D DAY: Desi Dad and the Americanized Youth

PROM has been a grey area and a topic of varied perceptions among parents of high school students, especially Asian Indian Immigrants in USA, more often than not. Though they comfortably send their children to various events in school, PROM event has never been a straight 'Yes', among majority of Asian Indian parents.

The open-minded perception about PROM night does not appear to exist, generally, in Indian parents, who inherit strong cultural heritage and 'arranged marriage' principles. Though these parents immigrate to USA for leading better lives and free choices, they often appear to have concerns with their children (who are exposed to multi-cultural set-up of the global village). Majority of the parents, especially Dads, tend to be possessive about what their kids should do and should not do. They offer little freedom to growing children in their daily lives - with things such as, friendships, relationships or other long-term choices. They often discourage any boy-girl friendships, even casual talks among opposite-gender class-mates.

On the other hand, the children, steadily growing in this multi-cultural world often get confused and are unsure of what to follow - parents' perceptions, teachers' advice, or peer pressure at school. The teenagers, especially high school juniors and seniors, don't get it - 'when it comes to PROM, why the Dads dislike it, more than Moms?' 'Why they need to convince their parents to go for it - a natural farewell night with their close friends of 12 years? Both parties don't get onto the same page, and both sides keep on procrastinating the discussion till the D Day gets closer.

This short film focuses on one such PROM event and the subsequent 'cultural-dilemma' within a typical Asian indian immigrant family. It emphasizes to shed away inhibitions about it and try to sort out misunderstandings through intimate and honest discussions and trust-worthy, balanced approach. After all, it's a family matter and everyone needs to get onto the same page to keep it going.

The cast and crew were drawn from diverse backgrounds - Caucasian, Latino/Hispanic, African-American, Asian Indian etc., as the plot deals with multi-cultural contemporary theme. Everyone associated with this film have been passionate first-timer to camera and delivered their best possible natural performances - to make it a memorable debut attempt.
So far, our film has been honored with 'Official Selection' Laurels @
1. 6th Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival-16, Delhi, India [secured 'Certificate of Excellence' as well]
2. Pune Short Film Festival, India
3. Bollywood International Film Festival, 2016, Columbia, South Carolina, USA.
4. 5th Bangalore Short Film Festival, Bangalore, India [secured 'Certificate of Excellence' as well]
5. Secured 'Community Service' Award @ 10th Anniversary of Telugu Association of Greater Charotte Area (TAGCA) , Charlotte, NC, USA.
6. Secured 'Jury Appreciation Award' @ North American Telugu Association (NATA) Short Film Contest in Dallas, TX.
7. Secured 'Short Film Talent Award' at 40th Anniversary of Telugu Cultural Association's Convetion - September, 2016 @Houston, Texas, USA
8. Secured Award at International Telugu Short Film Festival, conducted by Telugu Association of North America's (TANA) 21st Conference, May 26-28, 2017, St. Louis, MO, USA.

Plot logline: On prom day in USA, an Asian Indian Immigrant Dad and his teen daughter undergo a cultural clash, culminating in a war of words, a typical verbal D DAY of their lives.

More info about film is available at below links:
D Day Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MayaTalkies/
D Day IMDB page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4417248/
D Day blog: http://mayatalkies.blogspot.com/
Film freeway page; https://filmfreeway.com/project/477000