In this episode of the Be Here Now Guest Podcast, Nina Rao and Devadas Labrecque speak with Japna Tulsi about her film, Windfall of Grace, which details the story of Neem Karoli Baba.
Japna Tulsi is a keen spiritual traveler. She has a background in Rural Development and has worked as a consultant with various NGOs in the field of environment and sustainable livelihoods. Responding to a deep desire to fulfill her higher calling, she embarked on a film project on Neem Karoli Baba in August 2017 as an amateur filmmaker. The result is Windall of Grace.
Devadas Labrecque is a devotee of Mata Amritanandamayi, a kirtaniya, a composer, and an artist hailing from Brooklyn, New York. He leads kirtans throughout the world and has produced a wide variety of recordings, including Nina Rao’s chant album, Antarayaami.
Go to windfallofgrace.com now to stream the film today.
Windfall of Grace
Nina welcomes Japna and asks about deciding to make a film without having any background in filmmaking. Devadas speaks with Japna about her process of making the film and finding many of Neem Karoli Baba’s Indian devotees to interview. Japna talks about how KK Sah influenced the film.
“[KK Sah] would always tell me… ‘Don’t listen to anyone, just do what you think is right.’ And that really was important for me.” – Japna Tulsi
It’s Just Love (19:47)
Nina and Japna dig deeper into the process, discussing how the music and some of the more stylized scenes came together, and also how the film really reinforced their faith. They talk about why Japna wanted to make a film about a lesser-known saint, and how the filmmaking process itself became a spiritual journey for her.
“Suddenly, when I found Maharajji, it was like you don’t have to do anything, it’s just love.” – Japna Tulsi
Raghu Markus, Krishna Das, Daniel Goleman, and Rameshwar Das share stories of Ram Dass, Maharajji, and India on Mindrolling Ep. 392
A Culmination (39:34)
Nina and Japna discuss the Western devotees that she interviewed, and how she missed out on talking with Ram Dass. Devadas asks Japna about her daughter and the role she played during the editing process. Nina wraps things up by asking Japna about how this project has transformed her life.
“This film, I felt, was sort of like a culmination, not just for [Japna] as a filmmaker, but also for us viewers, and brought together many generations of people.” – Nina Rao
Be sure to check out all of Nina Rao’s offerings at ninaraochant.com.
