Father’s Day film screening at the Fox celebrates K.S. Balgopal’s lifetime of adventure

It was a special Father’s Day weekend for Kevin Balgopal as he was joined by family and friends for the screening of a movie about him at the Fox Theatre in the Beach.

Titled KS Balgopal A Lifetime of Adventure, the film was made by his son Jason Balgopal. It chronicles his father’s adventures and achievements from his birth in the British Raj of India, to his education in the United States and then his decision to “move north” to Canada.

“I told him about it at Christmas and said we’d show it at the Fox,” Balgopal told Beach Metro Community News this week.

The screening was set the morning of Saturday, June 20 (the day before Father’s Day). A crowd of more than 60 watched the film and also gathered for photos in front of the marquee of the iconic Queen Street East Theatre.

“I rented the cinema for the screening and it was great. There were interviews, and old photos that we used In the movie and accompanied by his favourite music selections and music that was connected to what was showing on the screen,” said Balgopal.

He said the 86-minute film was a big hit with both his parents and the friends and family members who attended. “Everyone loved the movie, learned something new about my father, and had a wonderful time connecting and reminiscing about times gone by,” said Balgopal.

“It was interesting and enjoyable. I had done one for my mother about five years ago so I knew I would be able to find lots of friends and family to talk to,” he said.

For the movie about his mother Jeannette, Balgopal had interviewed 30 people who were important to her but they were unable to screen it live a theatre at the time due to COVID-19 restrictions. However, they did show it virtually.

He said his father knew he was working on something but thought it was just a video for “posterity’s sake” and was surprised to discover it was a movie that would be shown at a theatre.

“As people got to know about it he was quite excited and engaged about it being shown at the Fox, and everyone was thrilled with the outcome,” said Balgopal.

For A Lifetime of Adventure, Balgopal took clips from interviews he done with his father over the last 10 years and used them to create the film in a way that lets him tell his own story.

“I included photos of him throughout his life, including ones which are now over 85 years old,” said Balgopal. “I set the movie score to include all the most important songs of my father’s life.”

He said having it on the marquee of the Fox was thrill for his father, as was the poster made for the movie as well.

The poster was created by Balgopal who used a photo of his father from behind looking into a reflection that showed him as a much younger man.