Devika: Right, the emotion behind it?

Kshitij: More than just the emotion—it’s about the usage as well. What is the purpose of the content? Who is the audience? What is the use-case scenario? Surprisingly, 99% of brands struggle to answer these questions because their vision doesn’t always align with the brief they provide.

Being an MBA in marketing gives me an edge—I can ask these strategic questions and then seamlessly transition into my role as a cinematographer and producer. That way, we ensure that we’re delivering exactly what the client needs, rather than just executing a concept that might not serve their intended goals.

Devika: So, you take a holistic approach to a brand?

Kshitij:  Yeah, basically.

Devika: That is wonderful, and that is absolutely a unique selling point.

Kshitij: Yep.

Devika: Wonderful. So, what do you think is one of the biggest misconceptions people have about the space you’re in?

Kshitij: The biggest misconception is that anybody can shoot. People buy a camera and immediately think, “Okay, I’m a cinematographer now.” The same goes for expensive smartphones—people believe that having a high-end phone makes them capable cinematographers. But what they fail to realize is that there’s a process, a craft, and a skill set required.

To execute any type of shoot—whether photography or filmmaking—you need to have a fundamental understanding of the basics. If you don’t grasp those core principles, you’re bound to make mistakes. That’s why we often see creators who start projects with enthusiasm, invest in equipment, build a team, and then suddenly stop. It’s not because they lack passion but because they encounter challenges they weren’t prepared for. These roadblocks arise due to a lack of foundational knowledge, and 99% of the time, that’s what leads to their struggles.

Devika: Okay. And that is a very fundamental issue with our education system when it comes to film and photography. The basics being taught are at least ten years old. The market has evolved, and the dynamics have shifted. There are very few schools across India that actually teach the latest technology. Most students graduating from these programs are still using outdated techniques, making them almost prehistoric in terms of industry relevance. As a result, they waste a lot of time unlearning old methods before they can even begin learning what’s relevant today. That’s a huge problem.

Kshitij:Exactly.

Devika: Wonderful. Now, you are self-taught, correct?

Kshitij: Yeah.

Devika: Tell us about the process of self-teaching that you went through.

Kshitij:I come from an era where there was nothing available online—no YouTube tutorials, no online classes, nothing. If you wanted to learn offline, you couldn’t just go and assist senior professionals unless you had personal connections. Unless they were your relatives or close friends, they wouldn’t help you. The industry is structured in a way where everyone sees newcomers as competition, making it incredibly difficult to break in.

For me, gaining basic knowledge was the hardest part. Since I already had an MBA, my parents told me they wouldn’t spend any more money on my education. So, I had to figure things out on my own. When I made my first short film, I bought books on filmmaking, spoke to industry professionals, and studied their processes. As a producer and director, I hired experienced people because I wanted to observe and learn from them.

Of course, this came with its challenges. I was overcharged, misled, and wasted both time and money. There were inefficiencies in the process, things I could have skipped, but I had to go through them to truly understand the craft. Eventually, I got into FTII, but the course was scrapped before it even began. Instead, five of us were sent to Mumbai as interns.

That was my real learning phase. Imagine being 24 years old, an intern in Mumbai, with no connections or mentor to guide you. I had to start from scratch, learning by observation and hands-on experience. Instead of relying on senior directors or cinematographers—who only work a limited number of days per year—I learned from the industry’s backbone: lightmen, camera assistants, gaffers, and spot boys. These technicians work 365 days a year, gaining more practical experience than most top-level professionals. By assisting them, I absorbed knowledge at an accelerated pace.

But the biggest lesson wasn’t technical—it was about letting go of my ego. At 25, I made a huge mistake on set by forgetting to insert a card into the camera. I got slapped in front of 50 people. I had two choices: walk away in anger or stay and learn. I chose the latter. Because of that decision, the same senior who reprimanded me ended up mentoring me for the next three months, and I gained invaluable experience.

Devika: Fantastic. That’s a tremendous takeaway for sure. Now, tell us about the different challenges you faced as you moved forward in filmmaking. Of course, what you’ve described so far was challenging, but were there any other significant obstacles along the way? What were the biggest hurdles in your journey?

Kshitij: The biggest challenge I faced—and one that many people continue to face today—is that I never had a mentor. I never had someone to hold my hand and say, “Listen, what you’re doing here is wrong. Here’s a better way to approach it.” Neither in filmmaking nor in the business side of things did I have that kind of guidance.

Because of this, I made a lot of wrong decisions. Just two years into the industry, I took on a feature film project. I wasn’t ready. I had the equipment, I had a small team, but we lacked experience. The only experienced person on set was me, fresh from an internship in Mumbai. I thought, “Wow, I can do this.” But that overconfidence cost us dearly—we lost a lot of money.

We regrouped, reassessed, and got back on our feet. But without guidance, we made the same mistake five years later. This time, I thought, “Now we’re ready. We have more equipment, a more experienced team—we can do it.” But once again, we failed miserably. I was ready, my team was ready, but the people who hired us weren’t.

These kinds of experiences taught me that without a mentor—someone who has been through failures and can guide you on what to do and what to avoid—you’re bound to stumble. You need an experienced person who can foresee the pitfalls that you, as a newcomer, can’t. We used to joke that we were like a tea bag—you keep dipping it into hot water, and with every fall, it adds more flavor. We loved what we were doing, but we kept falling.

Now, we’ve learned from our mistakes. But looking back, having a mentor could have made a world of difference. Skills can be learned, equipment can be acquired, and collaboration is easier than ever in today’s digital world. But without the right guidance, you’re navigating blindly, and that makes all the difference.

Devika: That’s an interesting perspective. I think this holds true for most fields, don’t you agree?

Kshitij: Absolutely. The process of finding a mentor itself is a massive task. It’s not just about learning from someone experienced—it’s about finding the right person who truly understands your journey.

Devika: Exactly. In today’s fast-paced world, there seem to be fewer mentors and more influencers or teachers. Would you say that’s the case?