I had my own set of struggles: Ashwiny
She shone bright as an advertising professional during her 14-year tenure with Leo Burnett, but when she was at the top of her game, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari surprised everyone by quitting her job as an executive creative director. And then in 2016, she made people sit up and notice her talent in Nil Battey Sannata (NBS), which she directed and co-wrote with her husband, Nitesh Tiwari. In the interim, she worked on a Kaun Banega Crorepati commercial centred on the girl child as well as a few short films. HT Café caught up with Ashwiny to talk about career, life and her next project, Bareilly Ki Barfi.
Did you always want to be a director?
Deep in my heart, I always wanted to be a director. I wanted to be an artist and I think a director is an artist (smiles). A director tells stories, but he/she is also the captain of the ship. So, the management skills, teamwork or how to handle so many people come from [my experience in] advertising. The agenda of some movies is to make money, while some want to earn just enough money but be critically acclaimed. In this day and age, I don’t think anyone will say, ‘It’s okay if a film flops’, and it would be stupid to say. There are nine emotions in the world, so there will be an audience for all kinds of movies.
After NBS, do you feel expectations are high?
I think you just have to do your work with complete honesty; things that have to come will come, and won’t if they don’t have to. I’m a strong believer in the law of the universe and the science of Buddha. I always believe ki aaj hai toh sab kuch rahega, kal nahi rahega toh koi nahi rahega. There is a reason I have come here [in the industry]: to tell stories and make a difference in someone’s life. Tomorrow, even after I’ve made ten films, I would feel, ‘I can do something better’. I know I am still going to be judged. As a storyteller, everyone has that space, and so, it’s important to know what I am saying. When I got my first major award — the Best Debut director award — the looks on my mother and Nitesh’s face said it all.
Was it a struggle to put together your first film?
Regardless of how big a director or writer you are, everyone goes through ‘struggles’ in their own way. I had my own set of struggles. We spent a year writing the script for NBS, and at that time, I used to work for an agency. We made our mistakes but, finally, we got there. I knew Ajay Rai and showed him my script with no intention to direct. I was thinking that it has to be made, because you need to tell stories differently, and not in the same boring manner, especially with the way our country and our young minds are growing. When Ajay asked me, ‘Why don’t you direct?’ I was like, ‘What’s the harm?’ Deep inside, I wanted to direct. At that time, my biggest support was Nitesh and my mum. Also, my biggest challenge as a first-time film-maker was to overcome my own doubts. The second was to ignore the people who didn’t believe in me and just let my work speak for itself.
For you, what was the best part about NBS?
As a first film, NBS was kind of enriching. But the best part is that no one was looking to make money out of it. People were just looking to earn respect, and when that happens, everything else follows.
As a first film, NBS was enriching. But the best part is that no one was looking to make money out of it. ASHWINY IYER TIWARI, DIRECTOR
You’ve spent 15 years in advertising. Does that experience help you while making movies?
Working in advertising teaches you to be disciplined, logical, and objective about each scene you write and direct. Every minute detail is planned. Plus, you are also taking care of your client’s money. But the most important thing it has taught me is to understand the human mind, which help make my stories stronger.
Advertising and films are considered to be two different worlds. How different are they?
When you’re doing ad films, you always think in terms of seconds, so our emotions are also per second. But in filmmaking, I see it as a life unfolding in front of me. So, there’s a liberty of putting in all the emotions. So, I have cautiously kept in mind that a feature film is about telling a story with objectivity but also getting the emotions out because if you cannot get your audiences involved in the film, you’re done. What I learnt from advertising is to get inside [a world] and get the right aspects out. It’s like breaking the dichotomy of a set agenda of storytelling.
thought, ‘why?’
I hate being asked, ‘how does it feel to be a woman director?’ I wonder what it feels like being a woman doctor or engineer. When we meet female doctors or engineers, we don’t call them ‘women engineer’ or ‘women doctor.’ Historically — especially for a middle class family — if you aren’t exposed to film-making, or have a family background, you wouldn’t get into films. Also, the tag of Bollywood itself is like a ‘no-zone’ area. Overall, even in the world too, there are very few women directors. I think the pressure [in the film industry] is too high and the psychology could be that a tender heart may just break down after a point or that you need to be really strong [to go through this]. I think, as a country, we are taught not to take risks and play safe. But I feel this generation will see a whole lot of women cinematographers, directors and other roles being taken up by women, and I am proud to be a part of this new change in Indian cinema. More than half the crew of Nil Battey Sannata (NBS) were girls, and I feel very proud of them.
When it comes to being on the job, are there any differences?
I don’t think the challenges are very different for a woman. Everyone treats you exactly like they would treat a male director. In fact, a woman’s natural emotional intelligence comes handy, making her more approachable to the cast and crew. Initially, it was difficult to shoot with largely maledominated crews in smalltown India. The locals didn’t know how to deal with a woman — so I was being called ‘sir’. But it’s also true that everyone was extremely respectful. The one female film-maker I love the most is Sai Paranjpye.
On a day-to-day basis, are there any issues that a ‘woman director’ may face on a film set?
Frankly, I didn’t face any problems because advertising has taught me team-work. Also, we belong to a patriarchal society, so it is understood that regardless of how ‘equal’ you feel, if a woman raises her voice a bit, a man would get offended. I refuse to believe otherwise. But I don’t think it is important to be aggressive. I think we have reached a place where men are equally profound with their thoughts, their actions and the kind of words they speak. Maybe, it would have been problematic earlier but not anymore.
How did you meet Nitesh Tiwari (husband) first?
We have been working together for the longest time. It’s been almost 13 years of us being together, out of which we were working together for eight years in an ad agency. For two years, he was even my boss, and I was reporting to him. But it was an agency so it really didn’t matter.
Do you discuss work with him?
It’s very natural for any two creative people, who stay together to discuss ideas but a line has to be drawn otherwise it starts affecting your personal life. You can’t keep talking about work all the time. We also compensate each other vis-à-vis our strengths. Since I have an art background, my art direction is strong and my colour and style sense is definitely better than him (laughs). But his writing skills are definitely better than me. When it comes to direction, both of us are different in the way we look at films, and it’s only fair that way. I am a more impulsive while he is more structured.
What’s your equation with him?
He is my best friend and my best critique, and vice versa. And of course, he is the first person, who reads my script and vice versa. He is the first person to clear my ideas and I get 100 ideas a day. But the best thing is that as creative people, we don’t have egos.
Lastly, what do you think is the most exciting thing about your life?
I have learnt a lot from my children. And it includes things such as getting excited and rejoicing over the smallest things and having a child-like happiness to do a lot of things in life. So, I would love to be an organic farmer, and help women in society to empower themselves, and maybe write a book. Currently, I am also working on an interesting project to revive certain handloom sections in our country. It excites me to be a good human being. I guess when you are good human being, you can add more to people’s life. And what better way to do that than telling stories (smiles).