Medicine's Phoenix Connolly plays a backpacker in the short film. Photo: Supplied
William McKegg never imagined he would return to India to film a movie when he was backpacking around the country in the 1990s.
Fast forward to 2023, McKegg and his New Zealand crew has shot a short film entirely in Raipur, the capital city of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh.
"My experience of India in the 1990s was incredible," McKegg says. "I wanted to expand it into a sensible short film and so, earlier this year, I sat down and wrote the script."
Born into a family of actors, McKegg has always enjoyed stories.
"I have been a storyteller pretty much my whole life," he says. "I have written and directed children's animation, and now I wanted to move into feature films."
McKegg is the owner of Mckegg Entertainment and co-founder of Lion Rock Ventures, which is behind the much-loved Buzzy Bee & Friends children's toys.
After a short stint in the world of business, McKegg is now back in the creative world and is currently seeking funding for his first feature film.
William Mckegg is a writer, producer and director. Photo: Supplied
While that was happening in the background, he was able to finish writing a script for the short film.
"I knew a few friends from Germany, Singapore and China who were interested in the film," McKegg says. "They contributed a bit of money, and with their support we managed to assemble a budget."
He initially planned to shoot the film in New Zealand first, but then considered Fiji and finally ended up in India.
With the help of a Christchurch-based producer who knew technicians and casting agents in the Hindi film industry in India, McKegg and his team traveled to the South Asian nation in May to shoot and produce the short film, Medicine.
William McKegg’s short film Medicine was shot in Raipur, India. Photo: Supplied
Medicine is a 15-minute short film that tells the tale of two young backpackers travelling on a bus in rural India. They get entangled in an unusual situation, and the film explores how they face the ensuing challenge.
The film has a mix of Indian and New Zealand crew. One of the lead actors is Sumitra Sahu, an accomplished actor from Chhattisgarh.
Sahu plays the role of a grandmother in the film, along with New Zealand actors George Mason and Phoenix Connolly, who play the roles of backpackers.
McKegg says that filming in rural India with a mixed-language crew was challenging. Fortunately, he had an acting coach from Mumbai to help him with the actors.
The film's postproduction is now finished, and private screenings have been held in Auckland and Wellington. Moving forward, McKegg's goal is to screen the short film in next year's international film festival season.
Meanwhile, the Wellington screening of Medicine was organised in partnership with the High Commission of India.
The Indian mission also helped with the production of the film and facilitated visas and other filming permits.
"We encourage creatives from New Zealand to go to India for future productions," says a spokesperson for the Indian mission. "We will help them in every way possible."