JWB introduces you to a new inspiring woman every day. Today is slightly different. Yes, we are introducing you to an achiever who belongs to Jaipur, but this time, it’s a man.

A Producer-Director based in Los Angeles, 26-year-old Aditya Patwardhan has a background in Computer Sciences, but then he shifted to Film & Media Production. He then pursued a course of the New York Film Academy. We heard he began exploring his creative side at a very young age.

P.S. He was the drummer for a local band called “Jettarura” during his college years.

I contacted him about his next visit to Jaipur, and since it wasn’t going to be until May, I did an email interview with him. Below are the excerpts:

Me: Your short film “Red House by the Crossroads” won the ‘Best Student Drama Short’ at Los Angeles Independent Film Festival. It has also been a part of festival circuits including the Cannes Film Festival and the LA CineFest!  What is the film about? 

Aditya: “Red House by the Crossroads”, a Drama/Thriller, is a short film that I produced and directed last year. This short film is about Edward Mêlies, a doctor’s assistant in 1970 Gdansk, Poland. When Edward Mêlies visits a patient’s home for weekly medication, he learns that the patient, Ester Kravitz, is a Polish-Jewish survivor from the holocaust and that Ester’s husband was shot by Edward’s father right before the Soviets captured him. The story, primarily, is a conflict between Edward’s guilt and conscience and Ester’s wish for revenge and closure, running in parallel with the single main event that happened in 1945, which changed and destroyed Ester’s life forever, and which Edwards keeps witnessing as his nightmares.

I came upon the idea of making this film because of my personal interest in geographical and psycho-social aspects of human history in the last few millenniums. I wanted to present the characters in my film as metaphorical representations of broken Europe during the 70s and 80s, where so many of the weaker nations were still recovering from the wounds of war.

Me: How hard was it to get your family on board when you told them you wanted to be a Director?

Aditya: I wouldn’t say that it was very tough for me to get my family on board with my passion for becoming a filmmaker. Having said that, I don’t want to give a wrong impression that it was a decision taken without a care! Me starting off as a filmmaker was a critical decision as this was not a career option that my parents or relatives, including me, knew about. The decision was made after I proved my potential as a Director to them (as well as to myself) by starting to work in the field way before deciding to come to the United States.

The response and recognition I received for my job gave me the confidence to pursue this as a full-time career, and I was able to convince my parents that it was a good decision.

This is usually what I like to say to anyone else who wants to step into this career. As it is a volatile field, it is always better to take small steps at first and make sure you have a fall-back option. Once you are confident of your skillets and talent, you should take the bigger leap.

Me: What instigated you to become a Director?

Aditya: Being a Director is not only the ability to have visual creativity and vision but also an understanding of all the aspects of filmmaking that includes finances, logistics, HR, as well as, the most important psychological side: Working with Actors.

Making a film is basically for me as “Trying to imitate Reality” and for that, there has to be a profound understanding of the real world, because that is what will reflect in your work.

I did an accelerated one month course in films from Pune and came back to Jaipur, where I started to work on music videos and documentaries. That coupled with my experience in branding, and campaigning gave me a wide range of experience regarding creativity as well as communication and understanding of human behavior. Also, having had a background in music and arts helped big time.

Me: They say “Behind every successful man there is a woman.” Being a women’s blog, we tend to ask that question. How true is that in your case?

Aditya: If I align my life with the above proverb, I would say that it has been my mother and grandmother who have been two of the most important and inspiring figures in my life.
My mother, Arpita Patwardhan, is one of the main reasons why I am a filmmaker today. Right from helping me ride a bicycle and making sure I am confident enough to go to school alone when I turned 10, teaching me how to drive a car when I turned 18, my mother has done it all. She has made me strong and self-dependent. Her support always backed all my decisions that I have ever taken. 

My grandma will always be my inspiration. Born in a conservative community and living in a city like Jodhpur, my grandmother, Manorama Patwardhan, became a doctor in 1947, dedicating all her life to social service, women welfare, upliftment of the deprived, working tirelessly throughout her career.

Me: How did you get everything together? The Producers, the actors, the funds for that matter! It must have been a frustrating process.

Aditya: I believe that if one is true to his vision and passionate enough, the process tends to happen on its own. In the project “Red House”; getting the right script was the first step. Once that was done, I shared the script with producers and actors. An actor called Rico Simonini, who has previously worked on many Hollywood films like “Die Hard” etc., loved the project and agreed to be a part of it. After that, it became relatively easy to find the right producers.

The most crucial part was the storyline. I had to go through a lot of history books. I also met a few survivors to understand the magnitude of the story fully so that I could do justice to it and make sure I cast the right kind of people.

Me: Why didn’t you take a shot at Bollywood?

Aditya: With the age of internet and communication, I believe that the boundaries between Hollywood and the Indian Cinema have thinned. In spite of that, I believe that Hollywood is not just about English/American Cinema. It is an international industry with a market that is spread all around the world.

Me: What would you call your ultimate ‘Dream’?

Aditya: I am not sure if I can honestly say that I have got an ultimate dream project in mind. But I can say this: I wish I can make something in India that can contribute to the society, something that’ll appeal to the intellect of the masses. Films do not have to be only about entertainment. They can be enlightening in many ways, depending on one’s perception. As a student of media studies, I know how films can have a tremendous impact in shaping the psyche of the society. I wish I get to contribute to it in a positive way.

Aditya has recently finished directing a Brazilian short film called “When Red Is White.” The movie is in Portuguese! In the end, it all boils down to one’s dedication, right? If the commitment is strong, nothing else gets in your way. All the best, Aditya!