years since, it has journeyed from the scripting stage to filming and is currently in post-production for a 2025 release. Along the way, it was also rechristened The Great Departure. Tell Sehgal that the film has had a long road to completion, and she says, "When you have invested so much, you want it to be done the right way. It's hard to stand your ground and it takes time. I'm glad that we're in the final stages of post-production."

Starring Sehgal and actor Xavier Samuel, who played Riley in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010), and helmed by French director Pierre Filmon, The Great Departure tells the story of a man and woman who cross paths in Varanasi. As they embark on a road trip together, their vastly different experiences lead to an unexpected love story. But Sehgal insists it's more than a romantic drama. "The core idea is to reflect the deep-rooted patriarchy in our society. The two characters are going to the same places, but they experience it so differently. It's not a film that has a banner of feminism. It's just a reflection of how we are here today because we have let patriarchy creep into our everyday life. Now, women are waking up and fighting back."

Attempting an offbeat film at a time when the market is volatile isn't easy. The actor-writer says that few people were willing to take a punt on her story until Arvind Reddy's KVR Productions came along. "Xavier came on board almost two years ago. Even with him on board, it was hard to get the money because it's a road-trip film. A road-trip film is never cheap. The film couldn't go on floors because the money was tight." Often, financial support is the biggest challenge of an indie film, she states. "Thankfully, Arvind Reddy was looking for a subject to relaunch his grandfather's production house. He held our hand throughout."

The challenges notwithstanding, shooting the film was a ball. For that, she credits her co-star. "Xavier had no idea of India or the Indian film industry. Whenever he had time between projects, we'd do readings on Zoom because he wanted to understand the film's landscape. It was a true partnership with him."