by FilmInk Staff
When Aarushi Chowdhury’s sister came to her with a problem, the director found the solution through her love of film.
“My sister came back from school one day and I could tell there was something on her mind,” Chowdhury shares. “I kept trying to figure out what was wrong, but she wouldn’t talk to me. Finally, she turns to me and says, ‘I hate my Indian nose’.”
The revelation hit hard for Chowdhury, who also struggled with her appearance as a child.
“It broke my heart because I know I had said those exact same words at her age. It’s tough because there is a 10-year age gap between us, and it hurts to know that in those 10 years, not much has changed regarding beauty standards. I know at that age, anyone could have told me I look beautiful or pretty, and it would not have mattered. So instead of preaching to her, I decided to make a film and show her how lonely it can get when you try to conform to everyone else’s standard.”
Chowdhury’s debut short film, Clown, follows eight-year-old Sami, who can’t wait to play ‘serial killers’ with her older sister Jiya, but her sister-time is threatened when Jiya’s cool new bestie arrives.
The film recently played at the inaugural SXSW Sydney as a part of their Short Nightmares program.
Clown was made on a shoestring budget, partly funded by the City of Melbourne, with a crew that was both passionate about the power in the story as well as the storyteller.
“I only had to spend $6000 to make sure my sister knew she was beautiful,” laughs Chowdhury. “I met with my co-writer, Diane Vu, on a weekly basis until the script was as strong as possible. Diane and I took a lot of influence from our own childhoods, and that honest environment we created made sure the script stayed true to our experience. I approached the crew after that, and I have to give the biggest shout-out to them, because they are the only reason that we could get the film made on such a low budget.”
Chowdhury’s north star, her sister’s revelation, remained at the forefront of the project. So much so that she cast Shaina in a supporting role.
“I have always been drawn to working with non-actors,” Chowdhury says. “I wanted my sister, Shaina, to play Jiya because I wanted her to see herself on the big screen in a narrative about young Indian women that wasn’t clouded by something tragic. There are so many joys to being Indian and I wanted everyone to see that. Also, with my sister telling me she didn’t like her Indian nose, being seen on the big screen was important so that she could see the beauty that I see in her.”
Clown’s lead actress, newcomer Deeya Saxena, was also an easy choice for Chowdhury.
“I knew right away that she was someone who I needed to cast. She had this really sassy energy that was both endearing in real life and vibrant on screen. As challenging as it was to work with a child, who is also new to acting, it taught me a lot about the power of patience and new ways to make performance exciting for kids.”
Chowdhury and her crew’s hard work paid off in August, when her editor Joshua Zhi Lee received an email from SXSW.
“I was making coffee one morning and I randomly got a text from Josh saying we got into SXSW,” Chowdhury recalls. “I ran to my mum and told her, and she was like ‘what is that?’, and I just said, ‘It’s a big deal trust me’.”
This year marked SXSW’s inaugural year in Sydney, and for Chowdhury and the other creatives, being a part of the program was a big sign of international support.
“I think we all felt acknowledged by the international film community,” Chowdhury says. “The film also screened on my birthday which was incredible because the entire crew and my family were there to celebrate our film. The programming team at SXSW was also so responsive and warm, which was really helpful.”
Chowdhury is currently in development for her sophomore short film, Gullak, which was developed during AFTRS Talent Camp 2022.
