[00:00:00 – 00:00:08] Nitin Bajaj

Everyone. Welcome to the industry show. I’m your host, Nitin Bajaj. And joining me today is Kirtana Banskota. Kirtana, welcome on the show.

[00:00:09 – 00:00:10] Kirtana Banskota

Thank you. Thanks for having me here.

[00:00:10 – 00:00:13] Nitin Bajaj

Great to have you here. Let’s start with who is Kirtana?

[00:00:14 – 00:00:43] Kirtana Banskota

That’s a very complicated question. Okay. So I’m a 1st generation Napali American. I live in Austin. Austin Kathmandu. I split my time between Triad. I just split my time between two cities, and now Chicago’s added to the mix as well. But other than that, I’m a storyteller, like my name suggests. I was born to be a filmmaker, born to be a storyteller. That’s all I know. That’s all I do, and that’s who I am.

[00:00:43 – 00:01:05] Nitin Bajaj

That’s an amazing place to be and love to hear more. So tell us a little bit about Banskota Productions. Among the many other things that you could do, why choose this? And give us a sense of the size and scale types of productions and what a day in life looks like for you.

[00:01:06 – 00:01:08] Kirtana Banskota

So my day usually is 24 hours.

[00:01:08 – 00:01:09] Nitin Bajaj

Yep.

[00:01:09 – 00:03:19] Kirtana Banskota

I just heard back, boys. It’s, which luckily when you’re okay having lack of sleep and I don’t sleep much and I am not diagnosed with ADHD, but I’m pretty sure somewhere, like, my cells each one of my cells have ADHD. So I have a lot of energy, all thanks to my love for nature. So that kind of keeps me fueling. But I’m able to do this because of the immense amount of support that I have, be it from friends, be it from family, or the team around me. So Banskota Productions started in 20 it was a sole proprietorship for quite some time. Of course, it’s my namesake. That’s my last name. And I wanted to do something else in the sense not work with and for a studio, but wanted to really work in the indie world. Try my luck as a Nepali female creative and see where that goes. Lots of ups and downs, lots of bumps on the road, but I think we’re finally catching a groove of working on multiple projects, collaborating in multiple projects as well with various different other production companies, be it independently run just female run productions. My next film is called Love From Ellie. It’s born and raised here in Austin. Another one, which is called The World’s Happiest Man, that was filmed in Ohio. That is actually in Productions right now. So there’s and then there’s cowboys and Hindus. There’s love for there’s dad’s final wish. So there’s quite a few projects happening, and the only reason I’m able to do this is because I’m able to collaborate. And the fact that film is all about team effort and teamwork, and I know there’s a cliche of saying there’s no I in team. There’s a lot of I because you have to really work your butt off to be a part of the team as well and pull the weight. And in film, if even someone falters, then that’s a huge hit for the rest of the space. That answers your question, plus? Okay.

[00:03:19 – 00:03:42] Nitin Bajaj

It does. And then some. So obviously, the entertainment industry is pretty amazing. Lot of creativity and a lot of creatives, which I would imagine brings its own share of challenges. But if you were to call out and pick 1, what’s the biggest one you’re facing right now?

[00:03:42 – 00:05:08] Kirtana Banskota

It’s always fundraising. Right? Be it any when you’re looking at because every film is a business. So it’s like trying to raise capital for a business every single and this is not a business that sustains itself. It is, of course, a production house does, but then simultaneously every film has its own investors. So I think that always becomes the biggest challenge. But once you have once you get into the hook, you figure it out. Figure out whom to reach out to. How do you if x y z project doesn’t work, then how do you then fill in the gaps with a b c project? But, also, I think at this point, it’s this happened to me initially. It doesn’t happen to me anymore. It’s identifying the right team, identifying the people that are as passionate as you are. Because as you said, there is a lot of challenges when you’re with creatives because we’re all very we don’t walk in between the lines. We don’t really walk on the line where there are squiggly lines everywhere, and then squiggly lines bump. So trying to identify when you bump, do you clash or do you actually blossom together? I think that comes with challenges, but once you’ve figured out who you really are, that does help. And it’s a great field to be. I really don’t know what else I would do at this point. This is all I wanna do.

[00:05:09 – 00:05:43] Nitin Bajaj

Yeah. It’s that sentiment of as you were saying this, the process gets easier because who you are, who you want to work with, what is it that you’re looking for. But it’s still a process. There’s no shortcuts because any project lives and breathes its own. Just because you had a previous success does not in any way determine the next one will be a success. So as much as you continue to build the credibility amongst your investors, amongst your team, you still have to start relatively from scratch at each project.

[00:05:43 – 00:07:08] Kirtana Banskota

Oh, god. Yes. Like every single moment. Right? Currently, working with various different writers and every writer has its own personality. So you have to sit down and try to identify. So when I say when you’re a producer and a director and you wear multiple hats, it’s you’re a therapist, you’re a mother sometimes. You’re you have to be a kid. You have to be the person like the hype girl. And that’s just before being on set because you don’t wanna ever let someone who’s coming in with all this creative juice and coming to you with literally their heart poured out on paper and then shut them down because you never know what happens to that person later. So I try my level best to work with them, and it it takes a lot of time sometimes. And I know it’s not sustainable in any shape or form, but I like listening to stories. When someone’s there telling me a story, I try to be as passionate with them. Don’t get me wrong. Sometimes there’s a lot of eye rolls, and as we were joking before this, lots of really bad dad jokes. But I try to still keep a straight face and try to still be okay with whatever I’m listening to to get to that next step, or softly let people down because it is the film world and it is a creative world and trust me, I fail more than I succeed a lot. There’s more failure for sure, but then it’s learning.

[00:07:08 – 00:08:03] Nitin Bajaj

And I think with any creative and entrepreneurial journey, each of these experiences help us learn more about who we are, what we are made of. And that’s been the most amazing and rewarding process for me as an entrepreneur. But relating this back to the 2 things you said, 1, you do have 24 hour days because you are being there for the team for even people that are not on your team yet and may become 1. So that’s an extremely important quality to have as a successful entrepreneur and and a leader, especially in this arena where you’re working with so many different types of personalities and so many different roles. And as you said, when you don’t have boundaries or lines and you’re stepping on each other’s toes, a lot can and does happen. So kudos to you for having that level of patience. And We

[00:08:03 – 00:08:05] Kirtana Banskota

like to make a really fun poker face.

[00:08:05 – 00:08:06] Nitin Bajaj

Yeah.

[00:08:06 – 00:08:56] Kirtana Banskota

Just because you have poker face, like, all the time. So you sometimes look like there’s something wrong with you. But at the same time, you realize because the smile is so infectious and the laughter is so infectious. Of course, don’t laugh when someone is yelling at you. That’s a different story, which I’ve also learned in a really bad way. But at the same time, you do start realizing that, you know, every problem has a solution. There’s no big problems. And it’s a set. It’s just it’s a small little hiccup, and you just have to learn to figure it out. And if it’s not you, then there’s a million other people that know it. Just learning how to say I don’t know, and I will figure it out have become my 2 strongest assets when I was I went to an all girls boarding school. So for me, it was always like, oh, I got this.

[00:08:56 – 00:08:56] Nitin Bajaj

Mhmm. And

[00:08:56 – 00:09:04] Kirtana Banskota

still I got this, but then that also means I got this, but I gotta call someone to really got this. So I think you learn. Yeah. You live and you learn.

[00:09:04 – 00:09:16] Nitin Bajaj

It’s a lot of wisdom. Now as you talk about the challenges, I’d love to hear what’s the most the one most exciting opportunity you have in front of you?

[00:09:16 – 00:10:54] Kirtana Banskota

Currently, right now, one of the biggest opportunities is me expanding on my production house itself. I am now trying to actually just instead of doing one project at a time, making it a massive hub where we’ll be doing multiple projects and actually expanding on a team. Because currently, most of my team is are freelancers or I work with, like, contractors or interns. So that’s one of the biggest challenges and most exciting thing I’m working on. But the other, of course, the world’s happiest man is in post Productions. It’s actually almost done. We’re only a week away. Wow. So that being finished and that going out to the world. Then A Love From Ellie, which is my favorite part of this, is all 3 of us producers are women, and it’s written by a woman. And Chantal’s an incredible writer, director, and the story is just so beautiful, and it’s just so it’s just so heartfelt because I’ve worked on a lot of very depressing movies. I’m not gonna lie. It’s a psych thriller. Sad. I think that’s, like, my 2 genres. But to work on, like, this heartfelt story about a 9 year old, that’s that brings me a lot of joy. And then I’m wrapping on finishing the first draft of my animation as well, which won a development award several years ago. And it is about Nepal, and it is about this girl, the mountains. So everything that I love about being the buddy is in it. It just has a little bit of fantasy here and there. So I think that I’m very focused on and excited about.

[00:10:54 – 00:11:26] Nitin Bajaj

You have your hands full for sure with a lot of exciting stuff. Now as we look into the future, would love to pause, reflect, and take a look in the rear view mirror. I would love for you to share 2 moments in your life, personal or career, where in one case, things did not work out as you had expected. There was failure, lessons, and another one that blew your own expectations and became a success beyond what you had imagined.

[00:11:27 – 00:14:38] Kirtana Banskota

So I’ll do the first one or the second one first, the success bit. I moved to Austin because of South by Southwest long, long time ago, and there was something about the city that just called me. I live from New York. I’ve lived all over, but Austin just became a hub. And when I moved here, it was this this very weird Nitin, and it’s called Key Boston, weird for a reason. But it’s this very artistic, liberally weird, but still is in Texas, loves its cowboy cowboy boots and barbecue, but still very vegan friendly and music everywhere and hot as hell, but at the same time, you’ve got your lakes. So everything just like squiggly lines have come together in this beautiful blossom space. And I’d always wanted to do something with South by Southwest and then came to the point where I wanted to then you start walking around and start asking yourself as you get older as to or wiser or whatever it’s called as to who you really are. What do I represent? What is my voice? And having grown in both all three, India and Nepal here, I realized I am South Asian, different because not everyone in South Asia with the massive and biggest population in this world is the same. So how do we find a space to combine those voices and and showcase it? And I was lucky enough to find collaborators and cofounders to come together for the 1st year to expand on that and then create the South Asian house. I’ve stepped away from it because I’m focusing mainly on the film career itself now, and it’s been thriving. And Ruby and Monica have done great with it. So it’s made its way to Tribeca. It’s made its way to Arts Bajaj. It’s made its way to various different Oscar parties. So it’s incredible to see that one vision when you’re just sitting there with a bunch of fritas. And one of my friends always was always reminds me, I remember the day you had that spark, and you just looked at me as I should do a South Asian house and, like, that face. So I think that was a very, very successful story. And also, you gotta learn when to let go with your successes too. Because I’m not a PR person. I’m not an events person. I’m a filmmaker, and I’ll do whatever it takes to back that storytelling for South Asian house. However, it’s not my place. So you create the vision. You let it go. And then in terms of surprising myself of something that might have been problem solving skills. I was filming a feature and all of a sudden, where it’s incredible. Like, the previous day was all emotional. Everyone was just heightened in terms of the actors. Like, we put them through a lot. And it’s the dead of summer in Texas. And we’re in the next day, so everyone’s all happy. It’s the last day. The second last day, it’s a very light day. We’re just filming this one scene, and we’re good to go. I found out that we lost all of our footage for the previous day.

[00:14:38 – 00:14:39] Nitin Bajaj

Woah.

[00:14:40 – 00:15:47] Kirtana Banskota

And it’s a moment where so at that moment, I’m the co director for it, and my my producer doesn’t know what to do. I mean, and it’s it’s a lot of it’s a lot of budget. That’s just good. It just goes down because it’s a Union film too, and Union has certain rates and certain hours. And the minute I expand on these hours, I’m going a time and a half, almost double the amount. I’m also having to call each one of my actors who are flying out of the city or who’ve already left the city to come back for these shots or figure an alternative thing out within a span of an hour. I realized I love chaos. I thrive in it. In the sense I look at problems, I was like, oh my god. This is great. Let’s do this. I sometimes coin myself, soft coin, and it’s fix it producer. But I the minute I saw that happening, I could just see how you take those puzzle pieces and now try to create or recreate things.

[00:15:47 – 00:15:48] Nitin Bajaj

Mhmm.

[00:15:48 – 00:15:56] Kirtana Banskota

So talking to your actors, apologizing, though, technically, it’s not your fault, but it is. It is your team. So you take if you’re up there, you take it.

[00:15:56 – 00:15:57] Nitin Bajaj

Yeah. You

[00:15:57 – 00:16:18] Kirtana Banskota

take one for the team. But we were able to wrap and finish within this expanded several hours. However, kudos to the actors who came Bajaj, did the whole scene over and over again, put themselves through that emotional trauma because it was very emotionally traumatic. Mhmm. Traumatic.

[00:16:18 – 00:16:18] Nitin Bajaj

Mhmm.

[00:16:18 – 00:16:50] Kirtana Banskota

Put themselves through the hair and makeup, put themselves through everything else, like the physical trauma, the mental trauma, everything. The rest of the crew did the same as you’re having to recreate this. And instead of having a light day, we ended up having an 18 hour day, which is insane, but we did it. And and that’s when I realized I was like, okay. If I can get this done, then I think we’ll be fine. I’ll be able to solve any problems, be it in life or on set. But, yeah, I teach and see lessons. Life throws incredible curveballs.

[00:16:52 – 00:17:02] Nitin Bajaj

Yes. But, again, kudos to your resilience and, that spirit because most others would have just given up and said, we’ll do the whole thing all over again another day. And Oh

[00:17:02 – 00:17:03] Kirtana Banskota

my god.

[00:17:03 – 00:17:03] Nitin Bajaj

It is what

[00:17:03 – 00:17:44] Kirtana Banskota

That’s the thing is, so you’re literally I always say this. But making is such a passion project because you’re a director, an actor, and a producer. So your three names are the ones that are highlighted. And mainly not even a producer. It’s really a director and actor. But everyone who’s there does it because of the love and the heart for this. They’re doing it for your dream because through that, their dream comes true. So me reacting or me acting in a certain way just means I’m crushing everyone else’s dreams right there and then, and that’s not right. It’s not right in any shape or form. And if anyone ever did that to me, I would probably lose my mind and

[00:17:45 – 00:17:45] Nitin Bajaj

I’d

[00:17:45 – 00:17:58] Kirtana Banskota

probably say, get out. Let me fix this at this point. But that has happened in the past, and it’s just short projects and it’s not a good feeling. It really does suck. But when you’re in with power comes responsibility.

[00:18:00 – 00:18:13] Nitin Bajaj

So Indeed. And again, great example of being there for the team, being the leader, showing the path because there’s obviously a lot of frustration, especially with that heat. I can’t even talk about that. And, of course It

[00:18:13 – 00:18:29] Kirtana Banskota

was like a 109 degrees in the mid heat of July and there were wasps flying everywhere. It was yeah. I guess it’s that’s a story. That’s that is an entire podcast on the film. Experiences of filming in Texas for the summer.

[00:18:31 – 00:18:47] Nitin Bajaj

Coming back to the present, love to hear with the 24 hour days that you have. What do you do for fun? What do you do for taking a break, destressing, if you ever do? So curious to hear more about that.

[00:18:48 – 00:20:44] Kirtana Banskota

I do that a lot actually. So I start my mornings usually being very grounded in the sense I physically actually ground myself, like drinking water, being one with nature, walking on grass, sunlight, sunshine. I’m very I like the old ways, our our times, our Vedic times of really being connected to the earth. I’m very connected to the earth that way. And in a moment of stress, I do slap my laptop shut and I just walk away. I don’t sit there and try to wallow in what the issue might be because that’s just gonna pull me in. I was like, you know what? I remove myself. I’ll come back to it. I’ll take a deep breath. It might take me 10 minutes. It might take me 20. Luckily, I have that kind of luxury at certain times. Mhmm. But even just giving yourself a moment of just, like, physically taking yourself out of the situation. I’m a big soccer fan. I’m an Austin FC fan. I show up to almost every game. I’m bummed that I’m not gonna I’m gonna miss the Houston Austin game this time, but that’s okay. We will I will scream from the rooftop in Chicago. But then I also cofounded Nepal America Film Society Right. Which is a nonprofit that focuses on bringing and bridging those gaps between Nepal and the international world in terms of creative or otherwise. So that’s also a lot of fun for me actually, because then I’m getting to work with all these younger, funner groups that have all these crazy ideas. And then you think, oh my god. It’s crazy. I was like, no. Wait. No. That makes sense. So is like a constant learning. I have a dog. I go hiking. I go biking. I’m pretty outdoorsy. So as long as I’m out and about, and I dance, so I go dancing quite a bit. But yeah. See? People do a lot of fun things. And filmmaking is fun. Filmmaking is great fun. You walk into set and everyone’s different personality, everyone’s wearing different makeup, and it’s a different story. You’re doing the same scene a hundred times.

[00:20:46 – 00:20:52] Nitin Bajaj

That part gets to me. That kinda starts. Just even hearing that, I was like, woah. No. Never. Cannot do

[00:20:52 – 00:20:57] Kirtana Banskota

that. That’s why rehearsals are so important, people. So important.

[00:20:59 – 00:21:01] Nitin Bajaj

Great reminder. You’re a good teacher.

[00:21:02 – 00:21:03] Kirtana Banskota

Thank you.

[00:21:05 – 00:21:08] Nitin Bajaj

Any book or podcast that you love?

[00:21:10 – 00:22:07] Kirtana Banskota

I love Stuff You Should Know. I think I’ve become wiser because of it. I I’ve I listened to quite a few audio books. The men’s world is actually my favorite right now. I know going back to nature again, but it explains how every year, like, the unbuilt of things and how every all of our energies and synergies are connected. I’m I quite enjoyed that, just listening to how a dog can track and how an animal can track. And you start looking at little birds and little butterflies, little caterpillars, even a fly in a very different way, And you start realizing how significant your life is, but also how insignificant your life really is. And the fact that you just got this one thing to do when you do it and you have fun with it and live life. So I think those are the 2 right now that come to mind. But, honestly, once you probably hang up, I’d be like, oh my god. I forgot to mention your podcast.

[00:22:10 – 00:22:13] Nitin Bajaj

They’re also a good stand up comedian. You should explore that option.

[00:22:14 – 00:22:23] Kirtana Banskota

Oh, thank you. I’ve been told that, but I don’t think I am. I think I’m just a sit down witty at the moment. Let’s take on people Commedia.

[00:22:24 – 00:22:28] Nitin Bajaj

Hey. Maybe that’s another profession that doesn’t exist yet, but we should create one.

[00:22:29 – 00:22:33] Kirtana Banskota

Sure. You wanna produce it? I’m right here for you. Let’s track this.

[00:22:33 – 00:22:34] Nitin Bajaj

Let’s do it.

[00:22:34 – 00:22:40] Kirtana Banskota

Podcast comedy. Alright. You start with your dad jokes? I will make fun

[00:22:41 – 00:22:45] Nitin Bajaj

of it. Hey. Poor dad jokes is a skip. Okay? Don’t underestimate it.

[00:22:45 – 00:22:50] Kirtana Banskota

So It is. I agree. There’s eye rolling, and they’re just, like, just staring straight at you and saying.

[00:22:51 – 00:22:56] Nitin Bajaj

Yeah. Now To get even that reaction from a teenager, that takes a little effort. So

[00:22:56 – 00:22:57] Kirtana Banskota

At least you got a reaction.

[00:22:58 – 00:22:58] Nitin Bajaj

Exactly.

[00:22:58 – 00:23:09] Kirtana Banskota

You know? I know that. I work with interns a lot. I get it. And I’m supposed to be their quote, unquote boss. I mean, so long I was like, how do parents do this?

[00:23:13 – 00:23:24] Nitin Bajaj

Alright. On to my favorite part of the show, the one nine life lessons. I know you hinted at a few earlier in the discussion. We would love for you to share your life lessons with us.

[00:23:25 – 00:24:33] Kirtana Banskota

Alright. So I think when I’m so one major life lesson that has been bestowed upon me since I was a child. My parents my dad never always said how you give blessings and all of that. Never was how you hope you do well in school. I hope you do this. I think one of the biggest blessing that I got is that you’ve got the prettiest smile in this world and never want anyone else to ever wipe it off. You are in charge of your own happiness. No one else is. Don’t let anyone take that away from you. I think that I live with the holy grail. And then something else that I’ve learned, and it’s a one word lesson, is breathe. Just learn to breathe once in a while, every time. It’s really nice to just close your eyes and take a deep breath, and all will be okay. You just have to make it granted, you have to make it okay. But I can give you one life lesson that I’ve heard and I don’t like. It is what it is. I can’t stand it. I don’t understand it. I can’t stand it. Doesn’t make sense. But but, yeah, that’s for my, like, one liners and one word.

[00:24:34 – 00:25:00] Nitin Bajaj

Love it. Simple What’s yours? Productions. Oh, I have quite a few, but the one I live off of is do or do not. There is no try. Right? Similar to you just can’t take things for granted. You can’t just half ass your way. You can’t just say I’m trying. There’s nothing like that. Just do it. And, of course, these are Yoda’s famous words. And Yeah. Yeah. That’s if I have to call out one, that would be the one.

[00:25:01 – 00:25:11] Kirtana Banskota

No. I see that. I agree. Even, like, when someone says I’m busy, I’m sick. I’m busy. You’re just not prioritizing. There’s no word called busy. A bee is busy. You are deprioritizing.

[00:25:14 – 00:25:39] Nitin Bajaj

So true. It’s the one thing I I do remind myself a lot and sometimes share it with others is we don’t have time. We have to make time. Right? That’s the only way someone like you is doing the infinite number of things you’re able to get done. It’s not because you have the time. You’re making time. You’re prioritizing. You’re focusing on the right things in the right perspective and making it happen.

[00:25:39 – 00:26:11] Kirtana Banskota

And it helps when you just ask for help. And I think we’re really bad at asking for help, especially women of color. We’re taught to do it all on our own. Got this attitude, but, god, they it took me a long, long time to realize. All I had to say is, I don’t know. Can you help me? And then the entire universe just opens up, and it’s it manifests for you. So it’s been a real blessing to say, I don’t know. I need help. So it’s I’m still learning. I’m not gonna lie. There are moments where I’m just like, I got this. I don’t have time for this. But then I’m like, oh, no. I need help.

[00:26:12 – 00:26:37] Nitin Bajaj

And it takes a certain kind of personality which you obviously have is it’s not driven by anything, but, hey. We need to bring this to life. How can we all get together and get this done? Having that emotional connect, having that bigger purpose in mind. And I’ve seen this that who you are defines who you bring together, and and that defines your success.

[00:26:39 – 00:27:06] Kirtana Banskota

Yeah. I agree. And honestly, success is all just being happy and joyful. Right? If you’re generally joyful, you’re you’ve become successful. That is it. Like, it doesn’t matter what’s in your bank account, what’s not there. As long as you’re able to wake up happy with a big smile on your face, not feeling like the world is just crashing you and crushing you into pieces, I think and you got it. That’s already successful than 95% of the population in this world.

[00:27:06 – 00:27:08] Nitin Bajaj

So So true. That’s all

[00:27:08 – 00:27:10] Kirtana Banskota

I strive for. All I strive for.

[00:27:11 – 00:27:11] Nitin Bajaj

Yes.

[00:27:11 – 00:27:13] Kirtana Banskota

And having dogs help.

[00:27:15 – 00:27:19] Nitin Bajaj

That is so true. See you for having us here. Thank you so much.

[00:27:19 – 00:27:20] Kirtana Banskota

Thank you.

[00:27:20 – 00:27:44] Nitin Bajaj

No. This is amazing. Thank you. Really appreciate it. Thank you for sharing your journey, your story, and your life lessons. Congratulations on the successes so far. I know we have many more to come and would love for you to be back on and share more of these stories and, more of your productions that, I’m looking forward to seeing in the next few days. So thank you.