Indie filmmaker and banker Sonia W. Kohli wants to ‘tell creative stories’

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London-based Sonia W. Kohli, a banker by profession, has a movie and a production company to her credit. This Indie filmmaker wants to “tell creative” stories and that was her primary aim in setting up The Kunishka Productions Ltd., her production company, in the year 2020. And she remains a banker!

Her debut film, Bond – in Isolation, was also selected by the Lift-Off Session film festival. Now available on leading OTT platforms, its success has inspired her to produce a second, currently in post-production, movie, Qaid. And as she often would say, “Producing my first feature film has been an adventure of a lifetime. I would definitely do it again!” And she has.

Sonia’s love for Hindi cinema turned her into a filmmaker. After completing her first project in April 2021, she immediately began writing her next story. She wanted to create something that provoked thought in society and Qaid is inspired by true events. Based on what the LGBTQ community and family members face in silence, Sonia feels that it is bound connect with everyone.

Sonia would write her film at night after putting her kids to sleep often going to bed at 2 in the morning: that balance between her as filmmaker and mother had to be achieved. She also had to find actors who could speak good Hindi in London. And many declined the lead role of a gay, which was another hurdle. But Sonia slowly started forming a team before the planned shoot from February last year, and she also had to look at the Covid restrictions, besides a shortage of funds.

However, all’s well that ends well, and right now, Sonia waits for the world to watch “one of the adventurous experiences of my life”. She thanks her cast and crew—and is already on to writing her next story.