“I’ve always loved movies – when I was in10th grade, I watched the film Swades on TV and thought that I should try making a movie on my own.
The next day, I took my cousin’s brother’s phone, directed a small video, and then sent it out to all our friends. I was surprised by the kind of response it received online.
That certainly motivated me to start creating more videos, but my parents weren’t happy about it. They wanted me to concentrate on my studies — we had a heated up argument and didn’t talk to each other for days. One day when I was at a family function, an uncle whom I used to avoid talking to, came to me and said, ‘I have seen your videos. Keep going’ – I was shocked that people recognized my work! My father also noticed this and finally agreed to let me spend time on my true passion.
I wanted to do something bigger and decided to make a short travel documentary and send it as an entry for a film festival in Hyderabad. I was elated when I heard that we won second prize in the Best travel Documentary category.
After my 12th grade exams, I decided to apply for a Filmmaking course at FTII, but was disappointed to hear that the last date for the entrance was over. But I was determined and took admission at another institute and that’s how I entered into the stream of Mass Media and Visual communication. After a few months, I started to feel that the techniques & tools they were teaching in the class sessions were basic and I felt I had already mastered them. I thought I would learn better if I took up a job, so I started freelancing when I was 18.
I kept making short films and slowly started getting more opportunities on YouTube. I recently completed my graduation and finally got a job as an assistant cinematographer for a reputed media organization. Every day I leave the office at 6 pm and then work on my personal projects till late at night.
The only thing on my mind right now is to chase my dreams- my dreams of being a successful film maker!”