Conversations with Ayush Abhigyan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ayush Abhigyan.

Hi Ayush, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was a little kid, my grandfather once asked me, “What do you want to become when you grow up?” My answer was simple: an actor.
I didn’t really know what being an actor meant back then. I just thought you could become anything if you became an actor. You could be an astronaut, a doctor, a superhero—just about anything. That dreaming child is still within me, but today, that dream has taken many different forms. It has grown into becoming a director as well, someone who can share stories through my own artistic perspective.
I also remember how I used to sneakily watch movies whenever I was supposed to be studying. I’m from India, and when I was younger, all I really had was a TV. My mom would go out for her yoga class, my dad would be at work, and I’d be home alone with the responsibility of finishing my homework. But my main focus was always finding a way to turn on the TV and watch whatever happened to be playing.
I wasn’t even choosing movies that I thought I would like. I simply watched whatever was on. In a strange way, that introduced me to films and stories I probably would never have discovered on my own. Looking back, I think those little moments played a much bigger role in shaping my love for cinema than I realized at the time.
Like many Indian parents, my parents wanted me to have a safe future and encouraged me to have a backup plan. So I started studying engineering. I spent a year there, but I knew in my heart that I had other plans. I wanted to be an actor. I wanted to make films.
After a year, I made the decision to leave engineering and pursue what I actually wanted. I joined the Asian Academy of Film & Television in India, where I completed a three-year filmmaking program along with a Diploma in Acting. That experience made the dream feel much bigger and much more real.
Eventually, I decided to take another leap and came to Los Angeles to pursue my master’s in filmmaking. I recently graduated from the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles, and these past two years have probably taught me more than I’ve learned at any other point in my life. I’ve learned about filmmaking, different cultures and different experiences, but more than anything, I’ve learned a lot about myself.
As I’ve grown as a filmmaker, I’ve realized that filmmaking for me isn’t just about making movies. It’s about being able to take something that exists in my head like an emotion, an experience, a character, or simply an idea and turn it into something that other people can see and feel. I love the collaborative nature of filmmaking, but I also love that every person involved brings a different perspective to the same story.
I’m still exploring what kind of filmmaker I want to become. I don’t want to limit myself to one particular genre or style. I want to continue experimenting, working with different people, and telling stories that come from places that feel honest to me. Coming to LA has made that dream feel both more challenging and more possible at the same time.
My two years in LA have come with plenty of ups and downs, both good and bad. But every experience has contributed to who I am becoming, not only as a person but also as a filmmaker. I still have that little kid inside me who believes you can become anything through storytelling. The difference now is that I don’t just want to become the characters in the stories I watch. I want to create the stories myself.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. One of the biggest challenges for me has been learning how to deal with disappointment, especially when it comes to my own work. It hurts when you put so much of yourself into creating something and, after it’s edited and completed, you end up feeling disappointed by what you see. After my intermediate film was completed, I was very disappointed in myself. I started questioning whether I should even continue pursuing this dream.
But instead of letting that feeling stop me, I pushed myself to become completely involved in my thesis project. I worked harder, learned from the mistakes I had made previously, and focused on telling a story that I genuinely believed in. Now that I have finished editing my thesis film, I finally feel proud of myself. Not because I think I have made a perfect film, but because I can see how much I’ve grown between those two projects. That experience taught me that sometimes the biggest challenge isn’t making the film, it’s finding the courage to keep creating when you don’t believe in yourself.
Being away from home and going through these experiences also changed my relationship with my family. It has become much stronger because of everything I’ve gone through. When you’re alone and feel like there’s no one to fall back on, you realize that your family will always be there for you. Moving away from home made me appreciate them in a completely different way.
Looking back, the ups and downs of these past two years in Los Angeles have shaped me not only as a filmmaker, but also as a person. The challenges have taught me to be more resilient, to learn from my mistakes, and most importantly, to keep believing in myself even when things don’t turn out the way I imagined.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a filmmaker, director, and actor, with storytelling at the center of everything I do. My primary focus is directing and filmmaking, but my background in acting has strongly influenced the way I approach my work. I’m drawn to stories that are driven by characters, emotions, and human experiences, and I enjoy finding ways to translate those ideas into something visual and meaningful.

What I love most about filmmaking is the process of bringing an idea from my imagination into reality. I enjoy being involved in every stage of that process—from developing an idea and writing the story, to working with actors, shaping the visual language, and eventually editing the film. There’s something incredibly rewarding about watching something that once existed only in your head slowly become real through the work of an entire team.

I’m especially proud of the growth I’ve experienced through the films I’ve made. Every project has taught me something different, including the projects that didn’t turn out the way I wanted them to. Those experiences have pushed me to learn from my mistakes rather than run away from them. My thesis film is something I’m particularly proud of because I was able to take everything I had learned from my previous experiences and put it into a story I genuinely believed in.

I think what sets me apart is my experience on both sides of the camera, as well as the drive I have to finish something once I’ve started it.

“I don’t fade things out. I reach the end and put a full stop.”

Filmmaking can be a long and difficult process, and there are plenty of moments when you question yourself or wonder whether something is worth continuing. But once I commit to a story, I want to see it through to the very end. Even when I’ve struggled or doubted myself, I’ve always pushed myself to finish what I started.

For me, filmmaking isn’t just about making a film. It’s about having an idea, believing in it, surrounding myself with people who can help bring it to life, and staying with it until the story is finally complete. That persistence is something I’ve come to value deeply—not just as a filmmaker, but as a person.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Don’t stop believing. Hold on to that feeling — the journey. You’re going to have failures, doubts, and moments when you question yourself. Keep going anyway. Keep creating, keep learning, and enjoy the journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://helloayushwork.wixsite.com/work
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayuxhahaha
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/AyushAbhigyan
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ayushabhigyan/videos