Meet PIYUSH THORAVAT | Cinematographer/ Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with PIYUSH THORAVAT and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi PIYUSH, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Well! I took a considerable risk of shifting my career from engineering to a cinematographer. I guess, that very well explains my POV on taking risks. But, I always like to tell that I took that decision after thinking for almost 2 years. I worked on filmmaking projects to understand if it’s a real interest or not. And now I am really happy that I took the risk.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
Telling stories through visuals is something I love the most. A year ago I was part of a short film named ‘GreenRoom :thehrav’. This short film won Audience award for best short film at Cannes Film Festival 2021. Another shortfilm that I shot , named ‘Tower’ was about a boy who starts a peaceful war against mobile(Cellphone) towers after understanding how much it affects different bird species. It was great shooting in a remote village in Malvan, Maharashtra and showing their culture. I have also shot couple of music videos. I am very excited for new music to be released soon that I shot for ‘Gully Gang productions’. This company is at top of Indian rap culture scene.

I am also proud and excited about a new short film that’ll be coming up soon named ‘Jaan-e-Jahaan’. Which is a drama/Thriller based in a suburban town of Gujraat.
Also, I shot a couple of DVC’s for the brand drool. That’ll coming up soon.
Definitely, It wasn’t easy to overcome the challenges that I faced. Most of it included interacting with other creatives. Juggling production budgets, Time limits and creative vision at the same time. I think I am getting better at it as I am working more and more in the industry.

When you like a project and you immerse yourself in it the output is destined to be great. The outcome is destined to be great. Projects like these made me realize how important it is to cherish the people you are working with.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When it comes to L.A. my favourite spots are treks. One of my most favorite thing to do is going off-track on this treks. I found a beautiful spot for a sunset on Hollywood sign trek . I would definitely take my best friend there. Other than treks, I just love cycling in Santa Monica city. Especially, near the coast. It;’s such a beautiful ride. I think, late night cycling is very underrated and should become a thing in Los Angeles. I would definitely take my best friend to see universal studios ride.
My favorite places to eat in LA include places like JINYA Ramen, Don Cuco Mexican restaurant, Street food in Downtown LA.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
It’s very normal in Indian culture for parents to make decision about their son’s life. But, My parents were an exception to that and supported me in all the decisions. Comforted me when things got tough or when I regretted my decisions. Especially, my sister. She has been a constant supporter and an inspiration in my life. Other than my family, I owe it to two of my close friends. Aditya Kamble & Harsh Bhatia. If it wasn’t for these two I would have been lost. When everyone else supported my decision both of them actively helped me learn filmmaking. Also, thanks to Dr. Jayantilal Gada & Akshay Gada of PEN India Limited for giving me my first opportunity to work in this industry fresh out of engineering college. Also, special thanks to my engineering college VESIT, As if wasn’t for the extra curricular activities my college provided. I would have never found my interest in filmmaking.

Website: https://vimeo.com/piy

Instagram: Master_inventhor

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/piyushthoravat

Image Credits
BTS Shoot credit: Jeet khagram