Chennai To Hollywood Writers Room: Daring To Realise Cinematic Dream

Growing up in cinema-crazed Chennai, I always felt a strong connection to films. My weekly trips to the movie theatre with my mother taught me to love movies, and visiting film sets with my cinematographer father taught me the language of films. I also spent much of my childhood writing funny short stories for friends and writing skits to perform for my family, so it was only natural that I would get into screenwriting. Having always dreamt of writing the first Indian sitcom, I headed to Emerson College in Boston, USA, where TV legends such as Kevin Bright (Co-Creator of Friends), Jay Leno (The Tonight Show) and Norman Lear (TV Producer) found their passion for comedy.

While I excelled in the program and graduated with honours, I found that it was a microcosm of Hollywood itself - a trial run of working in the industry. I realised that I was often one of the few female writers in the room, likely the only person of colour, and definitely the only international writer. Despite these hurdles, I wrote and directed for several shows during this time such as Closing Time (a comedy variety talk show), 707: A Sitcom (A sitcom about college students living in Boston) and Breaking News (a satirical news show). My proudest achievement was writing and starring in Culture Shock, a satirical news show written and hosted by international talent covering stories from across the globe.

Upon graduating, I was a Writer’s Assistant on The Mindful Adventures of Unicorn Island, a children’s animated show starring prominent Indian talents such as Lilly Singh, Padma Lakshmi, Kal Penn and Utkarsh Ambudkar, which is now streaming on YouTube. The show follows Lilly as she navigates middle school, her parents’ separation and all the emotions that come with it with the help of mindfulness. My childhood in India, my love for Indian pop culture, and my proficiency in English, Tamil and Hindi allowed me to add an extra layer of authenticity. This is visible in larger themes of the show, but also in smaller details, like when Lilly refers to her older brother as “Paaji”, or the familiar Indian decorations that adorn her home.

I had the precious opportunity to join the Women in Animation’s 'TV Writing for Animation Mentorship Program', where I will be developing an original animated pilot with the guidance of animation industry veterans. Women in Animation is an organization that recognises the lack of female and POC representation behind the camera and creates opportunities for current female talent to uplift the next generation. Through this program and various gigs in the industry, I have gained one of Hollywood's most valuable resources - connections.

Is Hollywood There Yet When It Comes To Inclusion?

The unfortunate truth is, that Hollywood is not as progressive as it seems from the outside. Yes, the number of female-centric stories rises every year, but they are often directed, written and produced by men. The women in this industry understand that they need to look out for one another and create spaces where they can meet, network with and mentor fellow women in their field. They’ve realized that no one will give women equal opportunity behind the camera, so they have to create it. 

Despite the seemingly bleak circumstances, I am optimistic about the future of diversity in Hollywood, both for women and Indians.

I had the opportunity to work on a mainstream Hollywood show about an Indian family, written by a majority Indian and female writers’ room, and produced by a largely female team. It would have been unheard of even a few years ago, but things are changing.

I hope that breakthroughs such as this will eventually lead to a place where we can see an interesting representation of Indians in Hollywood that goes beyond the usual tropes of arranged marriage, grand weddings and spicy food.

I think I’ve never resonated with representations of Indians in Hollywood because their only defining trait is that they’re Indian, and they’re ashamed of it. I love being Indian! I’m also funny, interesting, a writer, a former archer, and a mediocre tennis player, and that’s just as much a part of me as being Indian is. I’d love to write more characters like that, who ‘humanise’ Indian stories.

As for what I have in store for the future, I’m currently developing several docu-series projects where I will lend my unique life experience and identity to tell the stories of their subjects authentically. I'm further developing an original pilot for an Indian sitcom about a sex therapist who is forced to run her practice out of her family home, and the hijinks that ensue. Speaking on the future for women of colour in Hollywood, I'd say Hollywood is realising that people from all over the world watch their movies and TV, so it's imperative to hire people from all over the world to make it.