Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nikhail Asnani. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Nikhail, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

I guess being a world muse – I have to live with my human rights violated which have happened since 2008 when the gaslighting all this began. I live surveillanced with limited contact to people, withheld from gay relationships, and constantly abused emotionally and mentally by lies of many. It’s a situation where I don’t understand why but I’m even struggling to find any judicial help regarding freedom and proper rights — including with how my work has impacted not just Hollywood movies but very big events in the world. It does cause lots of stress and so forth especially not being allowed to earn any money to be independent. So I’ve learnt to just take my time with what I do – they say the best revenge is to live deliciously – so I just eat good food, shop, sleep lots, and try my best to take each day as it comes. This is kind of an expected problem more than unexpected, however it’s a problem for me moreso than anyone else of the very very many that enjoy exploiting me. I guess also a problem that occurred was that I knew about all this for so long – but was forced to keep it a secret because if I said anything I’d get in trouble – and when I had enough while living in LA and told people – it scared them and caused them to entrap me and ruin my life there. So now I live in Hong Kong which is also an unexpected problem as I don’t speak the language or can work here. Thinking about it – in my opinion – this whole movement as a muse is problematic for many many reasons, the main for me is I have no choice. It’s doesn’t allow me to exist in the artist society properly and it doesn’t allow me to develop normally as a person. Literally so many aspects about it are problematic and illegal but what’s a small fry like me going to do when way richer people control your life how they see fit and no one cares about the exploitation by the system of Hollywood, the law, healthcare even by some of the lgbtq+ community.

Nikhail, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I wanted to be an actor at a young age and I actually auditioned for Slumdog Millionaire however after I didn’t get the part I quit acting. I started to work behind the scenes for a director during my undergrad. When I graduated I was, I don’t know exactly, you could say kidnapped by billionaires and gaslit for many years. I went to NYFA for a stint and thats when I realized my life and ideas were inspiring some the greatest films in the world. Not just me, also the images of my friends, basically if I looked at someone on social media. Anyway I kept writing and finally after many years got into graduate school at Chapman. There I developed my acting and directing skills as well as my light painting. After graduating I worked for Steven de Souza and developed Boogeyman the crossing which actually was called the The Crossing but we labeled it Boogeyman based on another optioned piece that was sent in for visa purposes. This was a script but for some reason, I don’t know why, became a boogeyman movement when my voice kept being taken. It’s felt extremely abusive for so long – I’m constantly needing to find ways to heal and control my reactions as result. Then I joined the WGA and in isolation I just kept making art. For different reasons but as it goes it was always therapeutic. And then it became experimental. And then it became addiction. I got magazine spreads for my light paintings, my films played in so many places, but when I was isolated and no one would work or talk to me, and my work started being put underground, I started to do one man shows where I would write act shoot and direct all on my own. These played in underground festivals but it’s very hard as I want to be an actor but it seems many festivals even when selecting a one man show, wont show my face, like they’ll hide the poster or edit my face from the trailer from the segment playing on TV. It’s hard because I just want to exist in this acting space and no other.

I think what sets me apart is I’m always developing my skills, growing, learning, trying new things. It’s always interesting to see the next thing I come up with. I developed a concept of spotting, as I got obsessed with circles like YaYoi Kusama so I put lots of circles in my work but I don’t know how long that’ll last.

I guess I’m most proud of how far I’ve come as a person. I didn’t grow up with much encouragement from peers so I had to be. my own driving force the whole time. It hard when you see the validation so many people get and you get none but in this indiscreet way from celebs and the industry, however it’s like a IYKYK sorta deal. These relationships haven’t been made in real life so the amount of dependency on the online world is a little hard to deal with sometimes. But I think as a person, even in difficult times, how I’ve pulled through it what makes me proud. I never became as vengeful or as bad as my haters, though there were many times I would’ve been – but thanks to my lawyer who is much more mature and wiser than me. I try my best to take a higher road. Though of course there are still many ways I wish I could improve, I wish I could be braver and stand up for myself more but the repercussions of that may be too scary.

I am very proud of many filmmakers that have taken inspiration from me as well. For example Greta for Barbie, so honored by that, and it’s crazy that my work influenced the biggest film in the world. And I actually cried when watching Barbie because it showed my life narrative to many people – whether they know it or not. Same with Wes for Asteroid City – so honored. Those are just two of the many many many films influenced that I am so honored people, for god knows what reason, they decided to see my work and decided to have a bit of it be a part of theirs. I just hope one day I make it to America and get to meet these other amazing artists in person, and hopefully actually work in the industry like a regular artist.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think we need to support artists while they are alive. Share their work. Encourage them. Allow them to speak about their work and give them safe spaces to be themselves and share their talents with the world. When I think about this question, I kind of think of what is needed for me for a thriving ecosystem. Obviously, the wga and sag are also striking right now so another thing society can do is pay the creatives. I think what would’ve prevented a lot of problems and encouraged more bravery and creativity is if I felt more supported as an artist. Financially and marketing wise in ways that I could tangibly feel. We need to respect and support our artists tangibly, so they can survive to keep making the work they do, and enjoy it. We need to take their art seriously, and give them credit when due. And we need to stop creating walls to limit artists through racism, sexism, and discrimination.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

A lot of people have seen my art as always a response to unrequited love and I have mentioned that in the past in other interviews – however I’ve grown to realize it’s not that. It’s all about protest. My art has always been a way for me to speak up against how I’ve been treated and what is wrong with the system and how it’s damaging at times. So while I continue to make art that speak to this movement of needing my space and respecting my space and going against exploitation and discrimination and speaking up with women and minorities. But this has also evolved – into me becoming a performer and as a performer I just want to convey entertainment and truth to words on a page. I enjoy authentic performances and want to develop into an authentic and powerful performer myself. That my main goal now. To play roles that aren’t the role of my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nikhailasnani.com
• Instagram: nikhailr
• Twitter: nikhail28
• Youtube: nikhail2010
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3ufRR9uk4egEfWH2RdpDPX?si=REfpQFsBTVak1RHZPJkPPw
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2862663/

Image Credits
Nikhail Asnani