Today we’d like to introduce you to Vibha Kulkarni.
Hi Vibha, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
As a child, I spent most of my time in my dreamy imaginary world where Magic was real. That was and is the only world I truly believe I belong to. The world around me constantly had me question the existence of Magic until I found the most magical pathway that brought my world into existence – Stories!
I started as an Artist. I always made self-portraits of time phases that reflected my emotional transitions through stages of life. Now, each film I create reflects my life phase during its development as I often complete my own character arc towards the project’s completion.
I did my undergrad in Fine Arts, majoring in Sculpture. I was studying the nature of the three-dimensional form of expression when I got involved in Art Residencies and got introduced to New Media. It was just about then that I was also acting in short films and fell in love with the idea of making films. I’ve always been into writing and acting in skits, stage plays, and theatre, making my artistic journey take its natural course toward cinema.
However, as much as I enjoyed the process of bringing a story to life, the film industry appeared daunting to me. So, I continued my exploration of storytelling media by pursuing my Post-Graduate Studies in New Media Design. This exploration only made me deepen my love for both storytelling and the medium of Motion Pictures. I wasn’t so much of a film buff as I spent most of my time creating or making something that I rarely had any time to consume content to entertain myself. But when I did, I would surrender myself to the world the films took me into, and I often would take on those characters for a while! This experience in itself made me realize the power of cinema!
I juggled different career paths back home in India, tip-toeing around filmmaking until I decided this was it! I cannot imagine myself doing anything else! So here I am, serving my life’s purpose as I graduate from my dream school. I am finally making Magic and living it!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
A smooth road? What is that? Haha! My journey has been more of a rollercoaster ride, with more adrenaline than any amusement park ride can provide! I have faced several challenges over a decade, like the twists and turns of a thrill ride. Just like we don’t recall each turn, but the thrill of making it through, I only like to recall what I learned from each of those experiences.
Some of the biggest yet recurring challenges have been circumstances beyond my control, sometimes deep-rooted in the workings of society, embedded in the power structure, and/or a product of systemic challenges. What I learned from those challenges is that people are limited to their own perceptions, and so nobody is entirely right or wrong. That has been the most relieving revelation and an important life lesson that has helped me navigate unfamiliar cultures and belief systems with greater acceptance.
Another recurring challenge has been around expectation mismatch with workplaces, people, as well as with myself, and LIFE! Each expectation is rooted in the past or the future, taking us away from the present. The best thing that was ever meant to be is NOW because that’s where we are. Let’s cherish it while we are here instead of expecting to be elsewhere!
A more personal challenge has been being away from home and family, and dealing with loss. That was the only time I felt helpless. But it’s all a part of the journey! Overcoming challenges has come down to basics now: learning to stay centered every day, regardless of the whirlwinds around me. It is an ongoing process.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m an Indian Film Writer/Director based in LA. I currently co-wrote and directed my Thesis Horror short film titled – ARO’s WORLD at the American Film Institute Conservatory. It is a story about a child dealing with and overcoming the monster of grief. My upcoming feature is a Romantic Comedy about an Indian woman navigating her love life in a new country clinging to the thread of destiny. I’m also developing episodic content with coming-of-age themes catering to the South Asian diaspora. I like to tell coming-of-age stories about women and children learning to accept themselves as they navigate through the bizarre world that functions in a way unfavorable to them. I am not so married to ‘Genre’ though I am keen on making Comedy – Drama – Psychological Horror. Horror helps me release my innermost fears while comedy and drama are the inescapable prominent genres of my life! I often simultaneously work on Horror and Comedy to balance my mind and stay sane!
My rich exploration through different storytelling media has been a major contributing factor to my work today. I have been a dancer, a performance artist, an actress, a sculptor, a painter, a poet, an inventor, a teacher, a researcher, and a new media designer.
Some of my pre-Film School work that I am known for include my poetry book, THOUGHTS OF A THOUGHTLESS MIND, published in 2021, won me recognition and the title of Inspiring Indian. My Thesis at NID, India – Chasing Stars: A Dance Research Project is one of my best storytelling works, although not film. I designed an Interactive Holographic Dance performance involving the audience participating to co-create a performer’s choreography. I am also known to be the fifth inventor of an A1 patent to do with an Image capture mode that I worked on as a User Experience Designer at Samsung R&D Institute in Bangalore. Though it is very different from what I am doing now, it is still very much relevant and connected to who I am today.
How do you define success?
I define success based on two basic things.
First – The number of lives one can contribute to by playing their role in this world. My role is to make movies, so if people connect with my stories and I can make them smile, that makes me successful enough until next time!
Second – How balanced can one be without getting swayed by the ups and downs like a pendulum? Like the Academy Award statuette, not the award per se, but the form of the figurine – A knight holding a crusader’s sword standing on a film reel. It is a symbol of balance to me. I aspire to be that Knight, devoted to my craft, undisturbed, solid, and stable regardless of the storms around me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://iveeba.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iveeba/
- Other: https://a.co/d/8wdV8Pg
Image Credits
Dr. Prem Muthu Ajay Sahu Rohit Srivastava Krushan Naik
