Barnali Ray Shukla: Once Upon a Sky

Barnali Ray Shukla and I first connected through poetry on Twitter, and over the years we have shared many creative spaces. We have read our work together, I have collaborated with her on her feature film, and I invited her to join the advisory council at G100. She has contributed to two anthologies I have edited, and she has also shared her insights with my Rural Tourism colleagues at WICCI. In her own words, “We continue to find each other in our work, and here is the latest outing.”
In this interview, we pick up the threads of our initial conversation from May 2020, when the film was first released. It is now streaming here.

I want to know how you met Gurpreet. How did you come up with the idea for the film?
I met Gurpreet approximately thirty thousand feet above sea level. I was on a morning flight to Bhopal from Bombay. In the last few minutes before landing, I browsed through the inflight magazine. A travel feature on Bir Billing as a paragliding hub in Himachal Pradesh caught my interest. This was February 2016. I had just made it through the first round of the Mahindra–Sundance screenplay competition, was on the longlist, and had to submit the screenplay to move ahead. I needed to research paragliding for that script.
I saw Gurpreet Dhindsa’s name, a one-line introduction, and an email address at the bottom of the article.
On landing, I wrote to him immediately, seeking help in detailing a feature film screenplay in which the protagonist encounters paragliding. I had no intention of bypassing credible research.
I wasn’t sure he would respond, but he did — and after a couple of emails, I learned he would be in Bombay for an hour the following week before heading to Kamshet to a paragliding school.
We finally met over coffee at Mumbai’s Santacruz Airport, just outside Arrivals. As he spoke of his sport, the life around it, the highs, lows, and challenges, I realised there was a story here — one that knew its way through dreams, second chances, and breaking stereotypes.
I was certain this detour was waiting to happen. I completed the screenplay, submitted it, made it to the shortlist, and hope to pursue that movie next year. But right there, in front of me, was another film waiting to be made. His story needed to be told. I had no idea how it would come together, but when I asked whether he would agree, he said yes.

How long was the filming process? Did you face any roadblocks?
Filming began in August 2016 and continued once or twice a year, eventually across six schedules. We wrapped in April 2019. What reached your computer screen was ready in August 2019. Four years from the first shot to the final film — definitely not how it was planned.
Roadblocks for independent films come in many shapes. The primary one was funding; I depended on writing assignments (and even a reading assignment, mind you) to generate resources so we could continue shooting.
Around the same time, I also began work on an important nonfiction book with a major publisher. That required deep focus, and I only work that way. The project stretched over two and a half years but didn’t see the light of day — yet setbacks often power deeper, more committed journeys. Once Upon a Sky would not have been the same had it been shot in two months and completed in six.
Every time we wrapped a schedule, I had no idea when I could resume filming, and I suspect Gurpreet didn’t expect to hear from me until I reached out about the next schedule. With deep setbacks in my writing work, I grew quieter. With films and books, until they exist in the world, they don’t exist at all.

It is an engaging film with powerful life lessons. What was your biggest takeaway as a person?
Glad you think so, and much of the audience feedback echoes this. What I learnt is how small the difference is between giving up and holding on. Just that little gap — which is, of course, a deep abyss. You can either look down into nothingness (and likely fall into it) or take that final leap of faith.
Easier said than done — it takes heart, intelligence, a committed tiny crew, and the freedom that comes from telling the truth without serving a funder or power-broker. But yes, it’s important to prioritise expenses when pockets aren’t deep.

It was interesting that you included Neet’s wedding in the film. Any memorable anecdotes?
I was fortunate to witness a life-event that revealed a side of Gurpreet even he hadn’t seen. That translated beautifully on camera — a mountain man slightly awkward in formal shoes, a suit, and a magnificent pagri.
Apart from aiding storytelling, the wedding showed how he relates to his family, especially his daughter, while staying true to who he is. Being a good father isn’t dependent on having a “successful” marriage. Despite his commitment to his wings, he’s a remarkable dad.
A funny moment that stays with me: after seeing stills from the segment shot inside the Gurdwara in Amritsar — I was seated among family and friends — he grinned and said, “You hide well.”

What made you pursue filmmaking?
I get to live many lives; perhaps that kills me every time. I’m not sure I emerge stronger (my apologies to Nietzsche), but while doing nonfiction, this one life feels a little useful. With fiction, one feels some control. With documentary work, it’s surrender — to a theme, without a roadmap, without precedents or safety nets. It is total presence, thinking on your feet, and the most fulfilling adventure — second only to motherhood, perhaps. Or let’s not rank them!

Please share three films that had a deep impact on you.
Too many to choose from, but these continue to influence me:
• No Man’s Land (Writer–Director: Danis Tanović)
• WALL·E (Co-writer–Director: Andrew Stanton)
• Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne / Hirak Rajar Deshe (Writer–Director: Satyajit Ray; story by Upendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury)

If you had the chance to remake one of these films, which one would you choose, and why?
I’d love to see a sequel to No Man’s Land. It feels timely to evolve that conversation further.
Why not reimagine it with women protagonists? Or with one protagonist as a woman, someone from a minority or the margins? No one has asked me this before — but why not now?

From the release in May 2020 on BeBOPTV USA and then on MX Player, what has changed?
A lot — too much to summarise here. But the good news is that since April 2025, Once Upon a Sky is streaming on the official YouTube channel of Panorama Studios. This makes it far more accessible. Panorama is one of the rare platforms that balances mainstream and offbeat cinema. We’re still hoping for better numbers, but it is exhilarating to see the skies again.
An unfortunate chapter meanwhile is the demise of Vijay Soni this July. Vijay features in the film alongside Gurpreet Dhindsa. It is touching that, apart from efforts by the Macedonian counterparts and pilots, colleagues pitched in to ensure his mortal remains reached his family. During a conversation with Gurpreet, he shared that the Ministry of Civil Aviation aligned with Air India to arrange door-to-door transport. In many ways, the sky united them — thanks to this exhilarating sport.
Vijay now lives on in the thousands he mentored, in the hearts of his loved ones, and — thanks to Gurpreet introducing him to us — he will continue to live on in Once Upon a Sky.