Meet Aneri Shah | Writer, Director, Entrepreneur

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

Hi Aneri, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Since I was a kid living in Muenster, Indiana, I would read children’s books out loud to imaginary audiences. I love stories. I attribute that to my mom reading to me a lot as a child. As I grew, everytime my family would take me back to India, I would go to bookstores and read books about young South Asian women who had immigrated to the US and they challenges they faced having to live in a dual identity. Their moustaches, the white girl envy, the never being Indian or American enough. Those books helped me feel seen. They raised me. But here’s the thing. Even though I always wanted to be a writer and do this for other Indian-American women, I was taught that writing and artistic careers are not “real” careers. So I fell into launching tech startups and doing stand up comedy in NYC on the side . Then the pandemic hit.

My cousin was working as an ER physician in Brooklyn, and she was just two days back from maternity leave when covid hit. She would call me every morning, and one day asked me if I would take her 5mo old if something happened. In that moment, I knew I wanted to tell her story. So in recording our conversations, one thing led to another and I honestly just became enthralled by how vulnerable so many other women of color ER physicians were being with me. It was tender, it was honest, it was intellectually and emotionally interesting how these women faced a different set of rules when it came to navigating putting themselves in danger, providing for their communities, and still being expected to care for family. I pursued this because in telling those stories, I was understanding myself, and my hope is that these nuanced stories will help other black and brown women, particularly daughters of immigrants, see themselves as well.

I love creativity because it moves people and it’s not just about selling. That’s what always killed me with other careers. I have no choice but to be an artist and comedian and director and storyteller. It’s my calling.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I bring nuanced South Asian female characters into mainstream films and shows.

I have been interviewing women in my extended family for years. Whether it was my great great aunt who was widowed by age 8 and had to shave her head for the rest of her life, or my aunt who forced her own abortion because she wanted to get her pHD, or my mom who used to steal her neighbors lemons, in a super patriarchal Indian family, I craved women’s stories – especially about love/sex/romance – because we so rarely got to hear them. Men were given all of the space and credit, which means we rarely got a chance to celebrate and root for South Asian women. As a born leader, empath, and provider, that made me LONELY. Hence the name of my production company, Lonely Girl.

I’m super proud of the first feature documentary I directed, produced, and wrote called “I’m Doing My Job,” following the lives of 6 South Asian and Black female ER physicians.

Not easy – had to crowdfund, convince, deal with lots of lashback on “why mostly South Asian women”. But I’m really proud I got it done with an almost all women of color cast and crew and it’s really good. We’re premiering at Portland Film Festival in October. My next project is our flagship show, Lonely Girl, following the lives of 4 South Asian women in their 30s in NYC.

I overcame challenges by, as corny as it sounds, believing in the story. And…lots of therapy.

Your story is your story. Don’t let anyone convince you to tell it another way. And instead of thinking of “who you will hurt”, it’s important to think about “who you will inspire”. I really want to write more realistic South Asian women onto the big screen, which means more sex, more intrigue, more laughter, more aliveness.

I want the world to know that I deeply see women, especially daughters of immigrants and women of color. I also want people to know self expression and authenticity are in themselves an act of rebellion and necessary.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is a hard question! I moved to LA during the pandemic so I’m just hitting the.2 year mark.

Some of my favorite things:
-Early (7/9AM) morning walks on Santa Monica beach with the dolphins, dogs, surfers, and life
-one weekend day few hrs on beach to swim
-breakfast burrito from Dogtown
-stroll down Montana avenue for the shops and restaurants, courtyard kitchen is a great lunch/dinner spot
-Peppermint club for concerts with up and coming artists
-Uovo for fresh pasta, ahem the caccio e pepe
-Sawtelle for Muragame Udon, quite possible the best noodle soup I’ve ever had
-Gracias Madre for vibes and good vegan Mexican
-Koreatown for BBQ and karaoke, and once a month there’s a place that does a dancing outside and natural wine night with burgers, it’s bomb.
-Grand Central Market downtown to try all the foods
-Hollywood Bowl
-The Mindry in Malibu for breathwork/meditation classes outside
-Paradise Cove in Malibu to eat outside and lounge on private beach after / that or Zuma beach which is gorgeous
-Hike in Temescal Canyon (moderate)
-Comedy clubs, go to a smaller niche show where people I know are performing
-Stories, a bookstore and workspot in Echo Park I love
-Hollywood Bowl, love that you can bring in drinks and food and if someone good is performing it’s fun
-Santa Barbara or Ojai or somewhere we can swing a day trip and winery, a drive up the coast is also just beautiful
-Arth Bar in Culver city for amazing Indian food
-Cinespia for a good movie, the movie experiences in LA are fantastic
-roller skating in Venice, or at least watch the skateboarders, they’re enthralling
-Venice Canals, just a quick stroll
-Calabra for a good rooftop dinner with delicious middle eastern food
-West hollywood bar crawl, I’m queer and I love it
-a night time indoor soundbath
-Bodega Wine Bar on wednesday for half off pizzas and wine, all delicious
-Bacari for delicious dinner in Silver lake one night

I wouldn’t want to pack in too much because LA is all about feeling it.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to thank my mom for reading to me so much when I was younger, which introduced me to the joy and creativity of storytelling.

I also want to thank Mindy Kaling for writing Kelly into the office. You really put us on the map and pushed open a very, VERY, heavy door and I am forever grateful that more writers like me have a chance now.

I want to thank Dr. Ankita Modi, my cousin who has always been my cheerleader – even when I was faltering – in a family that roots more for men than women. Without her I would be lost.

I want to thank Pete Koomen, a dear friend who was the first to ever ask what I wanted to do with my life which got me to drop out of my medical school path, something that I am thankful for everyday.

Lastly, I want to thank Jashima for showing me how supporting others, investing in community, and doing the deeper work can have profound impact.

Website: anerishah.co

Instagram: instagram.com/itsanerishah

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

Twitter: twitter.com/Caneri

Other: anerishah,substack.com tiktok.com/@itsanerishah

Image Credits
shruti thundiyil