Teddy Stern & Sneha Mehta On Infusing ‘Getar Hero’ with a ’70s Bollywood Flair

The cowboy that we follow throughout Teddy Stern’s Getar Hero has presence in spades. With his hat hanging over his eyes and his bright red shirt, he nabs your attention even if you are passing by him as you walk down the street. We could’ve followed this man for hours, and I would’ve observed him gladly from a distance. With its atmospheric visuals and aural flair, Stern’s film, co-written and co-produced by Sneha Mehta, is a journey worth taking.

When our cowboy discovers that his beloved guitar is no longer in its case, he has to find a new instrument before he is late to a money-making gig. One of my favorite elements of this short is how it’s full of sound with the sounds of people of the streets of the city. It’s more than just noise–it’s like when you walk down a busy city sidewalk and you can feel how the sound of the people and your environment are seeping into your senses. Both Mehta and Stern detail their love of Bollywood cinema and how they wanted to create an homage to films they love.

Stern employs these high-angled shots of our cowboy on the street before we hone in on his desperate journey, and that’s another element to admire. Getar Hero is about a hunt for something tangible and physical in a musical instrument, but then we can zero in on something more succinct like when a borrowed guitar in a studio turns into an unexpected jam session. Stern swirls the camera around to get a fuller sound, yes, but the slow revolving feels like it’s in line with our main character’s passions. It shows us what’s on the line.

Stern’s film concludes with an indelible image that reminds us what is truly on the line. Artists are heralded for their talent and their ability to go with the flow, but the hustle isn’t always seen or expounded upon because we can get lost in the big show. The hustle is an artform unto itself.