Photography & Film
These visual tools of communication have been my medium of expression for as long as I can remember. I started street photography when I was merely 6-years-old. Shadowing leading photographers and training under film makers, my passion for the subject has only grown. The camera lens allows me to see the world through a different light. Travelling excites me as I see new opportunities of photography in every new place we visit. It has also been a point of bonding between my family as both my brother and my father do photography as well. My aim is to use my craft to share stories that I see in the world around me . Receiving accolades for my skill has become meaningful as it gives me a platform to employ this skill and make a difference in the lives of those whose stories I showcase.
Sapnon Ki Udaan
Wanting to raise awareness about the adversities faced by street children, I ideated and filmed a documentary to draw attention to the nurturing and uplifting effects of shelter homes.
While preparing for the shooting, I focussed on creating a secure and non-judgmental environment where the children could express themselves freely, devoid of fear or criticism. To achieve this, I encouraged the girls to create masks as a form of free artistic and emotional expression, mirroring my own approach to filming. These masks served a dual purpose – protecting their anonymity and privacy, particularly due to their challenging backgrounds.
The setting for the documentary paralleled the sense of safety that the shelter homes offer, fostering healing and giving wings to their dream… “Sapnon ki Udaan.”
This film has been shared by SBT on their social media handles and at their outreach events.
B to Z: the Bollywood Generation
Growing up in a land where temples are built by fans to worship their favourite actors, the impact of the Hindi film industry on Indian youth cannot be doubted. Fascinated by this obsession with Bollywood, I wanted to discover for myself the depths of this influence.
The documentary is a visual representation of a survey taken by high school students assessing the impact of hindi movies on their view of self and society. Capturing their voice tonality and facial expressions on camera communicated their passion and familiarity with the subject, something that could not be recorded through their responses to the paper survey.
The idea behind this documentary was to highlight the positive and negative impact of popular media. Keeping the narrative lighthearted by introducing audio and video clips from popular movies, and images of leading Bollywood celebrities, I want to raise awareness about the power filmmakers wield in shaping the future generations.
Meraki Films
I am the Co-Founder of Meraki Films – an initiative to highlight societal concerns through the medium of films. Partnering with six peers, I launched this platform to stimulate conversation around gender-based social issues such as menstruation, sexual violence, stereotypes, mental health and others. I have acted in, directed, and filmed eight short movies which have had 10000+ cumulative views on YouTube and Instagram.
Our film titled “Enough is Enough” on domestic abuse was shortlisted for the final round in ConnectHer Film festival, an international youth film festival.