Before the Rains explores the turmoil of a man who is torn between two worlds and the choices he makes to gain his own freedom and embrace his true identity.

When our producer Doug Mankoff showed me the Israeli short film “Red Roofs,” I was struck by how timeless and universal the story was. My fascination with the story was that it could happen to anyone, anywhere at anytime. I liked the collision of cultures and the shifting points of view in the film, along with the fact that the characters were so complex, since I am always interested in exploring grey shades of people, not just black or white.

I wanted to reset the story in the jungles of Kerala, a place rich with culture, history, and awe-inspiring beauty. We decided to adapt the story to take place in the late 1930s, and to focus on the tragic consequences of an illicit affair between an English spice farmer and his Indian housemaid. The relationship between the characters is a metaphor for the promise - and the tragic flaw - of British Colonialism. At first, both worlds connect beautifully. Moores, the British farmer, says the road he and his workers are building should be named after T.K, his Indian right hand man. Sajani, Moores’ mistress, learns English songs. And T.K, prefers Churchill rifles and Western medicine to the long bladed knives and homeopathy of his Nayar community.

Though the characters in the film fight to straddle the great cultural divide, they ultimately suffer for their attempts. Sajani realizes that she and Moores cannot build a life together. Moores and T.K. each realize that their dreams are not grounded in reality, and their vision of an India/British partnership is doomed by the divergent views of their respective cultures. But in addition to the tragic elements to this story, I also wanted to convey a sense of hope – hope for T.K.’s independence and the independence of his people. Just as the darker themes of the story continue to resonate today, I feel that the theme of hope will resonate most strongly for the audience.

The film is layered with metaphors, the road being one of them as it depicts the act of violence on nature as the story unfolds. I illustrated this by shooting the film in a style reminiscent of pre-Raphaelite paintings in which the earth itself carries sentiment and is full of symbolism and meaning. The characters are thus miniaturized in the emotional landscape and imagery of the Garden of Eden, lost again to guilt and sin.

It was a wonderful feeling to work with talented actors from England, the United States and India. Each brought something unique to the production. It is always fascinating and pleasurable when numerous languages are spoken and numerous people have to adjust to different approaches and points of view. Though in the film characters from different backgrounds struggle to achieve a great partnership, the making of this film felt like a true collaboration between East and West.
- Santosh Sivan