00:00:00 – 00:00:08 Nitin Bajaj

Hey everyone, welcome to the industry show. I’m your host, Nitin Bajaj, and joining me today is Viraj Gandhi. Viraj, welcome on the show.

00:00:09 – 00:00:12 Viraj Gandhi

Thanks, Nitin. Really happy to be here.

00:00:12 – 00:00:15 Nitin Bajaj

It’s great to have you here. Let’s start with who is Viraj.

00:00:18 – 00:01:04 Viraj Gandhi

So, I— I’m a South Asian American filmmaker, composer, and producer. I was raised by Mumbai immigrants in Shreefport, Louisiana. I fell in love with art and imagination as a kid because Shreefport is a very boring city, despite attending the best schools. I was feeling a lot of pressure to be a lawyer, doctor, businessman, trifecta. I ultimately took responsibility for my creativity my junior year of college. And my artistic moniker is Chakram, a flying weapon thrown with absolute conviction that never returns. I’m currently working on a hand-drawn animated short about my journey with grief after cremating my grandmother.

00:01:04 – 00:01:46 Viraj Gandhi

And yeah, my directing philosophy is to fill rooms with people who are way smarter than me and avoid all technical language. I direct mostly through metaphor and, you know, charades, honestly. And I live with bipolar II, and yeah, I’m a nerd. I published neurosurgical journals at 19, have an MFA from Brown, and a master’s in music from Berkeley College of Music. And I love the dissolution of boundaries— treating these things we think as opposite, as kindred: physics, spirituality, joy, depression. Yeah.

00:01:47 – 00:02:15 Nitin Bajaj

Love that. And my curiosity typically tends me to ask people why they do what they do. And in your case, it’s pretty clear and obvious: you followed your heart, your passion, and you’re on that journey to explore, dig deeper, stay curious. Give us a sense for what gets you out of bed in the morning and today, but in the longer term. Just give us a sense for what— what’s going on in that amazing head.

00:02:20 – 00:03:18 Viraj Gandhi

Honestly, creativity is— it’s my communion with the divine, with something greater than me. And what gets me out of bed is, yeah, my mission to uphold that covenant I made with creativity. And this perspective was gifted to me through my daddy, Sumitra. And my current project is honoring her and her gift to me, and the message her loss taught me. We have to integrate our grief and darkness instead of ostracizing or pushing away those innate parts of us. And she— my daddy— raised me to experience spirituality through vibration, and all the time, you know, not as a doctrine that is activated when I’m like, “Oh, let me think about God.” And yeah, so she died three days before I was going to be home for spring break in grad school.

00:03:18 – 00:04:02 Viraj Gandhi

So I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye. So this film I’m working on currently is all the sentiments of love I have for her that logistics and geography took from me. But yeah, beyond that film, I really want to prove that South Asian mythology deserves to be alongside all these Greek tragedies we see in prestige cinema. I believe we come from an incredibly intuitive and imaginative ancestral relationship with the cosmos, and it’s— yeah, it deserves the highest contemporary artistic ambition. And that’s my goal.

00:04:03 – 00:04:45 Nitin Bajaj

So true, and so really well put. And as you continue to work on this and let creativity and curiosity drive you, give us a sense for the work you have done so far. And the way I like to measure it is in terms of impact: the projects, the people, the topics you have brought to life, and how you have looked at it creating an impact. You talked about our South Asian identity, our culture, and everything we have to offer, but also the gifts we bring with us in terms of the creativity and connections.

00:04:45 – 00:05:45 Viraj Gandhi

Absolutely. So my first project is called “When Planet’s Mate,” and it’s like a 10-minute animated short that explores kind of the— it expands upon that Hindu myth of creation and destruction as being a holistic process. And it comments on that process in the cosmos, which I feel like is very obvious and very described in detail. And it also kind of supposes that as the process for identity creation and going through the versions of ourself that ultimately gets us to who we’re meant to be. And yeah, I did the score for it, and my process is that the music comes first, and then the script is written, and then animation is done. And that’s all. Yeah, and it’s a hearkening back to Fantasia, which was like the thing for me as a kid.

00:05:46 – 00:06:55 Viraj Gandhi

And yeah, and so that was my first project. It did the festival circuit in 2020, and it did about 16 festivals, a bunch in India, which was exciting. And two of those 16 festivals were Oscar-qualifying short animation festivals. And my current project, “In Search of Sumitra,” is about a young girl who cremates her grandmother, and when she goes to sleep that night, grief infiltrates her dream world and starts to emulate all of her precious memories with her grandmother. And at first, Nandini, the main character, tries to destroy grief and tries to erase her, and that only causes more destruction through her brain and through her mind. It’s like a world mixed with the surrealism of dream world, but also neuroanatomy. And ultimately, Nandini learns that grief is trying to take away all these memories so that she can focus on re-experiencing the cremation memory.

00:06:55 – 00:08:03 Viraj Gandhi

And through that— through experiencing that again— Nandini sees in the dream world that her grandmother doesn’t just go up in smoke; she goes up in light. And she sees all of her past and future lives, and it gives her a sense of wholeness, right? And that only happens when she integrates her darkness and listens to it. And it finishes with grief and her darkness and Nandini kind of dancing in conversation with each other, and then that rebuilds all of Nandini’s memories with her grandmother. So that’s the current project. And the one after that, the one I’m dreaming into right now, is called “Inevitable: Flower to Bloom,” and it has to do with corporal memory and inheriting, you know, memories from our ancestors, whether we’re conscious of them or not. And, you know, I feel like a huge part of the immigrant journey is our parents didn’t want us to hear the harsh realities they had to live through.

00:08:03 – 00:09:24 Viraj Gandhi

And we don’t get a full picture of, you know, what happened to our great-grandparents and things like that in colonialism. So it’s about a young guy, a dancer, who essentially gets this impulse for a dance sequence, and that dance sequence, to his surprise, opens this portal in time. And he’s transported back to Bengal in the 1850s during indigo plantation and servitude. And he learns that he was— and it’s his past life— so he learns that he was one of the leaders in this rebellion, which started peacefully but then turned violent. And ultimately, he learns that his ancestors chose him to express their pain through his beauty, and they just needed him to understand their pain. So when he goes back to the present, he expresses all that pain through dance, and he integrates all the farming behaviors, the movement, the sloshing of water in indigo vats, which were highly toxic. And yeah, so that’s the one that’s going to come up after this.

00:09:24 – 00:09:32 Viraj Gandhi

And the first two are hand-drawn animation, and then the next one will be rotoscope, which is live action then painted with animation.

00:09:33 – 00:10:07 Nitin Bajaj

That’s super exciting. I am really looking forward to staying on top of this as you continue to make progress on both of these projects. And which brings me to my next question, which is, you know, there is a lot of different worlds you’re bringing together into this. And I’m sure there is technical, logistical, funding, and other challenges that kind of come in the mix as you bring these to life. But if you had to call out the one big challenge that you’re facing, what would that be?

00:10:09 – 00:11:05 Viraj Gandhi

You named it, for sure. It’s funding, you know? And we’ve gotten— we’ve raised about 100,000 through private investment, and then we have about 80,000 left to raise. And that’s a challenge when you’re making work that Hollywood isn’t designed to support, right? And especially if you don’t have, you know, an uncle in the business or things like that, you have to open all the doors through the work itself. And it doesn’t make sense to me that my work would be considered risky, given that there’s a potential audience of a billion people if they market it in India. And I really think we’re all hungry for our mythology to return to the forefront of our ideas.

00:11:05 – 00:11:25 Viraj Gandhi

And yeah, so I would say that’s the biggest challenge. And beyond that, it’s just— just, yeah, the emotional labor that I had to go through to kind of shed the shame I had for so long in terms of choosing a life in creativity. And that’s going to be a lifelong thing.

00:11:26 – 00:11:42 Nitin Bajaj

True. I agree. That’s the social construct in which we were raised: to optimize for being doctor, engineer, lawyers. And I say this about me: I chose the fourth option, which was disappointment.

00:11:42 – 00:11:43 Viraj Gandhi

Hey!

00:11:47 – 00:11:50 Viraj Gandhi

We’re in the same boat, man. We should make a— we should make a club.

00:11:51 – 00:11:54 Nitin Bajaj

I think it’ll be a few hundred million people strong.

00:11:57 – 00:12:05 Nitin Bajaj

Now, talking about challenges, on the flip side, are opportunities. What’s the one you’re most excited about?

00:12:06 – 00:13:00 Viraj Gandhi

So I’ve really leaned into grants this summer, and the most exciting one to me is— it’s not a grant, it’s called a fiscal sponsorship— but through this organization called Film Independent, which is really cool. They host the Spirit Awards, they have a lot of artist development programs, and their fiscal sponsorship that we applied to would essentially unlock tax-deductible donations for their huge donor pool, right? And then, yeah, they get a tax break when they donate to work they feel good about. And so that’s probably the biggest one that I’m most excited about. And we also applied to the Entertainment to Affect Change fiscal sponsorship. We have an interview next week, which is really exciting. And yeah, it’s a second-round interview, so I’m really excited for that.

00:13:00 – 00:13:32 Viraj Gandhi

And yeah, ultimately, I’m really proud and excited to push this next film, “In Search of Sumitra,” as a vessel for communal healing about grief and navigating mental health. So it’s really exciting to pitch it to people that way, you know, versus just like a 15-minute piece of entertainment. And yeah, I’m really hoping donors respond. And but it’s going to get done one way or another, so.

00:13:33 – 00:13:58 Nitin Bajaj

I’m rooting for you. And just having gotten to know you and your passion for this, I know it’ll come through. And more power to you for bringing these things back to life. It’s something we need as a community. We need to bring what we’ve had for thousands of years back to the forefront. And kudos to you for taking on the mantle for doing that.

00:13:59 – 00:14:00 Viraj Gandhi

Thank you, brother.

00:14:01 – 00:14:26 Nitin Bajaj

Now, as we talk about what’s to come, I like to pause and reflect, and I’ll invite you to share two moments from your past life. One where things did not work out as you had expected. There was disappointment, failure, lessons. And another where things exceeded your expectations and became a success beyond your imagination.

00:14:28 – 00:15:25 Viraj Gandhi

Yeah, I’ll start with failure. And so I was misdiagnosed with just— they thought I had clinical depression only for 18 years. And so I was treated for the wrong illness and the wrong meds, you know, they exacerbated my bipolar symptoms. And I finally got the bipolar diagnosis at 32, so pretty recently. And I was just so furious at all that time that was lost. And over time, though, I realized, at least in the last two years, that it was the misdiagnosis years where I built my life, my personality, my mission. And it’s the same neural architecture that produces mania, depression, and, you know, relentless rumination.

00:15:26 – 00:16:03 Viraj Gandhi

It’s the same structure that built all the things I believe in. My first film, my second film, paints my world perspective, and I would not be me with any other mind. And yeah, so the failure of medicine kind of became the foundation from which I built a whole spiritual and creative practice from. And I spent so long wishing my brain was different, but it’s always been my greatest tool. It just needed some fine-tuning, right? I think everyone could use a little fine-tuning in the brain.

00:16:06 – 00:17:02 Nitin Bajaj

Well, you put it in such a mature and wise way, but also almost in passing. But I’m sure it took a lot and a lot out of you. And also, again, going back to our community and our sense of maturity around these topics, which isn’t a whole lot, unfortunately. I can only imagine the kind of challenges and pain and self-doubt that— I mean, again, I don’t have words to express, but all to say that kudos to you for taking on all of this and kind of putting that in your rearview mirror, but also reflecting from and off of it and bringing your creativity to it to bring these things to life.

00:17:02 – 00:17:05 Nitin Bajaj

So hats off. I mean, I’m super proud of you.

00:17:07 – 00:17:08 Viraj Gandhi

That means a lot, man. Thank you.

00:17:11 – 00:17:52 Nitin Bajaj

So yeah, you were talking about failure of medicine. And, you know, it’s unfortunate that we live in this country with access to the best of the best, and we hear so many of these misdiagnoses or lack of depth or just not putting what we have to help people that need it. But that said, I agree 100% with you. We all need some fine-tuning up here, and some like me more than others. So I’m glad we— at least I get to know someone who’s done that and can help me with it.

00:17:53 – 00:17:57 Viraj Gandhi

Yeah, that’s our second club. That’s the mental fine-tuning club.

00:17:57 – 00:17:57 Nitin Bajaj

So

00:18:01 – 00:18:04 Nitin Bajaj

tell me about the success you’re proud of.

00:18:04 – 00:18:48 Viraj Gandhi

Oh, yeah. So yeah, my debut short animation, “One Planet’s Mate,” screened at 16 festivals and the two Oscar-qualifying ones. I got the email notifications within an hour of each other the same night. And I was home for break, so I got to, like, you know, run around and find my dad wherever he was in the house and tell him, and then find my mom. And it was so cool. And yeah, beyond that, Rolling Stone India exclusively premiered it when we released it to the public. And Matt Black, who is the co-founder of Ninja Tune, awesome independent label, and he’s the one half of the cold cut electronic act.

00:18:49 – 00:19:36 Viraj Gandhi

And he left an unprompted comment, and I think it said, “Yeah, this is cosmic, sweet, soulful, funny, and cool.” And I was like, wow, that’s someone who’s behind so much work that influenced me. And yeah, and it’s amazing now that my next project, “In Search of Sumitra,” we’re working with Ashim Ahuja, who is the executive producer, and he has a track record of A24 films, HBO films, South by Southwest festival screenings, and Sundance screenings. And my creative producer, Meher Kaur, she is working currently as the assistant showrunner on “The Last of Us.”

00:19:36 – 00:19:37 Nitin Bajaj

Nice.

00:19:37 – 00:20:10 Viraj Gandhi

And I’m so proud of her. And, you know, she— I’ve seen— we went to, like, theater school together, and now it’s cool that we’re still working together. And yeah, and arguably one of my— I think it’s— he’s one of the most legendary composers of all time. Miguel Atwood Ferguson just strings for everyone and finds time to do it with me. And he’s not only my mentor and teacher, but he’s also one of my best friends. And the coolest thing, the biggest success, I would say, is that the budget is not what attracted these people. It’s the work.

00:20:10 – 00:20:13 Viraj Gandhi

And that means so much. Yeah.

00:20:14 – 00:20:30 Nitin Bajaj

And super excited and really happy for you. And I know you’re just getting started, so there’s a lot more to come. Now, switching gears a little bit, what do you do to de-stress and have fun when you’re not working?

00:20:30 – 00:20:43 Viraj Gandhi

So I love acupressure mats. That’s my biggest de-stress tool. Yeah, I can— it’s at a point now where my practice with it, where I, like, take naps on it. I take naps on spikes, which is a ridiculous thing to say.

00:20:44 – 00:20:44 Nitin Bajaj

It is.

00:20:50 – 00:21:18 Viraj Gandhi

And yeah, I love going to jazz concerts as much as I aspire to mosh pit at a Death Grip show. Yeah, visual art galleries, nature, responsible psychedelic expansion. And my favorite thing to do is invite dear friends to my music studio. And it’s a pretty serious setup. When I see them experience music they’ve listened to their whole life, right?

00:21:19 – 00:21:39 Viraj Gandhi

Like 15, 20 years. And they’ll hear things like, “Oh, I heard the musician’s foot tap the mic stand.” And that sends them over the edge, their face, to me, that’s priceless. And yeah, I love coffee, so big brown water advocate. And it’s a great city to love coffee in.

00:21:39 – 00:22:16 Viraj Gandhi

My coffee office, Coffice, is called Found in Eagle Rock. Highly recommend checking that out. Yeah, and, you know, I have tons of Sagittarius placements in my chart, and that kind of demands I enjoy everything I do, right? And my soundtrack that I’m working on right now is— it’s 1,500 layers of strings, of synthesizer designs, drums. And that, to most mixing engineers, would sound like pluperfect hell, you know? But for me, that’s like— that’s a party. And yeah, and I just got back into acting.

00:22:16 – 00:22:35 Viraj Gandhi

I did this Chekhov production, which was really fun. And it was great to actually, you know, make it comedic with people, because it is comedy, even though it’s, like, very Russian and dark. And anywhere where the uncanny or the magic might show up, that’s where my fun is.

00:22:37 – 00:23:04 Nitin Bajaj

That’s amazing. And I know what I’m going to do is self-invite myself to your music studio. And that’s— music is a passion, and to be able to enjoy it at a different level is something I’m opting in for. So we’ll work on that. Now, onto my favorite part of the show. We call it the one-line life lessons. And Viraj, I would love for you to share your life lessons with us.

00:23:05 – 00:23:47 Viraj Gandhi

Absolutely. Questions are greater and more important than answers. I mentioned it earlier, but yeah, quest to be the dumbest person in a room full of geniuses. Yeah, to me, being the smartest sounds so boring and kind of like an imperial mindset. The soul-breaking is what precipitates its reaction to solidify. And do whatever you can to resist conformity and mediocrity. Be bold, dare to upset, rebel, and just be brave in the fact that cool shit is what people aren’t doing, right?

00:23:48 – 00:24:08 Viraj Gandhi

And last, ancestry lives beyond geography. We are our ancestry. You know, there’s ancestral secrets that whisper amongst our genome, like, you know, hidden heirlooms. And we just have to learn to listen.

00:24:11 – 00:24:36 Nitin Bajaj

Love that. Thank you, Viraj, for sharing your journey, your story, your life lessons, but most importantly, for doing what you’re doing. It’s not easy, lots of challenges, but staying true and honest to who you are and helping others like us realize that, and taking us as a community forward. I really appreciate everything you do.

00:24:39 – 00:24:52 Viraj Gandhi

That means the world, man. Thank you so much. And thanks for having me on the show. It’s so cool. This has been running for so long. And yeah, I hope you always continue to do it. Yeah, this feels really special to me.