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

Praboo, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I am very happy as a film editor. Whenever the films I edit spark a reaction from the public, I feel contented as I have managed to enable the audience to feel for the characters or story on screen. You see, I relate films to the fundamentals of human experience. As humans, we feel empathy, sympathy, epiphany and sometimes we suppress them in order to avoid ourselves from being looked at as vulnerable. Films in the cinemas allow us to experience things in private that sometimes encourage us to do the things we were once afraid of. For me, I was inspired by a Hindi film called 3 Idiots. The story was very relatable to me in the sense of how we cram information to pass the exams and not understand it to its full extent. That then gave me the courage to change and shift my way of studying even if it took me a little longer than most people. I may have failed some subjects in the past like physics and chemistry but hey, 8 years later I restored my bike’s carburetor. Do I wonder what would it be like to have a regular job? Is film editing not a regular job? What is normal anyway, am I right?

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Born and raised in Melaka, Malaysia, I started my journey at a very young age. I was always curious as to how films were made with special effects especially in the early 70s and 80s. My family and some amazing friends encouraged me to pursue my interest and I kept going without stopping. Sometimes I fall but no pain no gain. I get up and try again.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I once read a book called The Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. In the book I remember her writing about jumping on an opportunity when given and take all risks in stride. That has helped me out tremendously in learning new things at work. I am not afraid at trying new editing softwares and troubleshooting them even when on a time crunch because I always learn something and at the end of the day, I get better at it the next time.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal is to one day start a film school in my hometown to provide a platform to the upcoming creative Malaysian filmmakers. Growing up, filmmaking tools and resources in Melaka weren’t easy to acquire. I had to find people online or even travel upstate to attend seminars, events and gatherings. That often times meant a lot of money spending for accommodation, food and drinks. So I want to start a filmschool in my hometown and then in the country to bridge the gap between the filmmakers and the cinematic world.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.iamprabooariva.jimdo.com
• Instagram: @its_pbu

Image Credits
Ziva Shi, Sarita Mohan