Exclusive | Career is where the (Filmy) genes lie: Chinni Nihalani

The filmy bug hits everyone at some point of their life and to this we all agree. Very few of us have the courage to realize and accept the filmy bug as the calling for us to pursue it as a career. Some shy away from the struggle and others say we will never make it in the industry until and unless we have a Godfather. And then comes the third who say I will make it come what may on the basis of my talent. We found the third type in Chinni Nihalani.

Son of renowned producer Pahlaj Nihalani, Chinni was indeed born with the filmy genes. However, Chinni did not rest assure on his genes and joined the Art School in San Francisco at 18 to hone his skills. He returned back and joined Channel V and produced a few shows and later moved on to making short films.  Currently his experience entails 10 years of producing, directing, writing, editing, shooting/gaffing both in Bombay and New York on independent/ main stream films, commercials, music videos, television, documentaries, etc.

Chinni is the Creative Director/Editor at Promoshop a Creative Shop set up that designs Audio-Visual Campaigns for the entertainment industry both domestic and International Markets. Adgully caught up with him to know more about his passion, love and hunger for his work.

It is inevitable that being “filmy” was in his genes but how did his filmy heart manage to convince him to take this up as a career? His reply, “It's Nature v/s Nurture! I made a career out of something I love doing!”

How would he describe his stint as a producer in Channel V and any show which would take him back to TV? Chnni said that his time at Channel V was really a fantastic one. The Company was new then, and the team was young and it was a great place to be at that time. TV is a powerful dynamic medium; and he’d love to go back to it, provided there was something that excited him.

We asked how much expectation did people put into him because of his father’s name in the industry and well the answer to it was short and pithy, it was something that was not for him to answer but the others. He believes that only your body of work can speak for itself, everything else is secondary.

Did he agree that today a film’s Audio Visual Campaigns brings the audience to the theatre? Well Chinni definitely agreed and strongly voiced his thoughts. “One does know what the audience expects and I feel that is the key-expectation management. We should give them what they are used to expecting, while also packing in some novelty and that for me is the job well done.

We wanted to know how important a role does packaging and designing play in making a film and Chinni said that it is as important as the choice of script, actors etc. Consumers today are spoilt for choice and are very smart. Everyone knows a well finished product, and will give you their time and money for it.

We were curious to know that since Promoshop accepted projects in the scripting as well as post-production stage, what criteria Promoshop followed before choosing a project. The answer was to the point; if they liked the subject they would do it. A film is a creative output of many heads. How much contribution did Chinni bring in as a creative director/editor?

Chinni said the following, “When we make trailers, we work with shot footage, so in terms of setting and mounting, it’s all about presentation. We do have an influence on the style of storytelling, like one can choose to present it as it is in the film, or go non linear. Motion Graphics is an essential part of a trailer, you'll be surprised how much of a difference a color, or style of animation makes.

We asked whether Promoshop was open to doing small scale low budget films for it has been associated with the much hyped big budget films of 2012.  Yet again the man did not surprise us but kept his answer to the bare minimum. It was a yes for him and his words, “Absolutely. Work is Worship. We need to love what we do, so that it reflects in the quality of work we put out.”

What has been the most challenging project till date and Chinni said that every film he does is as challenging as the other. There is always a tossup for the scenes you show in the trailer v/s the ones to leave for the movie watching experience. That's the beauty of the business, choosing the most exciting 2 minutes that they feel would entice the viewer. I By Rabab Rupawala [rabab(at)adgully.com]