Unlike the “Award Films” in Tamil/Malayalam cinema, my interest lies in telling a good story in a commercially successful way. This project is an attempt to understand the audience and what they appreciate. ‘Wings of Fire,’ the autobiography of Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, is the book that first came to my mind when I was thinking about what to write for my first fictional short film. There are multiple reasons for this choice, but the most important is the absence of any movie about this great person. The concept of the story is to have gripping, high-stakes walk-and-talk conversations, through which we learn about the strengths and weaknesses, the moral and psychological conflicts, and insights into the protagonist’s personal life, Abdul Kalam. My work as the filmmaker covers roughly the entire process, the three stages of production. I have also adopted the story structure proposed by John Truby in his book ‘The Anatomy of a Story.’

‘Nithya’ is a 25-minute fictional short film in Hindi. The film is about Abhimanyu, a 10-year-old boy who dislikes all girls, especially his classmate, "everyone's favourite," Nithya. But the only person he can complain to about this favouritism is his caring and jolly mom, a young divorcee who is under the pressure of having to get remarried. Most student films are experimental, ambitious, slow, and “deep” without a cause. We wanted to make a short film that deliberately stuck to the basics of a simple and dramatic plot—focusing on delivering all the different emotions and energies that actors can bring while trying to ground it in our relatable society. The film is a blend of energy, humour, and silliness, along with hard-hitting emotions, pain, and finally, hope.

Ghar, a short film, is a film that emerges from a personal loss of my maternal grandmother (Naani), my only grandparent left after the loss of my maternal grandfather (Nana) in 2011, while I was 10 years old. Being too young to process the loss of my Nana, I grew up with the sole grandparent love of my Naani. An incredible person through and through, her heart and soul as pure as the glacial water of the Himalayas. Her unconditional love and warmth brought so much joy in all of our lives. With her unexpected demise in Feb ‘22 due to cancer, it was a grave shock for the entire family. It left a huge hole in everyone’s heart. While I was in Bombay, far away from home through the entirety of this, I was devastated with this news, as I couldn’t see her in her last moments nor could I visit her cremation being so far away from home. This film is an attempt to try and capture the essence of what I went through from the moment I got the news to the time I actually visited her place back home. A short film of 7:45 minutes is my first attempt at filmmaking. Planning, writing, and shooting a short film from scratch is a challenge I undertook in this project. This project is my attempt to understand the art and craft of filmmaking.