Daily Inspiration: Meet Anubhav Kaushish

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anubhav Kaushish.

Hi Anubhav, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I never planned on being a cinematographer. I started in the chaos of Bollywood sets as an assistant director, chasing continuity, wrangling extras, and memorizing marks. But what stayed with me wasn’t the shouting; it was the light. I caught myself studying the DPs: how a frame shifted when they flagged a lamp, how contrast could turn a scene into memory.

When I moved to Los Angeles, I wasn’t the loudest in the room, and I wasn’t connected. I didn’t have the “right” networks. What I had was obsession and discipline. I turned every short film into a laboratory by over-preparing, testing lenses, pushing natural light until it bent into something cinematic. That’s how I earned trust, project by project.

Now, across more than forty productions, from a futuristic sci-fi drama to a tender romantic music video, my focus is consistent: Build images that don’t decorate but belong. Frames that feel inevitable, not imposed. I lead quietly but precisely, and I’m most alive when I can help directors carve out a visual language that feels singular to their story.

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?
My path didn’t begin with a camera in my hand; it began in an editing studio. I was just an intern, logging hours in front of screens, when I realized I didn’t want to only cut other people’s stories. I wanted to live inside the making of them. One afternoon, I walked into the director’s office and told him point-blank, “I want to assist you, and I can do this.” He didn’t say yes because I had a resume; he said yes because he saw I believed it enough to risk asking. That conversation pulled me out of the chair and onto a set.

I started as an assistant director in Bollywood, surrounded by noise, deadlines, and chaos. But even then, my eyes were on the lights, the shadows, the way the DP carved emotion into a scene without saying a word. That obsession followed me to Los Angeles, where I rebuilt from scratch. No family connections, no networks. Just preparation, obsession, and a stubborn curiosity that made every short film feel like a masterclass.

It hasn’t been smooth, and I don’t want it to be. I’ve learned that friction is fuel. That knocking on the wrong door, like I did as an intern, is how you find the right one. And each time I’ve had to start over, it hasn’t dimmed my drive; it’s sharpened it.

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 don’t think of myself as “just a cinematographer.” What I actually do is hunt for the emotional temperature of a story and then build the images that match it. Sometimes that means pushing light until it feels like memory, sometimes it means stripping everything away so only the truth remains. I specialize in restraint, not throwing tricks at the frame, but knowing when to hold back so the image feels inevitable.

I’m known for being obsessive about detail: the exact shade of a shadow, the rhythm of a camera move, the silence between cuts. That’s what directors remember. One of my proudest moments wasn’t an award or a festival; it was when a veteran stunt coordinator I’d never met stopped in the middle of an action sequence, looked at me, and said, “You get it. Call me for the next one.” That kind of trust is what I work for.

What sets me apart is simple: I don’t like to flatter. I don’t move the camera to impress. I use the frame like a scalpel, cutting into the psychology of a moment. That precision, that refusal to decorate, is what defines my work, and it’s what I want to be remembered for.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anubhav7k/?hl=en
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anubhavkaushish?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3BHLy8Q0KFRf2BVq3IwuIRUQ%3D%3D