Sarab Sahni: Crafting Tales that Join Tradition, Comedy, and Braveness
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 means of a distinct 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. Right now, Sarab sits down with us to share her journey, inventive influences, and what drives her to carry underrepresented tales to the display screen.
Q: Are you able to 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 received my first digital digicam. I didn’t perceive the technicalities again then—angles, composition, or lighting—however I fell in love with capturing moments. The flexibility to “freeze” time felt like magic to me. I’d take images of something that caught my eye, turning the pictures into tiny visible tales. Later, my sister launched me to filmmaking and I used to be immediately hooked. The flexibility to create shifting tales, to have the pictures come to life was a revelation. I instantly knew I needed to be a filmmaker. Being a filmmaker shouldn’t be a standard path for ladies of a Punjabi household. However I used to be decided and capable of persuade my household to present 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 completely different cultures has been each a problem and a blessing. I grew up watching Bollywood and Hollywood movies, however it was the work of filmmakers like Mira Nair and Gurinder Chadha that touched my coronary heart. They informed tales about individuals 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 standard family, I’m drawn to tales of id, belonging, and the braveness to interrupt out of societal norms. My movies discover themes of household dynamics, self-discovery, and the empowerment of girls in male-dominated societies. Right now, 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 industrial gained Greatest Business on the City Mediamakers Movie Competition. How did that venture come collectively, and what do you assume made it stand out?
Sarab Sahni: That industrial was a inventive journey! It was created throughout my program at movie college. My writing companion and I got here up with the thought 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 quite than a industrial made it very participating and enjoyable to look at. I consider it was this distinctive method o“cinematic” promoting that in the end resonated with the audiences and judges.
Q: Many filmmakers give attention to both comedy or drama, however your work blends each. How do you discover that stability?
Sarab Sahni: As a younger artist exploring varied themes and genres, I desire to let concepts information me quite than limiting myself to a particular style. I like my movies to be consultant of life and life is a combination of all feelings. By permitting the story to form the tone, I’m capable of seamlessly combine satire and critical 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. However beneath that, there’s a message in regards to the contradictions we reside with in our each day lives. Integrating satire with critical themes lets me make audiences snort 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 individuals. For instance, the theme of id loss is one thing that is quite common to not solely immigrants akin to myself however to all individuals world wide who discover themselves misplaced and not sure of themselves at varied factors of their lives. I’ve skilled this sense myself.
Having grown up within the Center East, I witnessed the prevalence of male-dominated constructions that suppress the voices of girls – so my tales often focus on ladies dealing with the challenges of overcoming societal norms. And having lived in the US for the previous three years, I’ve turn 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 main milestones which have formed your profession thus far?
Sarab Sahni: A number of key milestones have outlined my creative improvement as a filmmaker to date. Along with directing, I’ve cultivated abilities in shade grading and modifying, which have expanded my inventive versatility. One defining second was when my most up-to-date documentary was aired on PBS nationwide. Moreover, my movies and commercials have garnered a number of awards at movie festivals world wide.
These milestones remind me that individuals wish to see these tales and that they resonate past only one tradition or neighborhood.
Q: Do you assume your Punjabi heritage influences the tales you inform?
Sarab Sahni: Completely. I come from a tradition that values household, custom, and energy, however it additionally comes with expectations that may really feel restrictive. That pressure is what drives numerous my storytelling. I wish to tackle the unstated guidelines and discover the challenges and great thing about residing inside and past these boundaries.
On the similar time, my experiences assist me join with individuals from completely different backgrounds. Whether or not it’s by means of an immigrant’s journey or a girl’s battle to seek out her voice, I goal 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 part and plan to maneuver into manufacturing by mid-2025. This venture marks an thrilling step ahead, and I consider it’ll contribute to the evolution of the movie business by highlighting underrepresented cultural narratives. By specializing in significant, culturally wealthy tales, we hope to carry recent views to audiences and encourage extra inclusive storytelling in cinema.
Trying ahead, I hope to proceed amplifying tales from South Asia and the Center East, highlighting the shared human expertise that connects us all. My objective is to foster deeper connections between individuals by means of these tales and to encourage different filmmakers to carry numerous views to the display screen.
Q: How do you outline success as a filmmaker immediately?
Sarab Sahni: Success to me is creating work that has a long-lasting affect. It’s about telling tales that individuals bear in mind, tales that spark conversations and problem the best way we see the world. Awards and recognition are great, however my actual objective is to attach with individuals 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 means of the movies I create however by means of the best way they make individuals really feel. On the finish 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 look at—one who’s shaping the way forward for cinema, one story at a time.
