We were lucky to catch up with Vidhu Kota recently and have shared our conversation below.

Vidhu, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

My parents weren’t always supportive of my filmmaking ventures, and that’s understandable. It’s risky being a filmmaker in an oversaturated market. However, after a point, they were kind of forced into supporting me, because film was the only thing I wanted to do, and could do well. My grades were horrible and were consistently going downhill, it was only a matter of time before there was no way to fix that. However, my father was always encouraging of my creative ventures. I wrote a book when I was thirteen and he spearheaded the process of getting the book published by putting in a lot of his own time and effort. I feel like he believed in me even when I wasn’t sure what I was really doing. Maybe if he never encouraged me to write that book, I would have never written my first script.

Vidhu, 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’m a filmmaker and visual artist from India, based in Brooklyn, New York. I make films inspired by the duality of the two rich cultures that have shaped my life. My work is a reflection of the complexities of being in a foreign land and the beauty that can be found in the intersections of culture and identity. My bread and butter are domestic stories that are personal, relatable, and challenge cultural stereotypes, while also exploring the universal themes of love, loss, and the search for home. My documentary “Chalte Raho” explores the complexities of an Indian clothing store owner who has to survive through her husband passing away, breaking her hip, and being sued for $70,000 throughout covid. My film “How To Skip A Rock” tells the story of the relationship between a son and his father who passed away and explores the emotional vulnerabilities that are often missing in South Asian families. I’m inspired by the works of Lee Isaac Chung and Ramy Youssef, and through my films, I provide a unique perspective and voice to the diverse and dynamic landscape of contemporary South Asian storytelling.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the feeling of pure joy that comes from creating something that I’m passionate about. There’s nothing quite like the rush of excitement I get when an idea comes to me and I can’t wait to start working on it.

I also love the sense of community that comes with being an artist. There’s a special bond that forms when you work with a team of people who are all dedicated to bringing a project to life. We all come from different backgrounds and have different perspectives, but we’re all united by a shared love of storytelling.

Plus, it’s pretty cool to say “I made that” when you’re watching a movie.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to unlearn was the belief that everything has to be perfect before I can put it out into the world.

As a filmmaker, I’m always striving for excellence in my work, and I used to be a bit of a perfectionist. I would obsess over every detail and get stuck in an endless cycle of revisions and tweaks, convinced that nothing was good enough to share with the world.

But over time, I realized that this approach was actually holding me back. It was keeping me from putting my work out there and getting the feedback and recognition I needed to grow as an artist.

I had to unlearn this idea of perfection and learn to embrace the imperfections and mistakes that make my work unique. I had to accept that not everything will be perfect, and that’s okay. In fact, it’s often the imperfections that make my work stand out and resonate with audiences.

This lesson was a hard one to learn, but it’s made me a better filmmaker and a more confident artist. Now, I’m not afraid to take risks and put my work out there, imperfections and all.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vidhukota.com/
• Instagram: @vidhukota

Image Credits
Wallace Hallot