Shruti parekh: Award winning filmmaker & director of zari
Written by: Milla Nguyen + Photography by: Julian Valgora
Shruti Parekh’s Biography:
Shruti Parekh is an Atlanta-bred, Brooklyn-based filmmaker and artist who tells intimate and incisive stories of life on the margins of society. Her award-winning work spans fiction, documentary, journalism, animation and visual art. Her most recent narrative short film, Zari, won the Grand Jury and Audience Awards at NewFest and was nominated for Best Narrative Short at Austin Film Festival. She wrote and directed Zari as a winner of the CAPE/Janet Yang Productions Julia S. Gouw Short Film Challenge, and filmed it in Delhi, India. Shruti’s previous project as a writer/director, Esperanza, won Best Narrative Short at the Portland Film Festival, Best Student Short at Ojai Film Festival, and Best Screenplay at Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival. Previously, Shruti’s issue-driven work as a digital video journalist at Gizmodo Media Group garnered millions of views. As an editor, she has worked on award-winning documentaries and edited for clients such as Food & Wine, Vanity Fair, Elizabeth Arden, Chowhound, and Yellowbrick. Shruti got her start making music videos and working as an assistant to the acclaimed director Mira Nair on her 2013 film, The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Shruti has a BA from Brown University and an MFA in Directing from UCLA, where she received the Jack Nicholson Distinguished Student Director Award and the Edie and Lew Wasserman Film Production Fellowship. She is currently finishing her fourth short film, Homebody.
Author’s Note:
It is an honor to highlight Shruti Parekh as one of our Vicarious Column headliners for our first issue. Shruti Parekh is a multi-talented filmmaker. She has done everything from directing to producing to editing and shooting her own work. Most of all, Shruti spoke of her cultural identity: what it meant to be an Indian-American in a very competitive industry. I saw her latest film, Zari, when she was selected as one of the finalist winners of the CAPE USA x Janet Yang Productions x Julia S. Gouw’s short film competition. The film paints a portrait of a young Indian-American teenager, Neelu, who forges a brief and unexpected connection with Zeyb, quiet sari store clerk, who moonlights as an internet drag queen. The film was beautifully shot, from the vibrant colors of the saree fabrics to the bustling city streets and a multitude of Indian. languages spoken. However, the special aspects of the film included brilliant performances by Kamal Batra and Aesha Soni, as well as Shruti’s intimate, raw directing. After I saw the film, I felt deeply emotional despite not being a part of the LGBTQ+ or drag community. The film was as light as a feather but heavy in the heart simultaneously. The idea that Asian American and internationally-Asian-born children still undergo the pressures of strict families, societal constraints, and the acceleration of digital culture was highly relevant.
Shruti Parekh prides herself in making films about stories of young women, Indian women, and blossoming characters in harsh circumstances. She mentioned that there was something very delicate and beautiful about watching female characters discover even more about themselves during difficult times.
Shruti’s Journey on Being Well-Rounded:
Parekh is based in New York but grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. Besides Zari, she wrote and directed Blood Moon, which is about a teenage girl who gets her first period. She wrote and directed Esperanza, a film about an immigrant taxi driver in upstate New York who takes a hopeful young couple to the Canadian border, and they find themselves at odds in the shared pursuit of a better life. The film illustrates the journey of an Indian man who wishes to bring his family from India to the United States for a better future. On the other side of the coin, an LGBTQ+ couple wants to leave the dystopian United States to cross into Canada to live in a shared marriage without fear and harassment. Her last project, titled, Homebody, is about a female protagonist and her desire to save her New York apartment after being evicted.
Specifically, on Zari, Parekh recalled going to saree stores on family vacations and seeing young men assist female patrons with choosing the perfect saree. In a society that is more restrictive and quite patriarchal, men were still a large part of India’s fashion industry. She mentioned the existence of the trans community in India and how the group is still largely marginalized. However, the group is a part of historical and religious contexts. At this point in time, transgender citizens in Mumbai are legally recognized and are protected by the law. While they still face discrimination, the community has grown and protects its members from harassment. Regarding drag performances, the concept directly involves dance expression, extravagant cultural dress, and storytelling. In India, drag is a relatively newer concept than in the West, with a small but growing number of drag artists. Parekh grew up going to India mainly to visit family. She remembered feeling fraught when visiting India as a child because she felt self conscious about how to act, how to dress, and cultural barriers.
Yet, she was full of energy during her trip in 2015 and witnessed firsthand how cities in India have become more globalized. This was 7 years before she filmed Zari. When she returned to film the project, Shruti Parekh and her producer were the only Indian Americans on the crew. Therefore, the rest of the crew members embarked on a cultural journey with her. Parekh said, “Meeting more people when filming Zari was so fulfilling. I remember going out to eat at the end of our shoot days, and it feels different than going there to visit family.” It’s just as Parekh described; her whole crew sat at tables along the city streets, tried a multitude of authentic Indian dishes, and clinked their drinks in triumph.
She attended Brown University during college and later earned her MFA in Directing from UCLA. She entered Brown, passionate and in love with the visual arts, and exercised various mediums from photography to architecture. She wasn’t sure about film production right. away. Even so, Brown didn’t have a film production degree at the time. As a substitute, she chose film and media studies instead. This degree helped her understand the theories of media and structure. She found herself leaning into the documentary genre. After moving to New York, she started making music videos at DD172, which is owned by Damon Dash. She taught herself how to edit and shoot videos. Parekh dabbled in various film production roles, and this serves as her well-roundedness today. When she returned to UCLA to get her MFA, she knew what she wanted to do. This time, Shruti Parekh walked on campus with confidence, a newfound sense of understanding, and many tools under her belt.
Shruti on Overcoming Struggles & Obstacles:
This doesn’t mean the journey was any less difficult. She spoke about how hard it was for artists to be supported in the United States. She felt that artists weren’t always compensated for their work or were forced to do a lot for very little pay. It adds to the financial barrier that first-time filmmakers currently face. Parents are concerned for children with a creative skill set and rightfully so, as the future is always unknown. She mentioned that filmmakers often go through impostor syndrome. To combat this feeling, filmmakers need to band together. I asked her if there was anything she would like to see change in Hollywood. She said, “The film industry often feels uncertain, especially when entering it. You hope your work gets recognition, but there’s no support or formula for how to do so.” She was glad to see a stark emergence of nonprofits and organizations that offer filmmakers opportunities. However, Hollywood seems to be obsessed with well-known names and well-known brands. This causes a gap between filmmakers because studios are reluctant to take risks. She spoke about the independent filmmaking industry and how independent stories are even more personal than commercial works now. She said, “Our work shouldn’t be defined by monetary value. I know that’s the reality, but it doesn’t change the fact that it is a fundamental issue.” Film school students are increasingly concerned about their futures in the current economy. Unemployment is at an all-time high with the guild strikes, industry contraction, and lack of open-mindedness. Shruti said, “AI and changing technology isn’t going to go away, which is why we need to find ways to ensure that art stays alive. We need to remind ourselves about why we’re doing this.”
Shruti on her Filmmaking Process & Future Plans:
In her free time, she loves being inspired by New York City. When writing, Parekh sets boundaries for herself. She takes long walks and gets out into the world. When she’s in the zone, she intentionally limits her social life. She said, “Focusing on the task at hand is important. Directing is about connecting with the people around me. Writing is about understanding my vision, which I have to do on my own. At least, at first until I can share it with those around me.” She says that understanding her actors is vital before going on set. To the best of her ability, she tries to hang out with her actors alone in a setting unrelated to the story.
When asked about long-term goals, Parekh wants to find a balance between her work and life. She also wants to balance paid work and creative work specifically for her conscience. Her short-term goals include understanding her personal boundaries. She often works on weekends but has decided to take weekends off to preserve her mental health. Between all four of her short films, she spoke about how she tackled topics utilizing her journalist background. Especially in Esperanza, Blood Moon, and Homebody, she related to all her characters and understood the weight of life-changing sacrifices. She hid little bits of herself within these characters but also ensured they had their own autonomy. For the future, she plans to work on her upcoming feature films which she’s quite excited about.
Finally, I asked if there was anyone she would like to acknowledge or thank in her journey as a filmmaker. She thanked her mother and father. At first, they were concerned about her future but were highly supportive the deeper she got into her career. Her father still works as a scientist and her mother works as an English professor, writer, and poet. Since she was young, she was surrounded by art and owes them her love for creating. She would also like to thank her partner, Sonny Singh, who is a musician. With their shared passion for the arts, they have developed a deep connection over the years. She mentioned that he visited her during the film Zari and is extremely thankful for his patience and support.
