Emmy-nominated filmmaker and LMU School of Film and Television Professor, Leena Pendharkar, recently wrapped production of her latest feature, “Days with Dandekar.” Starring SAG Award-winning actor Iqbal Theba in his first lead role as R.K. Dandekar, the film follows a man who, after being unexpectedly laid off, loses his beloved 1989 Volvo and sets out to reclaim it – a quest that ultimately turns into a journey of self-discovery. In developing the film, Pendharkar drew on personal inspiration from her own family history and participated in the Film Independent Screenwriting Lab and Tribeca All Access program, honing a script rooted in the immigrant experience and the universal search for belonging. We sat down with her to discuss her decade‑long journey to make the film, how an SFTV grant helped propel the project forward, and what “Days with Dandekar” reveals about reinvention later in life.
LMU: Tell us more about your new film “Days of Dandekar” which I understand was partially inspired by your father’s post‑retirement experiences.
Pendharkar: The film is a dramedy about Dandekar, an older man who gets let go from his job and is a little disconnected from his family and finds joy in fleeting relationships with everyday people. When his family trades away his beloved old Volvo, and he goes on a journey to get it back, and it turns into a day-long trip where he meets a whole cast of characters. While it’s partially inspired by my father’s retirement wanderings, it’s ultimately a fictional narrative about change and finding a sense of peace with what’s new and different.
While Dandekar feels detached, disconnected, and depressed after retiring, his wife, who’s an arts curator, is kind of thriving. Dandekar also experiences loss, but it’s the loss of an old car. As he goes on the road, he meets four different people, who are representative of different parts of his life, from a young kid who’s about to go to college to a college professor who’s done some stuff that’s not so great. Throughout the film, he not only shares his story of the car, but also his own life story.
LMU: You brought together a wonderful ensemble cast, including Suraj Sharma, Iqbal Theba, Summer Bishil, and Ranjita Chakravarty. What qualities were you looking for in your actors to bring this world to life?
Pendharkar: After the pandemic, a team of producers suggested that I talked to Iqbal Theba, who is a brilliant character actor on “Glee,” “Deli Boys,” and “Never Have I Ever.” He was really enthusiastic about the script, so that began our journey. We spent two years trying to raise a large amount of money, which was tough. My longtime producer, Jane Kelly Kosek, suggested we lower the budget in order to get the film made. I also have a casting director that I’ve worked with a lot, Emily Schweber, who is incredible and has always loved the script. Between myself, Iqbal, Jane, Chelsey and our Co-producer, Rachna Khatau, we all really just pitched in and were able to build a great cast and crew.
LMU: What inspired your decision to film in Los Angeles, and how did the city influence your production?
Pendharkar: Originally, I wanted to shoot the film outside of L.A. to allow for a bigger budget. But between the fires, the strikes, and all of the challenges in Los Angeles over the last 18 months, we decided that we really wanted to shoot it in L.A. because there are such great actors and crew in this city, and we were able to find so many great locations. We were really glad to be able to pull from our community in order to film here.
LMU: What was your crowdfunding strategy, and how did you ultimately get the project off the ground?
Pendharkar: Last spring, I was the recipient of an SFTV Creative Grant which helped me crowdfund over the summer. With the funding, I was able to do a promo shoot with our actor for our Seed & Spark campaign. We raised $45,000 through the crowdfunding campaign, and attracted a few bigger donors. As part of the campaign, we participated in Seed & Spark’s AAPI Creators Rally for Asian American creatives where they promote your campaign, and the winners get mentorship through Gold House.
We were fortunate to be among the winners, and they gave us a small grant which helped us continue with our marketing and fundraising. I also applied to be part of the Tasveer Film Festival & Market, a South Asian Film Festival in Seattle that offers grants for short films. They invited 12 projects to pitch to a group of potential investors, and we were also able to raise a little more money that way too.
With the SFTV grant, I was also able to hire SFTV student Kat Gaylord ’26 who was phenomenal and helped me build an audience for our social media campaign, which was instrumental in us crowdfunding. Through LMU, I had access to locations on campus, as well as production insurance and camera equipment. Those are major resources for independent filmmakers, so I am incredibly grateful.
LMU: The film explores reinvention later in life. What do you hope audiences, especially those navigating major life transitions, take away from this story?
Pendharkar: Just that every stage is a new chapter. Part of the story is about Dandekar and his wife having to accept each other for where they’re at. She’s wanting a certain thing at this stage in her life; he’s wanting something else. And they have to come together and find that shared space. The film is really about just accepting people for where they’re at and appreciating where you are.
LMU: How do you balance teaching with active filmmaking? Are there lessons from Days With Dandekar that you’ve brought back to the classroom?
Pendharkar: It’s a juggling act, but I believe that the two go hand in hand. As a teacher and scholar, I take great joy in doing both, and really letting one inform the other. I learn so much from the students and with every new project, I learn so many new things that I can bring to the students. Shooting an independent film in L.A. is no joke, and I definitely have a lot of gems to bring back to the classroom in the fall on ways of doing it.
Ultimately, I love filmmaking, and that passion informs everything for me. This last winter, I went to Sundance, and I was at a panel at our LMU house with the President of Searchlight, Matthew Greenfield. He was telling our students that there’s no guarantees in filmmaking. The only guarantee is that you love doing it and that you want to do it. Beyond that, you can’t guarantee anything, so I try to impart that same love of filmmaking to my students.
With each project, you just have to go for it and find a way. This film was really tough to get made, I tried so many things over the years to get the financing we wanted but it wasn’t working. So at some point, I had to decide, am I going to do this, or am I going to wait for someone to write me a check, which may never come? And I think that’s ultimately what it boils down to is just make it happen. I tell my students to take risks and be creative and just make the films you believe in. And I want to live what I preach, so I feel compelled to find ways of making films.