FILMS



VIKPAT
BY
VIKRANT PATANKAR



FADE IN:

 Vikrant dreams to bring Hollywood to the tech scene of SF and NYC.
He's also a Kothari and EV Fellow.

All work on this page is written, directed, shot, edited and colored by Vikrant unless noted otherwise.


UPCOMING
Old Dream (Q426)Untitled Debut Short


VALUES
1. Do things regardless.

FILMS
Composio
$25m Series A launch — Agents! Agents! Agents!
Brand / Musical / Comedy
O-1 announcementAura / Comedy
Ship Agents in Tenderloin
Product Demo / Comedy
Rube Recipes launchProduct Demo / ComedyAgent Orchestrator launchProduct DemoTrust at ComposioBrandComposio SkillsProduct DemoDatabase for AI AgentsPodcast2025 AI Agent ReportEditorial ReportSF Tech WeekEventYC AgentMail HackathonEvent
CollabsCatalyx — $5m Seed Round announcementBrand / ThesisCatalyx — Rex 2.0 Capsule Drop TestHardware DemoFarza — Make SomethingCommunityKai LentitComedy
BonusMeeting FarzaVlogFirst Sunrise of 2026
Personal Film
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) in 70mmTravel


ESSAYS
To AI or not to AIFor the Love of Interstellarlet's stop fetishizing "understanding"fleeting crush


PRESS
TBPN Features Agents! Agents! Agents!TBPNWhy tech startups are hiring in-house filmmakersThe Times of IndiaThe Story Behind a New Kind of Tech-Filmmaking CareerLA WeeklyWhy AI Won't Replace Filmmaking, According To Vikrant Patankar
INVERSEMumbai Chawl To The Global Stage: The Enigma Of A Filmmaker That Is Vikrant PatankarOutlook IndiaWhy AI Startups Are Hiring In-House FilmmakersTech Times




And we-

CUT TO:

Credits.
End.


Long-formFOR THE LOVE OF INTERSTELLAR
Shooting script—
[The following video contains lots of movie spoilers.]
[Prologue]
[What is love?]
Imagine this.
You're running late.
Or you're going through a break up.
Or you realize your dreams are slipping away like sand through your fingers as time passes by.
Basically you're having a bad day.
And in the middle of all this hustle bustle, you're trying to just catch a breath.
But then… this plays on shuffle— "First Step" by Hans Zimmer
And you start to wonder…
[Overture]
Like everyone of us, I too had a dream. A dream to watch Interstellar in the way it is meant to be seen. But for all these years, that dream lived under "one day"—one day I will watch Interstellar in IMAX 70mm. But that one day never came, until I decided to turn it into "Day One."
And what's more wonderful time to realize that dream of mine, than to complete it by celebrating the movie's 10 years anniversary. It's like giving a surprise visit to a friend on their birthday you haven't seen in a long time.
So without a second thought, I just booked my tickets to Melbourne. Why Melbourne? Because that's the nearest place to Mumbai (google maps near me), that's showing Interstellar in IMAX 70mm.
[flex of the souvenirs collected so far—thumbnail footage]
Souvenirs collected by Vikrant over the years along with his passport
This isn't just any vlog or movie review or video essay, this one's personal; this one features my decade-long obsession with this film, how we grew closer, how we drifted apart, and how we came back.
This is… For the Love of Interstellar.
CHAPTER 1 — FIRST STEP
As the lights go down and you're greeted with these four studio logos accompanied by the sound of dusty winds—you feel a sense of mystery. [black]
That slow push-in on the bookshelf? For a first-timer, it's just another scene. But for repeat viewer, it weighs heavier than ever. The kind of shot that makes you take a deep breath, because you know what's coming. Also, a fun thing I noticed while reading the script: that bedroom used to belong to Cooper's wife. Which adds even more depth to the whole ghost-in-the-bookshelf thing.
Back in high school, in the middle of entrance exam prep, I was writing mails. A lot of them. To cinema exhibitors like PVR, Vkaao, and 1018mb. Requesting them to screen Interstellar on the big screen. I'd missed its original theatrical release. And I hated that. Back then I had no clue about Interstellar or IMAX.
If I knew I wouldn't have missed the chance to watch it in IMAX 70mm at Prasads, Hyderabad. Ironically, I was in Hyderabad at the time on a school trip. I had no idea what I was missing.
(Left) Interstellar in IMAX 70mm at Prasads, Hyderabad — Nov 2014

(Right) Vikrant in Hyderabad having no clue about Interstellar or IMAX — Nov 2014
Thing is, I've always been fascinated by space. Like every other kid, I wanted to be an astronaut. That phase didn't last long, but the fascination never left. I was the kind of kid who typed out full encyclopedia pages into Word docs on my XP machine. My first ever Google search was the word "alien." And places like Nehru Planetarium and Science Centre were basically amusement parks for me. They still kinda are.
Drew Nehru Planetarium on MS Paint freehand; circa 2009
And yet, I never really looked forward to Interstellar when it came out. Maybe because it wasn't in 3D. Or maybe because the trailer felt too technical. I don't know. Whatever the reason, I missed it. But in April, ten years ago, I downloaded a fresh blu-ray print of Interstellar. Mind you, I was just 15 at this point.
And the moment I started watching, I knew this wasn't just another space movie. I couldn't help but pause and switch tabs, googling everything from wormholes, black holes to time dilation. By the end of it, I was so overwhelmed that I ended up writing a Facebook review. Yeah, the old Facebook days.
Interstellar review on Facebook; April 3, 2015
Later that night, I stumbled onto this YouTube video that claimed to be an extended version of Interstellar's Theme Music. It was just the First Step track on loop. But I was moved beyond words. I must've fallen asleep listening to it. From then on, it never left me. Sure, I had already been listening to scores from Harry Potter and Life of Pi, but this one got me obsessed with film scores.
Two years later, I rewatched the film on my phone. Not in the comfort of my room, but on an overnight train—traveling between states, trying to kill time. And this time, it hit harder. My first watch was mere intellectual stimulation. But this rewatch devasted me emotionally. I tried my best to weep silently, to not disturb the rest of the coach. And this time, I was so moved that I didn't stop watching the movie at "Directed by Christopher Nolan," instead I let those credits roll just as I was letting the tears roll down my cheeks. That's when I fully appreciated the track: End Credits.
17-year-old me, after watching Interstellar on my phone during that overnight train journey (god the photo is making me cringe)
It wasn't even part of the official album. I had to go on a nerdy internet hunt, digging through forums, until I found the FYC version—For Your Consideration—meant for awards juries. That's where I found some hidden gems like Decoding the Message and Organ Variation. But I couldn't stop yapping about how criminally underrated End Credits is.
43. Interstellar End Credits (Suite) - Interstellar (Expanded Sessions)
[OMW to IMAX Wadala]
But let me talk about the first time we hear this beautiful, beautiful composition in its full glory—Cornfield Chase. For the longest time, I didn't know what this scene truly meant. Yet I kept returning to that scene. Zimmer is to be blamed, yes. He doesn't just shove the score down your eardrums but taps right into your soul. But overtime I learned how effectively it's doing the world building—
Like the rest of us.
Yet it was Cooper's raw enthusiasm that made me fall for it in the first go. Here's a man tearing through his own crops just to chase after a piece of the past the world had given up on. There's so much character in that one chase. So much soul.
Cut back to those emails I was writing. While they were going nowhere, something was brewing quietly in the background. A group called 1018mb announced a special screening of Interstellar in January 2018. And that's when it happened—my first theatrical viewing.
Not on the IMAX screen at Wadala, but in one of their local screens. I was so excited for this one that I even made a time-lapse video of my journey from home to the theatre. Inspired by the BTS video titled "For the Love of Film," I called mine—For the Love of Interstellar.
Interstellar on the big screen. Check.
CHAPTER 2 — ORGAN VARIATION
Within a month, I watched it again. This time in IMAX. I took my father with me. He didn't fully understand the film, but he ended up loving it. And I'm glad I shared that with him. It's surreal to take your father to watch Interstellar.
And though it wasn't 70mm, even the 2K Xenon projection was enough to blow me away.
Interstellar on digital IMAX. Check.
That just made me crave IMAX 70mm even more. A format I hadn't experienced yet—but one that now carried a kind of mythical weight.
[Near Marine Drive]
There's another sequence that holds a special place in my heart.
While "Cornfield Chase" represents the soul of the film, this sequence embodies its tragedy—the devastating moment when Cooper and the crew lose 23 years in the blink of an eye. A tragedy isn't always about grand disasters or death; sometimes it's as simple as the loss of time itself. Like other Nolan films where villains appear late in the story, Interstellar is no exception.
But here, time itself becomes the villain, transcending the typical "race against time" scenario. You feel the weight of its consequences in a way few films achieve. When Cooper watches his children grow up through those recorded messages, it creates one of cinema's most powerful moments. Whatever flaws the rest of the film might have, this scene stands as the definition of flawless storytelling.
And all of this? It's backed by actual science. Kip Thorne, the scientific brilliance behind the screen, had two rules: one, the film couldn't break any known laws of physics; two, any speculation had to come from legitimate theoretical science. While many of Nolan's wildest ideas didn't make it to the final draft, the idea of "1 hour equals 7 years" did.
Though, Nolan has taken some creative liberty to a certain acceptable extent. One such liberty he took was during the wormhole scene. According to science, traveling across wormhole is no different than an "anywhere door." [show that video of Kip]
But man, the wormhole scene in the movie is as exciting as it can get. "Controls won't work here. We're passing through the bulk."
[Home, edit table]
Okay so while editing this video, I began to notice other things—like how Nolan often edits major chunk of the film on the screenplay itself. That seamless yet simple cut from the blue sky to the blackness of space near Saturn? In a flash of a second you realize two years have gone past. And then cut back to earth right after 25 years of gap? It's baked right into the script. And it hurts.
And we cut to-
2 year later
Back on Earth, 25 years later
It may sound cliche but it makes me wonder how tiny we are in the grand scheme of this achingly beautiful universe. Amelia's "nature not being evil" does resonate. Yet most of us cannot move past ego clashes and heartbreaks.
Recently, I started noticing Lee Smith's edit wizardry. Especially his inserts. There's this quick cut to Amelia when Cooper talks about little chance of saving others. And then there's this gorgeous cut from drifting through the farm to gliding over Mann's planet—
cornfield chase 2.0, and we cut to-
one of my favourite shots
Coming back to the movie.
[OMW to Lower Parel / at LP IMAX]
I know it's just a film but Cooper's quest and the mission's success feel personal. During my recent rewatches, I couldn't help but feel the rage against Brand over his confession and Mann over his cowardness. I really hate them. Especially Mann, I feel like punching him in the face. I don't think I've ever felt this toward any other villain.
And let's be honest, between all this and Murph's conflict with Tom—the film does plateau a bit. Not that it falls apart but just plateaus. And it's understandable considering how these scenes are sandwiched between the film's two of most flawless sequences—Organ Variation and No Time For Caution.
"No Time For Caution." Oh good lord—that's an absolute cinema moment. The sequence actually begins earlier, when Murph follows her instincts and changes gears. I love these pivotal moments when characters suddenly change their minds, transforming everything that follows. This is where the film breaks free from that earlier plateau and crescendos into a series of escalating high-stakes events: saving Cooper, Rom's murder, hunting Mann, and... DOCKING.
Meanwhile, Murph grapples with a strange feeling she's carried for 25 years. Though her emotional journey might not grip us as viscerally as the intercut action sequences, it keeps us deeply invested. While some might find it underwhelming—and I wouldn't call it perfect—no one can deny the flawless scenes that follow.
The tension during "Dr Mann please respond" is peak space drama. Nothing can beat that, not even light, lol. But good lord, once No Time For Caution begins, you're in for a ride. Cooper emerges as the perfect protagonist; the entire weight of humanity's future rests on his shoulders.
Despite facing "it's impossible," this is where his leap of faith and sheer determination truly shine. It's an absolute cinema moment through and through. Even Nolan's harshest critics couldn't disagree because "no, it's necessary." Unless they really want to, haha.
[cut]
Though, some of the criticism the film gets is valid. Some of the exposition, like Amelia explaining the planets right after launch, feels a bit on your nose. And the centrifuge line? It's too quick to miss. There's barely a visual anchor. It took me years to realize what Cooper was noticing titling his head. During my recent watch, I looked closely and saw a staircase leading to a door built sideways, revealing the cylindrical nature of the station these folks are building.
Then there's another one. Watching a Kip video, I saw him explain the Plan A in layman's words "turn down the gravity on earth to lift off colonies." I am not asking Nolan to spoon feed me every visual detail.
I absolutely love the cut when Cooper gets unconscious and we directly cut to him waking up at Cooper Station. I love how not too much is revealed. But in some areas, I would've just appreciated a choice of better words. Sure, the movie tells us they know harnessing gravity is real. But what they're going to use the harnessed gravity for? Just like how Kip explained; to turn down Earth's gravity.
Then there's the coin toss. The shot's kinda flat and moves so quickly you barely register what just happened. Especially on a giant screen, you can miss the sudden drop of the coin.
Maybe I am just nitpicking at this point lol, but there are some criticisms I don't agree with. The infamous "love transcends space and time" line, for example. Sure, the setup between Brand and Edmund wasn't established enough. And while her argument for Edmund was strong enough that he's got better data than Mann's. But let's not forget—she had just come back from Miller's planet. She's grieving. Shellshocked. Her instincts override her theory. "I thought I knew the theory." That line says everything.
And about that wormhole explanation scene? Sure, Cooper was a NASA pilot, but the explanation wasn't really about how wormholes work—it was about their spherical nature. And let's be honest, this scene rules! It honestly blew my mind when I first watched it. I already knew what a wormhole was, but watching Rom help us visualize it in three dimensions was absolutely worth it.
Speaking of Romilly, he deserves his own appreciation segment. The guy waited 23 years. Alone. Well, not entirely alone—TARS was there. But still. He found the crack that led Cooper into the black hole. Without him, none of it would've happened. He's the unsung hero here!
[cut]
Revisiting Interstellar after all these years feels like listening to the long forgotten sounds of rain back from earth. By the way, what an underrated scene that is. "We're explorers Rom. And this is our boat."
Speaking of underrated, there's another scene between grandpa and Cooper. When Donald asks Cooper to make things right with Murph, Cooper confidently replies "I will." But then one line later, he confidence shakes a bit. The silence that follows says it all. He knows. He might not come back.
It's also interesting to see the dichotomy of promises made in this film. While Brand's promise was backed by a lie ("he solved before I even left"), Cooper's promise stemmed out from his faith, like he clearly knew how there's a chance of him never seeing his daughter again, yet his love and optimism didn't let him settle with that possibility.
And just when you think you've felt all the heartbreak you can, this time around it hits harder when you realize that Murph did try to see her father one last time—
—but it was too late. He had already left. It hits so hard, especially knowing that she tried.
She screamed and called for him, but he couldn't hear. It was too late. She couldn't say goodbye. I cannot help but cry. God, he left. He fucking left.
Also appreciate this little detail where Donald gets a hold of her as soon as he spots her.
This is peak drama man. This is a sign of a great director. Guy knows how to put on a convincing enough drama on screen that hits the mark where it hurts the deepest.
[OMW to Liberty / outside Liberty]
Before coming back to my IMAX 70mm rendezvous, here's another surreal part. So within a few days of watching Interstellar on the big screen for the first time, I came across this news—"It's official! Christopher Nolan is visiting Mumbai in March."
I was jumping out of joy, by just thinking about this very faint chance of getting to see him when he's in my city.
Little did I know, I wouldn't just get to actually meet my hero, the legend himself—
but also get to watch one of my favorite films in the format whose importance I knew only a little about—Dunkirk in IMAX 70mm and Interstellar in 35mm.
"If thousands of men couldn't get home, home came for them." That's exactly what happened at these screenings. Sure, we paid a bomb, but it was worth every rupee. If we can drop money on concerts, why not for something as rare and sacred as this?
Interstellar in 35mm. With Nolan and Thomas introducing the film. A theatre packed houseful. A projector rattling 24 frames per second. Everything felt like in its right place, at the right time.
Nolan is the Cooper of our generation. Showing us just how far we can go—both in cinema and imagination.
On this very day, at this very place—Liberty Cinema—I still hear the echo: "Nolan! Nolan! Nolan!"
Interstellar on film. Check.
This was the peak of my love for this movie.
[cut]
Until it wasn't.
I don't know what happened. Maybe it was the fading dream of becoming an astrophysicist. Maybe it was how Interstellar became so popular that it no longer felt like mine. Maybe I found other things to obsess over. Maybe I had gotten too used to the film. Too comfortable. I'd seen it on digital IMAX. On 35mm. I'd even met Nolan. Maybe it didn't feel special anymore. Or maybe it just felt too big. Too popular.
Hell while researching for this video, I stumbled upon these mails I don't even remember writing. It gets me, that I don't even remember writing them. I am not sure if you've felt this before for a thing you once used to love, but something didn't seem right.
Despite this drift, the urge to watch movies on film never left. I kept chasing 35mm screenings in Mumbai—Udaan, Mahal, Sholay. I didn't miss a single one. There's something sacred about that texture. That hum of the projector. Watching on film still felt holy.
Over the years, various re-releases kept our connection alive. Yes I still loved the movie, yet something felt missing. I realized I hadn't distanced myself from others' appreciation of the film, but from my own connection to it.
As 2024 was approaching, Interstellar's 10-year anniversary was making the buzz. I knew I had to do something. To shake off this feeling of distance, to reconcile with something forgotten. Slowly, a plan to travel started taking shape and the dream to watch Interstellar in IMAX 70mm was back to life again.
I bought a camera. Lenses. Microphones. Spent a chunk of my savings. Not just for the trip—but to document it. This was supposed to be the final act. A trip halfway across the world to watch the film in the format it deserved.
[Quick hype montage… drop] (pay off)
[Outside Liberty in the dark]
But the Australian government rejected my visa. Twice. Despite funding the trip myself, crossing continents to watch a movie wasn't deemed a valid reason. The remote nature of my work made them suspicious I guess—they worried I might never return to my home country. Simply because I lacked a corporate job to take leave from or an established business yet. What a bummer!
Getting an invitation from an Australian citizen might have helped with the visa application, but that lead went nowhere. I also tried making plans to visit San Francisco instead and reached out to contacts there for an invitation, but those efforts didn't pan out either.
After the failure of the Melbourne plan, I entered a limbo. I gave up on making this video. The internet was flooded with IMAX stills. The movie was breaking records. The reels were going viral.
I was happy for the movie. It deserved that kind of love. But it just felt like everyone's partying out there, and you're home alone. [Like that Spongebob meme.]
So I buried myself in other things. Projects. Work. Distractions. But the thought never left me.
That maybe… just maybe… my love for this film doesn't have to be dictated by a movie format. Or a trip. Or a failed visa.
CHAPTER 3 — WHERE WE'RE GOING
[Home]
Despite having watched Interstellar several times on digital IMAX in India, the official Indian re-release felt different. It carried a new kind of weight—I felt like I was coming of age again, but emotionally this time. I was finally ready to embrace my love for this film fully, regardless of how popular it had become, regardless of its flaws, regardless of whether I ever watched it in 70mm. The re-release coincided with my birthday in February, so I booked tickets.
I went alone a few times, but I also brought friends along. I watched it with my sister, and even convinced my mother to see it. There's something incredibly special about sharing this space opera with your parents, even when they don't understand much English—let alone the technical mumbo jumbo.
On my 25th birthday, I was back at the venue I first saw Interstellar on the big screen. But this time, I did watch it at its IMAX screen for the first time.
[IMAX Wadala on birthday]
[RAGE RAGE AGAINST THE DYING OF THE LIGHT (dead 70mm projector) setup]
[IMAX Wadala]
This film is still aging like fine wine. And yet I'm frustrated by how under appreciated it still is in certain spaces. None bothered to recognize its beauty. Some folks dismissed it early on for being overstuffed. For trying to do too much. But its ambition is not a bug but a feature. The film doesn't just ask big questions—it risks failure to answer them. Hell, it might take a couple of more decades for someone like Criterion to call it a classic. But to me, it's an instant classic since the day I pirated it.
And yeah, there are some imperfections in writing and execution. But I'll take a messy, passionate film over a polished, soulless one any day.
Interstellar inspired a whole generation to look up. To take interest in space again. To blend science with storytelling. It will continue doing that. For years, for generations to come.
[What is the point of this film?]
For years I thought my favorite shot from this film was either the one from Cornfield Chase or of Gargantua. But ten years later, I have a new favorite.
It's that final shot of Cooper.
That slight smile on his face. That look of quiet satisfaction. Of curiosity. Of going back into the unknown. That's the shot I'd want as my IMAX film cell. Not the black hole. Not the drone chase.
Just… that.
If anyone ever wants to gift me a frame from this film—you know what to pick.
EPILOGUE
In the end, what matters the most is your connection with this beast of a film—where you can say, 'my connection with this film is quantifiable' no matter what the world says, no matter where you've watched it. Be it on your phone, in a local movie theater or in Nolan's preferred format—IMAX 70mm.
But… that's not an excuse to do nothing. If cinema is a religion, then visiting movie theaters is the pilgrimage we must take. And no one should stop us from traveling to watch movies. No government, no law, not even your own self. Be it traveling cities or countries. We must continue seeking these communal experiences, these moments of shared wonder, whenever and however we can.
Sure, my Plan A was always to make a video about watching Interstellar in IMAX 70mm. But I ended up moving ahead with my Plan B, which was to go ahead make this video anyway, to convey my love for this achingly beautiful film.
Perhaps like Amelia, I'm unaware that my Plan A has already worked out. And it's only a matter of time when the success of Plan A reaches me.
There's so much more to appreciate about this film. I'm only halfway there.
I will come back to watch this film,
in a land that's unknown,
that's yet to be explored.
Until then...
[For the Love of Interstellar]
[from Vikrant Patankar]
END CREDITS
[Text: If you'll ask me which one's my favorite track from this movie; I'd tell this one. It's not even officially released. Yet it's there on YouTube and torrent sites. Anyway, I'd love for you guys to sit through the very end, honestly not for the YouTube algorithm, but to enjoy this wonderful piece of music and be the part of the club #TillTheLastFrame. Thank you for watching.]
[Rapid fire of my favorite shots/dialogues over End Credits track]
1. First shot of the bookshelf
2. The medium shots in this movie look so damn beautiful on the big screen
3. "Grandpa said huh" (probably the only time he smiled)
4. "Who's They?" (yaar Cooper's optimism yaar)
5. "The first handshake" (Brand's so happyyyy)
6. "What's your trust setting TARS? More than yours apparently" (this cracks me out loud! every time!)
7. Icefield chase shot (spam of photos I have taken over the years)
8. The speakers of LP IMAX, thank god for that gorgeous bass baked right into the score itself
9. The phone cover I got myself in 2018
10. Damn we're hearing birds chirping at Cooper Station for the first time in the film
[Could just be a black screen too OR Vikrant goes offscreen, end credits plays over a beautiful sunset, golden hour]
["And my favorite part starts from now!" Ronnie and Bartie style]
[highlight "We'll find a way. We always have."]
For the Love of Interstellar will return.
EMAILXIGLI