All genders in society need to be represented in industry: Manasvini

CHENNAI: Soon after completing her graduation in 2019, Manasvini Boovarahan got the opportunity to work as a second assistant director with filmmaker Rathindran R Prasad. In the process, she worked on projects like Boomika and Inmai-Navarasa (pre and post production). Later, she started directing a few smaller ventures.

Earlier this year, Manasvini came across the opportunity to apply for the initiative of Take Ten by Netflix and Film Companion. Manasvini and her team submitted the requirement for a two-minute film on the theme ‘My India’ and a pitch for a short film on the theme ‘Home’.

After close to four rounds of curation, they were selected to be in the top ten to be funded to make the short film they pitched for. Her short film Bijli that released on Netflix India’s YouTube channel is now gaining attention.

The film is co-written by Gopalakrishnan K. “The theme home was given to us, and we had to come up with a story that could encapsulate that. The first thought that came to my mind, thinking about home was, there is nothing more home than motherhood and the only people in society who are always looking out for a home or in other words don’t have one permanently are migrant workers.

“I wanted to combine both themes and share a story that talks about the brutality that migrant workers go through to merely survive with the underlying emotion of motherhood to push the story further. That’s how the story of Bijli was born,” says Manasvini Boovarahan.

The young, upcoming filmmaker feels that more women should come forward to tell stories and create content. “I strongly feel that as a society we need representation from all genders so that the perspectives widen and we, as an audience, become more evolved. I have been in the industry for four years and I feel lucky. I came in as a teenager and have been nurtured by many minds who were patient enough to allow me to make mistakes and learn from them in a very safe environment throughout,” the youngster adds.

Before winding up the interview, Manasvini shares what she learned from the industry. “Learning is a never-ending process and one must always be open to it and should keep updating one’s self. Observing plays a very important role in a creator’s life and one must observe as much as their system would allow. You never know when what you have seen can translate to the screen as part of your vision. Also, you should be patient and believe in yourself no matter what because no one else will do that for you,” she bids goodbye with a smile.