EXCLUSIVE: Two international sales agents have boarded the documentary feature Breaking the Code, the inspiring story of Indian immigrant Kanwal Rekhi who became a major figure in the rise of Silicon Valley, laying the foundation for the internet.
Concourse Media, based in Los Angeles, and Matter Entertainment, based in Mumbai, will represent Breaking the Code in key global regions. The film is co-directed by Ben Rekhi, Kanwal Rekhi’s son, and the mononymic Swetlana, and executive produced by Guneet Monga. We have your first look at the film in the trailer below.
Kanwal Rekhi with Bill Gates back in the day.
Kanwal Rekhi Story LLC
“Before the internet changed the world, a radical outsider changed the internet,” notes a synopsis. “Told through the lens of filmmaker Ben Rekhi, Breaking the Code is the gripping, deeply personal story of his father, Kanwal Rekhi—one of Silicon Valley’s most defiant and successful pioneers. As the first Indian to shatter the predominantly white glass ceiling of big tech, Kanwal rubbed shoulders with Bill Gates and Steve Jobs before sparking an entrepreneurial revolution that helped propel India into the global economic superpower it is today.”
The synopsis continues, “Now, faced with a crisis that threatens to unravel their family, father and son must confront the true cost of success, and what it truly means to belong.”
Courtesy of Kanwal Rekhi Story LLC/Poster design by Jahan Bakshi
Breaking the Code premiered as the opening night selection of the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, where it won the Audience Award. It has gone on to screen at CAAMFest in San Francisco and the New York Indian Film Festival and will continue its festival tour throughout the summer and into the fall. The film charts Kanwal Rekhi’s journey “from humble beginnings as a Partition-refugee in India to becoming the first Indian to take a company public in Silicon Valley. That company, Excelan, commercialized computer networking, the technology upon which the modern internet was built.”
The documentary debuts at a time when the Trump administration has made a concerted effort to demonize immigrants, particularly those with brown skin (white South Africans, for instance, seem to be exempted).
Father and son: Kanwal Rekhi (left) with director Ben Rekhi
Kanwal Rekhi Story LLC
“America is a country of immigrants, but too often those communities are marginalized for what they are perceived to have taken from society,” filmmaker Ben Rekhi said in a statement. “Breaking the Code is a story of one such immigrant, my father, who came here with nothing, created thousands of jobs and helped build the tech revolution that has reshaped all of our lives. It’s a deeply inspiring tale of two countries, and we’re thrilled to work with Concourse and Matter to find a home in each for this heartfelt story about the courage it takes to follow your dream.”
Concourse Media’s Matthew Shreder commented, “Breaking the Code is exactly the kind of film the world needs right now. It’s at once a family story, a love story, a rags-to-riches tale, and perhaps most strikingly, a historical record of how the Silicon Valley and the modern world was built. We couldn’t be more proud to partner with the filmmakers to bring this incredible story to audiences around the world.”
Added Meghna Sharma of Matter Entertainment, “Breaking the Code reminds us once again that the personal is universal. The themes of family and perseverance will especially resonate with Indian audiences who will see themselves in Kanwal’s remarkable journey. We can’t wait for audiences to see this inspirational story.”
Breaking the Code was produced by Shubhika Sharma, co-produced by Aishwarya Sonar and Triparna Bannerjee, and edited by Akanksha Kalhe. Ben Rekhi’s directing credits include The Reunited States (2020), The Ashram (2018), and Waterborne (2005). He produced the 2002 action-drama feature Bomb the System, which was nominated for a Film Independent Spirit Award.
Earlier this year, Kanwal Rekhi published a memoir, The Groundbreaker: Entrepreneurship, the American Dream, and the Rise of Modern India. The book features a foreword by Rep. Ro Khanna, the Democratic Congressman who represents California’s 17th district.
Watch the trailer for Breaking the Code here: