00:00:00 – 00:00:12 Nitin Bajaj
Hey everyone, welcome to the industry show. I’m your host, Nitin Bajaj, and joining me today is Tejal Desai. Tejal, welcome on the show.

00:00:12 – 00:00:16 Tejal Desai
Thank you so much, Nitin. I’m — I’m so glad to be here. Thank you for inviting me.

00:00:17 – 00:00:20 Nitin Bajaj
Great to have you here. Let’s start with: who is Tejal?

00:00:21 – 00:00:54 Tejal Desai
Tejal is, you know, Tejal Desai is, you know, I live in Austin, Texas. I have 2 kids, a wife, and I used to — I’m a pharmacist, but also a filmmaker, and I write and direct films. And I’m in the middle of showing my short film around the country and getting ready for a feature film, but Tejal Desai is just, you know, an entrepreneur trying to figure out his lifelong dream and fulfill his passions. Yeah.

00:00:55 – 00:00:57 Nitin Bajaj
And a very humble guy at that.

00:00:57 – 00:00:57 Tejal Desai
Yeah.

00:00:57 – 00:01:08 Nitin Bajaj
So you wear many different hats and are doing some really amazing things. I’m curious to know: what gets you out of bed in the morning?

00:01:10 – 00:01:32 Tejal Desai
So for me, like, I love, you know, I love, I love stories. I love characters. I love telling ideas. And so for me, like, you know, I grew up, you know, I went to pharmacy school and — but I’m a very creative person, and so for me, to watch a film or to read a book or to read a poem or something that inspires me, but something that really touches my soul.

00:01:33 – 00:01:46 Tejal Desai
And so for me, like, I really love to find ideas and characters and stories that really make me excited. And different for me, like, I love comedy and I love ideas about comedy and to bring people together.

00:01:46 – 00:02:03 Tejal Desai
So for me, like, getting up in the morning is like, whether I go to bed at night, think of a character or an idea for a story, and waking up in the morning and trying to improve that character or story or to embellish it and make that into a real concept is a big — a big challenge, but also I get a lot of reward from that as well.

00:02:03 – 00:02:03 Tejal Desai
Yeah.

00:02:04 – 00:02:36 Nitin Bajaj
Yeah. Now, obviously as a pharmacist, you’re in many ways kind of checking off the traditional boxes that our community celebrates: the doctor, engineer, lawyer. But you’re also an artist. You’re, you know, creating these beautiful stories. I’m curious, I mean, this is not easy. You could have just stuck to the traditional definitions of success. It makes me think, why do this?

00:02:37 – 00:02:54 Tejal Desai
I mean, for me, like, there’s — there’s an initial calling. Like, I think I went to pharmacy school, my, you know, I was a pharmacist and I was there for a very long time, but I took a screenwriting course. I loved writing stories all my life. I took a screenwriting course and it changed my life. I think one course in college changed my life.

00:02:54 – 00:03:13 Tejal Desai
I took a screenwriting course and from then on I decided I wanted to be a screenwriter. So I graduated pharmacy, worked as a pharmacist, and then went back to film school and started writing screenplays, started producing films, started directing films, and I felt that was my calling. And so I think from that journey on, it was something I really knew that was something I meant to do.

00:03:13 – 00:03:39 Tejal Desai
And I felt very passionate about it in a way that, you know, anyone feels something they’re very involved with. I think for me, I wanted to — I wanted to create stories that people would talk about long after I’m gone, and stories that people laugh about and remember. And if I can change, you know, the way people think or make them laugh in a certain way, I think I’ve achieved more than I could ever have done as a pharmacist.

00:03:39 – 00:03:48 Tejal Desai
I mean, even though it’s a very good profession and a helpful profession, I think this is what my calling was, and that’s where I decided to land.

00:03:48 – 00:03:59 Nitin Bajaj
I love it. And kudos to you for following your passion and kind of going all in on that. Now, this industry you work in comes with a lot of challenges.

00:04:00 – 00:04:00 Tejal Desai
Yeah.

00:04:01 – 00:04:12 Nitin Bajaj
What’s — especially nowadays, it’s going through an influx amongst the many other industries that are out. If you had to call out the one big challenge, what would that be?

00:04:13 – 00:04:40 Tejal Desai
I think the biggest challenge right now is just trying to navigate this world of where, like, you’re basically trying to figure out how to become an artist and what you’re trying to say. And what is — what I think the challenge being, for me, the biggest thing is trying to be introspective instead of looking outward and saying, hey, what is — what is my — what is my calling? What is my voice? What is what I’m trying to say and how do I say it?

00:04:40 – 00:04:53 Tejal Desai
With AI, we’re looking at these different things. But I think deep down, we all have to say it’s a personal — we all have a journey and we all have a statement to say and how can I make it very special to myself. And then navigating that journey.

00:04:53 – 00:05:07 Tejal Desai
And obviously with film, it’s very — you have to wear multiple hats, right? You have to be a producer, you have to be a director, a writer, and just trying to figure out how to navigate those ways and making it something so that people can look at and see and appreciate.

00:05:07 – 00:05:22 Tejal Desai
So I think the challenge right now is it’s easier with AI because you can see the different things with post-production, costs will come down, special effects will come down, but at the same time, you have to navigate how I can reach those audiences to appreciate my work. That’s the biggest challenge.

00:05:23 – 00:05:31 Nitin Bajaj
So true. Now, on the flip side of challenges come opportunities. What’s the one you’re most excited about?

00:05:31 – 00:05:49 Tejal Desai
I think the biggest opportunity right now is, like, I made my short film, Cowboys and Hindus, which is done very well at the film festivals. It’s based on a feature script that I wrote years ago that has won lots of awards, but I just haven’t been able to get it off the ground with other people involved.

00:05:49 – 00:06:09 Tejal Desai
So now I’ve taken the initiative on myself and saying, hey, I’m going to make this film as an entrepreneur, as a creative, and as a business person. I have to look at both sides of this and then say, hey, this is my film and I wanted to make this film. And so the challenge now is basically just making that, but also the opportunities are coming along with film festivals, recognizing the film.

00:06:09 – 00:06:28 Tejal Desai
We’re having a lot of people more involved. People are, you know, coming to me and said they loved the film and people saying they’ve cried after they came out of the film because they were so moved. And so it’s great to see that I’m impacting audiences on that level, but then the opportunities are coming by more and more people appreciating it and getting more awareness. And that’s the biggest opportunity.

00:06:29 – 00:06:55 Nitin Bajaj
Love that. Now, as we look forward, I’d love to take a moment to pause and reflect. And I’d like to invite you to share two moments from your life, one where things did not work out as you had expected and there was disappointment, failure, lessons, and another where things exceeded your expectations and became a success beyond your imagination.

00:06:57 – 00:07:14 Tejal Desai
I think I’ll start from the latter, like, or from the first one is like, you know, when you’re up and coming and you’re a writer and you’re wanting other people to help you in the film industry, you always, as a writer, you yourself say, okay, I can work with these people and hopefully they’ll make my dreams come true and they will work on these films.

00:07:15 – 00:07:46 Tejal Desai
And so, you know, initially I had a lot of people interested in my films and my scripts. And I had Robert Redford that was involved with producing and we met with a lot of big actresses, Meryl Streep and Sissy Spacek. And over the years, things just got sat around and that was a big failure on my part because I just waited for other people to do my film. They — I was waiting for them to make my film, make my dream. And I just sat around waiting as these people just sat and that was a big failure also, you know, on my part because I just didn’t take the initiative.

00:07:47 – 00:08:07 Tejal Desai
And so, I mean, this now is a point in my life where I’m taking the initiative and saying, hey, it doesn’t matter what these people are going to, you know, say, I’m going to make my film. And I think that was a failure on my part to not to say I believe in myself, that I can do this and I can — like any entrepreneur, any founder, this is no different. This is trying to make your film, trying to make your product.

00:08:08 – 00:08:26 Tejal Desai
You know, the other part of the question is, like, for me, I never believed really that I can do this after pharmacy school. And the Nickel Fellowship for the Academy of Motion Pictures that do the Oscars, they give out five fellowships per year out of 8,000, 9,000 applications.

00:08:26 – 00:08:41 Tejal Desai
And so, you know, the biggest thing that I was so proud of is that I knew I had talent, but I didn’t know if I had talent. And every week I would get these — every couple months I would get these emails saying, hey, you made the next round, you made the next round, you’re in the semifinalists, now you’re a finalist.

00:08:42 – 00:08:50 Tejal Desai
And then it’s kind of when I got that golden ticket, like Willy Wonka with a gold emblem from the Oscars, and I open the envelope and it says you’re a Nickel Fellow.

00:08:51 – 00:08:51 Nitin Bajaj
Nice.

00:08:51 – 00:09:12 Tejal Desai
Really validated for me that my, you know, that I thought I had talent, but people actually see that I have talent. And so for me, that was the biggest thing I was proud of. Like, I think that was a moment of inspiration for me to say, hey, people do appreciate my work. And to be one of the Nickel Fellows for the Academy is quite astounding and quite an honor for sure.

00:09:13 – 00:09:44 Nitin Bajaj
That is so cool. Congratulations on that and also for being a role model for our community because this is such an important piece of work. This profession has so much impact but doesn’t often get the credit, especially in our community. So thank you for doing what you do and for being there and being the role model, not for us, but also for the younger generation. Really proud of you.

00:09:44 – 00:09:45 Tejal Desai
Oh, thank you. Thank you so much.

00:09:46 – 00:09:49 Nitin Bajaj
Now, switching gears, what do you do for fun?

00:09:51 – 00:10:00 Tejal Desai
For fun, I mean, I, you know, I like to exercise, I like to run, I like to swim. I spend time with my wife, I spend time with my kids.

00:10:00 – 00:10:20 Tejal Desai
And for fun, I just — I love just writing stories, coming up with ideas. And so, like, I’m always thinking, I’m always watching people, whether it be a character, people, somebody at the airport that I find very interesting, somebody at the mall or somewhere that just — I just keep on constantly thinking. That’s — that kind of just keeps me stimulated.

00:10:20 – 00:10:27 Tejal Desai
And I love comedy. I’m a very — I’m a comedy writer. And so I love — I think I love to laugh. I love to make my family laugh, people laugh.

00:10:27 – 00:10:38 Tejal Desai
And so I just feel like laughter is the best medicine for me and my own aura. And so that’s what — that’s what keeps me going. Yeah. Making people laugh. Yeah.

00:10:39 – 00:10:45 Nitin Bajaj
I love that. Now, is there a book or a podcast that is a favorite and you want to share?

00:10:46 – 00:11:01 Tejal Desai
Yeah. I think — I think for me, like, you know, like, I’ve been going through a lot of, like, metamorphoses in my own life, like trying to — as you go into this, you know, becoming a founder, a filmmaker, trying to make your own story. And I’ve just tried to realize certain things after you get so far in your life.

00:11:02 – 00:11:18 Tejal Desai
Like, I think for me, like, I’ve been reading a lot of poetry, a lot of Robert Frost, a lot of Walt Whitman. And I think — and not to get too long-winded, but for me, like, I think you need a sense of peace. Even as anything you do as a founder, as an entrepreneur, you have to have a sense of peace that whatever you do is the best you can do.

00:11:18 – 00:11:41 Tejal Desai
And so, like, I think there’s a Walt Whitman line that says, “If I exist, I am enough.” And then it says, “If” — like, I think I’m paraphrasing, but if I’m a — if all — if none are aware, I sit content. If all are aware, I sit content. And so I think for me, that’s such a profound — like, I think — like, I think it just brings down a level of, like, pressure for me.

00:11:41 – 00:11:56 Tejal Desai
Like, I do what I can and I don’t have any expectation. And I just do the best that I can, that I’m here in this life and that I’m breathing and I’m being part of this world and this energy and I just do the best I can. And I feel that’s enough for me. Yeah.

00:11:57 – 00:12:12 Nitin Bajaj
I love it. And I think you gave us a good segue into the next part of our show, which is also my favorite. We call this the one-line life lessons. And Tejal, I would love for you to share your life lessons with us.

00:12:12 – 00:12:26 Tejal Desai
I think my life lessons — like, I think we all go through this path of just, like, you know, stress is a big part of life. Like, no matter what you’re balancing, we all balance different things, family, you know, work, our passions, and all this.

00:12:26 – 00:12:50 Tejal Desai
And I think what I’ve learned over the years is, like, one word for me is rumination. Like, I think rumination is the worst part of life. Like, we ruminate and we extrapolate these things that might happen, won’t happen, can happen. And I think worrying and I think all those things. And so those one-liners for me is like just ruminating, worrying about things.

00:12:50 – 00:13:07 Tejal Desai
I think for me, it’s just like living in the moment. I think that’s the biggest line. Like, I think it’s a Buddhist philosophy, which I believe in, but being in the moment, appreciating your breath, appreciating just the simplest things in life, you know, walking with your dog, with walking your — playing with your kids or whatever that may be.

00:13:07 – 00:13:30 Tejal Desai
I think creating a story, writing a line in a dialogue, and not having anything about it, not worrying about it, just being in the moment. I think for me, I’ve learned that a lot as I grow older. Like, being in the moment is the best way to live your life because we can’t look too far ahead and look too far back. We just have to be here now and appreciate it and enjoy it.

00:13:30 – 00:13:30 Tejal Desai
Yeah.

00:13:30 – 00:13:41 Tejal Desai
We’re all in this — we’re all in this journey together. And so we should — we should be part of it and appreciate each other and be compassionate to each other as much as possible. Yeah.

00:13:42 – 00:13:45 Nitin Bajaj
Love it. Are there other lessons you would like to share?

00:13:46 – 00:14:08 Tejal Desai
I think for other lessons, like, for me, I think I just think, like, I have this — and I’m not — I’m going to leave it at this. I have this quote in my family household. I taught my kids from the very — when they were young — that I said when I would tell them goodnight at night, I would say, “What’s the motto for our home?” And they would always say, “Love and laughter.”

00:14:08 – 00:14:22 Tejal Desai
Like, and that was what I taught them, like, love and laughter. Like, because I think in the day, like, all you have is the love you have for people around you, love you have for your things, love you have for your pets. And then also just laugh. I just believe laugh as much as you can. Laugh and smile.

00:14:22 – 00:14:38 Tejal Desai
Like, to see someone smile, I — you know, to me, when I’m at an airport or I’m on a plane, I just love hearing people laugh. I think it gives me — because I don’t know what they’re saying, but I just love hearing kids laugh. I hear adults laughing. I love hearing my wife laugh.

00:14:38 – 00:14:49 Tejal Desai
Like, I think it’s — there’s something truly existential about that thing that being a human is to laugh. And so for me, that’s the biggest thing. Yeah.

00:14:51 – 00:15:11 Nitin Bajaj
Love it. Tejal, thank you so much for making the time to be with us, sharing your journey and story, but most importantly for what you do, making people laugh and enjoying that. Truly, I really appreciate it. And kudos for all the success. And I know you’re just getting started on this journey.

00:15:12 – 00:15:16 Tejal Desai
Thank you so much, Nitin, for having me. I appreciate it so much. Thank you so much.

00:15:17 – 00:15:17 Nitin Bajaj
Thank you.