Meet the incredibly talented Saya Date, who wears many hats. In 2022, she featured in Forbes's 30-Under-30 Asia list.
Born and raised in Pune, she holds a bachelor's degree in computer science. She did her mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and spent eight years in the USA, where she worked in California.
Right before COVID, Saya moved back to India and co-founded Linecraft, a software company to optimise manufacturing lines. About two years ago, she sold that company.
"Since then, I have been trying to figure out what's next," reveals the young woman who has dipped her toes into filmmaking now. Recently engaged, Saya shuttles between Pune, her home, and Mumbai, where her fiancé lives.
Behind-The-Scenes from Tango Malhar |
Stumbling upon the world of filmmaking
One of the passions Saya always had, even before college, was filmmaking. "I had made a few films before, but never professionally," says the newly minted filmmaker who is now exploring the creative profession as an adult.
Saya always knew she had a knack for filmmaking, but she followed the traditional engineering path, which she also enjoyed. "Now that I had the chance as an adult to have a fresh start at filmmaking, I said, 'Why not?'"
Saya's movie Tango Malhar was screened by the Consulate General of Argentina at the National Museum of Indian Cinema (NMIC) in Mumbai, and it was well-received by all.
A Tango dance scene from the film |
Making a film on Tango
Even when in college, Saya loved telling stories through movies.
At 15, she made a movie on online bullying and the threats of chatting on the Internet, On the Other Line. That film travelled to festivals in the US.
"That was in 2009, just when Orkut was getting popular. The story was relevant back then when people were unaware of what catfishing was," says Saya.
The movie, a story about a teenager being bullied and seeking friendship online, was shot on a handycam.
A Tango dancer, Saya has been dancing since 2019. When she moved back to India, social dancing was a way for her to make friends.
"The Tango community in Pune is extremely fun-loving. When the thought of making a film cropped up, I thought a film around Tango would be great as I'd naturally get the support of the community."
Saya and her Tango teacher, Manish, had written a short story on what it would be like for a rickshaw driver to join their community, and she decided to flesh it out and base her script on that idea.
Lesser facts about Tango's history
"Tango started on the streets of Argentina, where the working class from Europe who were living away from their families found it as a way to connect with other people. There were two ways, either football or Tango, to do things that joined the neighbouring communities of the working classes," explains Saya.
"The same dance, when it came to Europe, got popular, and then it became an elite dance form. Now across Asia, wealthy people are dancing it," she adds.
According to Saya, in Mumbai and Pune, there are a bunch of dance schools teaching Tango. "It has just begun exploding in India over the last decade. Earlier, Tango had just an underground scene."
Not as free flowing as Salsa and Bachata, the learning curve for Tango is more difficult, and it takes at least a few months to master the basics.
"At the very basic, Tango is just an elegant walk. There are some pivots (turns)," says Saya. "Tango is an improvisational form of dancing. There is no choreographed sequence. Because it is that simple, it becomes very complex, as you are making a simple walk look elegant. It is a shared language between two people, and you uplift the walk by doing sweeps and turns."
Saya has been learning Tango for the last six years now. "I have dabbled in other dance forms like Salsa, Kizomba, and Bachata, but Tango is the only one I have done seriously."
Tango Malhar: A touching story of transformation
Saya's movie Tango Malhar is about an auto driver who accidentally discovers Tango. He wants to learn the dance but finds himself torn between his conservative roots and the elite dance community. He ropes in his sister Rani to help him learn the moves, and they find an abandoned building to practice. As the movie progresses, Saya makes her audience fall in love with Tango, as Malhar, who first finds himself drawn to the passionate dance, struggles to master it as he uncovers new connections, which add an interesting twist to his somewhat ordinary existence.
Fans felt that "such movies are more than necessary in today's fast-paced world as they give you a chance to pause and look around, to see what matters to you."
"The film beautifully captures the unseen battles tango dancers face - societal judgment, self-doubt, and the delicate art of respecting boundaries. More than just a dance film, it's a testament to persistence, male bonding, and the refusal to quit, no matter how impossible the odds seem," shares another IMBD user.
"In India, we live in such proximity to people that there is barely any space for privacy," mentions Saya. "With the movie characters, I wanted to show that they did eventually find that space, even if it was an abandoned building.
"I have also tried to show that due to the intimate nature of the dance, the crowd mentality looks at it in a particular way, even though there's no suggested innuendo. But that apart, so many people resonated with the brother-sister bond. Watching the movie made them miss their siblings."
When Saya screened Malhar Tango abroad, people came up to her and said how they missed sharing the room with their siblings.
Getting a new rhythm in life with Tango
Tango, as a dance, is about a leader and a follower, and that equation on the dance floor changed Saya.
"I generally end up taking on leadership roles, and it is very rare for me to let go and train my body into any kind of submission," she says.
"The dance floor was that one place for me to truly submit and trust the other person wholeheartedly. That liberation is something I look forward to. At least, for those few hours, I can completely let go.
"When I first joined, it was for the community. Back then, I used to find the dance quite boring. As a beginner who had not got hooked on what Tango is, I found it dull because there was no sequence or steps.
"A lot of the Tango music is actually very depressing. It talks about lost love and suicidal people who have turned to alcoholism. It is serious, deep music; very morose.
"In the beginning, it was a little challenging to get into it, but the meditative aspect of Tango changed me from a strong-headed person to letting things go; being more laid-back in life. The community has become my support system."
Getting the movie noticed with no godfathers in the film industry
One of Saya's hardest learnings post Tango Malhar was getting the audience to see the film.
"Post COVID, there was a big push to democratise filmmaking like there was no nepotism. But they, in fact, worsened the problem to many degrees. To be on Amazon or Netflix, one is now expected to do a theatrical release, and for that, you need a distributor, who will promote movies with a known face.
"If you are a new director or talent, theatres or platforms will not take a chance on you. In such a stage, distribution and promotion are left to the individuals. It is very challenging. I have been trying to figure out new ways of distribution for an independent film."
One strategy that has worked for Saya is that she could reach out to the big Tango community worldwide and has held screenings in different countries, from Berlin to Prague and London.
"The film travels with people," she says, highlighting the roundabout way. "This is because the conventional way won't work."
Saya wrapped up her movie last year in October, and it's probably time to move on to a new script. But her heart doesn't permit that, as she still wants to perfect its promotion to reach a wider audience. "I still feel this film has potential, so it is hard to let go," she says with a sigh.
