After getting laid off from his job of 30 years, RK Dandekar goes on a meaning-of-life journey, as he searches for his beloved Volvo that was traded away by his well-intentioned family.
Days with Dandekar depicts the journey of RK Dandekar, a recent retiree who is seeking deeper meaning, purpose, and connection in his life. RK Dandekar is a 69-year-old Indian immigrant who built his American dream from the ground up, yielding the comfortable life he always wanted - a job he enjoys, successful daughters, and a wife he admires. But when his company suddenly forces him into early retirement, he must confront a frightening question: what do I do now? RK turns to his family, wanting to be close, to find a connection, only to find that they don’t have time for him. So he wanders around town in his beloved Volvo, getting free samples at the local stores. Thinking a new car will cheer up their father, RK's daughters trade in his cherished Volvo. RK is devastated, and rushes to the used car salesman to get it back, only to find that it’s been sold. Panicked, RK races all over town searching for the car, posting flyers, trying to find any leads he can, determined to get it back. As he searches, he is confronted by a strange cast of characters that remind him of his life's journey. Through his day-long quest, he comes to realize that he can’t relive the past, he can only move forward. Days with Dandekar is a story of redemption and hope, and redefining one’s self when all seems lost.
Leena is an Emmy nominated, Award-Winning Director and Writer. She is currently in post on her third independent, feature film Days with Dandekar, which was part of the Tribeca All Access program. She premiered her sophomore feature film, 20 Weeks, at the Los Angeles Film Festival. It was distributed in theaters and on Hulu, and called, “an intimate, compassionate take on abortion,” by the LA Times.
In television, she wrote and directed A Date with Deception for Lifetime Movies, and Hello Jack! for AppleTV+, for which she was nomiated for a Children and Family Emmy Award. Her award-winning short films have also played extensively in festivals, and been distributed on platforms such as Omeleto, ShortsTV and Vimeo Staff Pick. She is an Associate Professor at LMU, where she teaches filmmaking, and holds an MFA in Screenwriting from UC-Riverside, Palm Desert.
Tribeca All Acces
Film Independent Screenwriting Lab
Goldhouse / Seed & Spark AAPI Grant
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