Nikhil Chalam hates writing in third person, and now that you know who I am, the rest of this can be written in first person. 

 

I started out as an editor for Prime Focus. I eventually grew tired of being stuck in dark rooms, and seeing mistakes that I wish were fixed on set and decided to become an assistant director. Over the years, I’ve assisted on countless commercials with Indian and foreign directors; and worked on the film Fukrey with Excel Entertainment.

 

Although I could scarcely believe that anyone was entrusting me with responsibility, someone actually let me direct one day. I’ve now directed scores of commercials for various brands like McDonalds, Nestle and Colgate to name a few. What I love about advertising is that every script has been an opportunity to  play with vastly different styles and approaches to film making; and the challenge of having to tell a compelling story in a very short duration.

 

Having started in post-production, I now find myself at the extreme other end of pre-production; screenwriting. It feels like my career thus far has been like making a film in reverse. I’m currently working on a show and two features which are in various stages of development.

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Nikhil Chalam hopes you enjoyed reading this.