Dr Kiran Bedi praises 'To New India with Love'

Tirlok Malik, an Emmy-nominated Indian-American filmmaker, has come out with an inspiring new short film titled 'To New India with Love,' which examines the subject of youth aspirations.

The film recently premiered on the YouTube channel of nritvfilmclub, following which it will be released on television and various digital platforms worldwide.

Tirlok Malik is best known for making films about Indian immigrants in the US, starting with his pioneering work, the 1990 film 'Lonely in America,' which Malik wrote and produced, and he also acted in it alongside Ranjit Chowdhry.

'Lonely in America' was shown in 74 countries and as well as on HBO and participated in 37 film festivals, winning several awards. He subsequently made films like 'Love Lust and Marriage,' 'Khushiyaan,' and 'On Golden Years'. He has also acted in films like 'Dr. Babasaheb Ambedka,' 'Lajja,' 'Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu,' 'Ta Ra Rum Pum,' 'Sivaji: The Boss,' and 'Mehbooba,' among others.

On talking about the whole idea of making this short film he says," 'To New India with Love' is inspired by the experiences of Indian-Americans who often get asked by the youth of India to help them move abroad for better work prospects.

Now, many young people want to leave India, but it is not possible for all of them to get the visas. Moreover, migration is a choice that one makes and there is an emotional price associated with it. The film aims at creating a greater awareness about the role that Indian-Americans can play in mentoring the Indian youth."

Former Puducherry lieutenant governor (LG) Dr Kiran Bedi commented, "This is the way forward for the youth of India. Elders can keep inspiring youngsters exactly the way the professor did in this film—which is making the youth begin with whatever they have. And grow from there. Thank u for this film."

Sharing about the short film receiving overwhelming responses, the director says," 'To New India with Love' has been receiving overwhelming response worldwide. Our film has struck a chord with audiences worldwide. The dialogues written by Murtaza Ali Khan have been widely appreciated.

The film's underlying message that even with all the challenges that India has, it can still be made great by actually living there as opposed to leaving it has been well received. It has been praised by critics and several notable personalities."

The film stars Tirlok Malik, Aryan Pratap Singh, and Dalip Maccune. The screenplay and dialogues are written by Murtaza Ali Khan. While Rakesh Zharotia is the film's editor and assistant director, Vijay Chauhan has served as the DOP.

Talking about the content he wants to direct in future, he adds," I have made all my feature films about the migration conflicts and its effects on human feelings: be it 'Lonely in America', 'Khushiyaan' or 'On Golden Years'.

It's a theme that's close to my heart and so I will continue to explore it further. Also, for my upcoming projects, I will be working on various socially relevant themes. I currently have two feature films and two short films in development (one each in India and the USA).

Other than the two feature films and two short films that are in development, there are some other interesting offers. Let's just see how things pan out. We will have to wait and watch."