Writer, director and producer SONA JAIN is
already garnering critical acclaim for her first
feature film, FOR REAL

ELLE: What was the inspiration behind For Real? SONA JAIN: It's a story of a family seen through the eyes of a child. My own romance with writing started when I was seven years old. When you write, even at that age, you witness nuances of life and people's emotions with much greater detail. While making this film, I got to recreate how I viewed the world when I was a little girl. The setting in the film is similar to my own growing-up years, but the plot is fictional.

ELLE: It took eight years to make the film. What were the challenges?
SJ: I produced For Real independently. I had to learn everything from scratch – I trained at New York University's Graduate Film Program and felt confident of my voice as a film-maker. At times it felt like it would never happen. I lost faith and then I found it again. I learnt that great dreams require passion and perseverance in equal measure – and I didn't have much of the latter.