Sarab Sahni: Crafting Stories that Connect Culture, Comedy, and Courage
Sarab Sahni is greater than a filmmaker; she’s a storyteller who makes use of the facility of cinema to bridge cultures, problem conventions, and invite her viewers to see the world by way of a unique lens. Her distinctive fashion—a seamless mix of satire and social commentary—has garnered her worldwide recognition, together with an award-winning industrial that mixes humor with thought-provoking insights. Today, Sarab sits down with us to share her journey, artistic influences, and what drives her to deliver underrepresented tales to the display screen.
Q: Can you share your journey into filmmaking? What first impressed you to pursue a profession as a director and author?
Sarab Sahni: My journey started once I was 12 and obtained my first digital digital camera. I didn’t perceive the technicalities again then—angles, composition, or lighting—however I fell in love with capturing moments. The capability to “freeze” time felt like magic to me. I’d take pictures of something that caught my eye, turning the photographs into tiny visible tales. Later, my sister launched me to filmmaking and I used to be immediately hooked. The capability to create transferring tales, to have the photographs come to life was a revelation. I instantly knew I needed to be a filmmaker. Being a filmmaker just isn’t a conventional path for ladies of a Punjabi household. But I used to be decided and in a position to persuade my household to provide me an opportunity. And with that I got down to make my dream a actuality.
Q: How has your multicultural upbringing influenced your storytelling and movie methods?
Sarab Sahni: I’ve been fortunate to have lived in a number of locations—born in Kuwait, raised in Dubai, and later, I moved to the U.S. Experiencing totally different cultures has been each a problem and a blessing. I grew up watching Bollywood and Hollywood movies, nevertheless it was the work of filmmakers like Mira Nair and Gurinder Chadha that touched my coronary heart. They advised tales about folks like me, about feeling misplaced or navigating a number of cultures. I noticed myself and my household of their characters, and it deeply influenced the sorts of tales I needed to inform.
Having been raised in a conventional family, I’m drawn to tales of identification, belonging, and the braveness to interrupt out of societal norms. My movies discover themes of household dynamics, self-discovery, and the empowerment of ladies in male-dominated societies. Today, I pull from my experiences to create characters that everybody can relate to—whether or not they’re coping with cultural expectations or simply looking for their place on the earth.
Q: Your Nature Made Multivitamin commercial won Best Commercial on the Urban Mediamakers Film Festival. How did that venture come collectively, and what do you suppose made it stand out?
Sarab Sahni: That industrial was a artistic journey! It was created throughout my program at movie faculty. My writing companion and I got here up with the concept whereas engaged on one other shoot. We aimed to merge our love for cinema with promoting. We needed to pay homage to Patrick Bateman’s ritualistic morning magnificence routine however with a comedic twist. The mix of humor, cinematic homage, and the industrial having a really feel of being a scene from a movie relatively than a industrial made it very participating and enjoyable to observe. I imagine it was this distinctive method o“cinematic” promoting that finally resonated with the audiences and judges.
Q: Many filmmakers concentrate on both comedy or drama, however your work blends each. How do you discover that steadiness?
Sarab Sahni: As a younger artist exploring varied themes and genres, I choose to let concepts information me relatively than limiting myself to a selected style. I like my movies to be consultant of life and life is a mix of all feelings. By permitting the story to form the tone, I’m in a position to seamlessly combine satire and severe themes. This method allows me to spotlight the absurdity or irony in sure conditions whereas additionally addressing deeper, extra complicated points.
For instance, within the Nature Made advert, the humor comes from the absurdity of Joe’s routine. But beneath that, there’s a message in regards to the contradictions we stay with in our each day lives. Integrating satire with severe themes lets me make audiences chortle whereas additionally inviting them to replicate.
Q: How do you incorporate social commentary into your movies, and why does it resonate with audiences?
Sarab Sahni: I discover that the tales that intrigue me essentially the most are tales that spotlight actual life struggles of on a regular basis folks. For instance, the theme of identification loss is one thing that is quite common to not solely immigrants resembling myself however to all folks around the globe who discover themselves misplaced and uncertain of themselves at varied factors of their lives. I’ve skilled this sense myself.
Having grown up within the Middle East, I witnessed the prevalence of male-dominated buildings that suppress the voices of ladies – so my tales often focus on ladies dealing with the challenges of overcoming societal norms. And having lived within the United States for the previous three years, I’ve change into rather more conscious of the challenges ladies face globally. This consciousness informs my storytelling, permitting my narratives to transcend South Asian tradition and join with a wider viewers.
Q: What would you say are the most important milestones which have formed your profession to date?
Sarab Sahni: Several key milestones have outlined my inventive improvement as a filmmaker to date. In addition to directing, I’ve cultivated abilities in coloration grading and modifying, which have expanded my artistic versatility. One defining second was when my most up-to-date documentary was aired on PBS nationwide. Additionally, my movies and commercials have garnered a number of awards at movie festivals around the globe.
These milestones remind me that folks wish to see these tales and that they resonate past only one tradition or group.
Q: Do you suppose your Punjabi heritage influences the tales you inform?
Sarab Sahni: Absolutely. I come from a tradition that values household, custom, and energy, nevertheless it additionally comes with expectations that may really feel restrictive. That stress is what drives a number of my storytelling. I wish to tackle the unstated guidelines and discover the challenges and fantastic thing about dwelling inside and past these boundaries.
At the identical time, my experiences assist me join with folks from totally different backgrounds. Whether it’s by way of an immigrant’s journey or a girl’s wrestle to seek out her voice, I intention to create tales that talk to common experiences of resilience and belonging.
Q: What’s subsequent for you in your filmmaking profession?
Sarab Sahni: I’m thrilled to be engaged on my first function movie with writer-director Alam Virk. We’re within the improvement section and plan to maneuver into manufacturing by mid-2025. This venture marks an thrilling step ahead, and I imagine it would contribute to the evolution of the movie business by highlighting underrepresented cultural narratives. By specializing in significant, culturally wealthy tales, we hope to deliver recent views to audiences and encourage extra inclusive storytelling in cinema.
Looking ahead, I hope to proceed amplifying tales from South Asia and the Middle East, highlighting the shared human expertise that connects us all. My objective is to foster deeper connections between folks by way of these tales and to encourage different filmmakers to deliver numerous views to the display screen.
Q: How do you outline success as a filmmaker at this time?
Sarab Sahni: Success to me is creating work that has an enduring influence. It’s about telling tales that folks keep in mind, tales that spark conversations and problem the way in which we see the world. Awards and recognition are great, however my actual objective is to attach with folks on a deeper stage, to remind them that they’re not alone of their experiences.
I wish to be a filmmaker who makes a distinction—not simply by way of the movies I create however by way of the way in which they make folks really feel. At the tip of the day, that’s what storytelling is all about: creating connections that final.
Sarab Sahni’s journey is a testomony to the facility of storytelling, resilience, and the braveness to create work that challenges norms whereas resonating throughout cultures. With every new venture, she brings her distinctive mix of humor and humanity to the display screen, and she or he’s simply getting began. In a world that wants extra tales of empathy and understanding, Sarab is a filmmaker to observe—one who’s shaping the way forward for cinema, one story at a time.
Leave a Reply