Spirit W | Against all odds and challenges: Dir/ Prod/ Writer Manjari Makijany

Manjari Makijany an emerging young filmmaker is a multifaceted person. She believes in efficiency and delivering results which she considers important to be successful in times when competition seems to be the order of the day. She is the daughter of a renowned actor  Mac Mohan (Sambha of Sholay fame) and  first cousin of Bollywood actress Raveena Tandon.  She runs her father’s production house, MAC Productions along with her sister Vinati who is a talented theatre artist.

She has been a second assistant Director for The Dark Knight Rises, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, 7 Khoon Maaf, Lilly the Witch: The Journey to Mandolan, Wake Up Sid. She has also written ,directed and produced The Last Marble which was her entry at  the Seven Islands International Film Festival . She has also been a Co-Producer for Rose Bed. Manjari has been managing the editorial department of her production house as well.

Adgully caught up with her during the Seven Islands International Film Festival. This Festival aims to bring together global radical filmmakers with new cinematic approaches that break through the clutter of traditional film-making.

Manjari says, “I've always wanted to be a filmmaker and tell different kinds of stories, so I'm glad with my short film I've taken the first baby step towards my dream.” Her movie, 'The Last Marble' was screened during this festival. This time the theme of the festival was ‘Women Rising’ so when asked how she supports the thought and the theme, she said, “Frankly if you are a woman and you are striving to achieve something, I believe you are supporting the theme.”

She explains, “Today womanhood is being celebrated in our country and one can see how they have achieved in all walks of life, from business to entertainment. Everyone faces obstacles whether it’s a man or a woman, the challenge is to rise against all odds and achieve what your mind has conceived. So I am just chasing my dream of telling stories and making movies and I hope in this humble journey I can touch people's hearts.”

When asked about her aims and aspirations, Manjari said, “No matter where I am on the map, I want to tell stories. The sense of satisfaction one gets after creating something that was initially just a thought or an idea, and then receiving appreciation or criticism for it, is just truly rewarding.”

Speaking about how her career took off, Manjari said, “I'm not sure if I can say that it has taken off, maybe when I direct my feature I can say that! But I started off doing theatre while still in school and during school holidays my sister and myself, we would go to Prithvi Theatre as part of IPTA and help out with backstage activities.  That was  when I fell in love with the energy that the stage had and was fascinated by the thought of how so many stories were created on that very same stage.”

“To cut a long story short I then started assisting Prahlad Kakkar when studying advertising in college and after graduation I soon started assisting in films like Wake Up Sid, 7 Khoon Maaf and some international films. Be it stage or screen, it is a canvas you can colour the way you like,” she adds.

Three key mantras that have always worked for her are: ‘If your mind can conceive it, you can achieve it’
’When the going gets tough the tough get going’ and ‘Every situation you are put into is for a reason, and it will persist till you don't learn the life lesson from it, once you do it you graduate to the next level.’

She has been involved in the film fraternity of which her father was a part as well, so when asked about how she thinks independent Cinema has evolved and how well it is been accepted by the Indian audience, she explained saying, “Independent cinema always existed, it’s just that now it is being appreciated and there are more auteur film makers around now. Today audiences who watch movies have evolved too. Times have moved on from the single screens to the multiplexes.”

Manjari believes that now there is an audience for such films and the growth of some big corporate banners which fund in a diverse slate of films that have helped to fuel the growth of independent cinema in India.  Also to be noted is that these films are not only appreciated in India but also overseas.

Personally she is of the opinion that it is the best time for young filmmakers to be out there with their work since audiences and producers too are presently very receptive to this genre.

According to her Festivals like Seven Islands International Film Festival are great platforms to showcase work from new filmmakers as well as established people from the industry. It’s where art is appreciated and the audiences receive these films very well. | By Aanchal Kohli [aanchal@adgully.com]