Echo Chamber - 27th DWFLA Interview: In Conversation With Mahesh Pailoor about 'Paper Flowers'

'Paper Flowers' is the inspirational story of 22 year old Shalin Shah, whose actions and manifesto started a movement! The film is directed by Mahesh Pailoor, who co-wrote it with Mary Krell-Oishi.

SYNOPSIS
Shalin Shah (Kapil Talwalkar), an ambitious USC graduate, leaves behind his loving Indian American family (Faran Tahir, Meera Simhan) and devoted girlfriend, Fiona (Olivia Liang), to pursue his dream of making a difference as a Peace Corps volunteer. However, his life takes a devastating turn when a check-up for a lingering cough reveals a shocking diagnosis: a rare and aggressive form of cancer. Forced to return home and undergo treatment, Shalin confronts the fundamental question: what is the true meaning of life when faced with limited time? Based on a true story, PAPER FLOWERS is a poignant and inspirational journey of love, loss, and hope. It serves as a roadmap to cherish the moments we have and to remember to stop and enjoy every sunset.

CONVERSATION
For the last two decades Mahesh Pailoor has been creating stories. He's worked on huge franchises (S.W.A.T., The Blacklist', etc), but it's been eleven years since his first film. So what a way to come back to the big screen, with something like 'Paper Flowers' @paperflowersmovie

There are complexities when bringing a true life story to the screen, and Mahesh eloquently breaks this down for us. Everything that went into honouring the life of Shalin, and the actual events, without falling into traditional pitfalls of this type of storytelling.

The casting was important, and also revealed so many synergies to Shalin's life. Mahesh also talks about keeping the energy on set, when you're shooting so many emotional scenes, and helping the cast get into those zones.

We also get into Mahesh's first film, and what it was like coming back to film after a long period working within TV. Along with bringing diverse stories to a large audience.

It's a fantastic 60 minutes (just over), and I hope you are as enthralled with Mahesh's knowledge, empathy and conviction, as I was.

Follow the film's (@paperflowersmovie), Mahesh's (@maheshpailoor) and producer Asit Vyas (@asitvyas_la) Instagram pages to keep up-to-date with future happenings.

Watch the 'Paper Flowers' review, Here:    • Echo Chamber - 27th DWFLA Review: Pap...  

Hear the full episode, learn more about the film, and find all the links here: https://www.podcaphilia.com/film-fest...

Remember to check out the rest of our coverage of the 2024 LA edition of 'Dances With Films' Festival, and let us know what you think!