Meet Rohit Relan | Film Director

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

Hi Rohit, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I have built a career out of taking risks. I did my undergraduate in computer engineering and I passed with distinction. I could be working in a high profile IT firm but I deviated from a steady routine job and decided to make films instead.

I also chose not to follow the treaded path in the film industry. I worked as an AD in Mumbai before coming to LA. Being an AD there meant I had a good chance of being a director in 10 years. Also, it promised financial and job security. I left that and chose to attend AFI instead.

I refused a lot of gigs to branch out and direct stuff for free way too many times. I had to refuse some really high profile stuff, projects which would have cemented my reputation amongst best ADs in the country, to make passion projects.

I also had an opportunity to work on a pitch that a production house was interested in. I chose to let it go and work on my craft instead. I am still waiting for that risk to pay off.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’d say that I’m still exploring art and exploring the possibilities that filmmaking can achieve. My films are deeply personal. However, I do try to add a philosophical touch.

When I started making films, I made preachy drags. I had a realisation after my first 10 short films that I do not know better than my audience. My current films are more of my take on the world – and I just limit myself to that. After making 15 short films, I have realised that all my films have one thing in common – providing hope to the hopeless. I identify with those characters the most. Most of my protagonists are innocent, trying to go after the simplest pleasures or needs. I find it beautiful.

I try to document real characters and get authentic stories to screen. My last film before joining AFI, ‘Bathroom Mein Baarish,’ was about a housemaid’s daughter who wishes to bathe in a shower. It is based on a real story about one of my teachers’ housemaid who used to take a shower in my teachers house before starting the day just became she expressed one day how she found their bathroom beautiful. The drama that life creates is far more supreme than what one can think of.

Multiple sleepless nights, 15-hour days with no weekends and over 150 projects over 4 years have got me where I am today. I changed 4 cities and 15 houses to accommodate my passion for filmmaking. I earned almost no money for the first 2 years. My parents stepped in and helped me financially. I didn’t earn enough to pay my own rent. Yet, I kept working and never wished to go back and be an engineer.

My hard work did pay off. I got my first AD job at the age of 23 in a Netflix show ‘Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein’ and later I bagged a Dharma film. I got accepted to American Film Institute. My last gig in India was with Farah Khan, a veteran Hindi Film Director.

I am most excited for my upcoming film ‘Nadia’ that I will shoot with my AFI peers. It’s about a 10-year old Afghan girl whose dream to go to a school gets crushed after Taliban takes over their country.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I have not gotten a chance to explore Los Angele yet. All my trips out of my house have been either to a film set or AFI. However, I did enjoy the drive up to Angeles crest recently, I think that would be one for sure.

I really liked the buffet served at Kings buffet, I was introduced to it by one of my editor friends, Bobby Fang. They got the best shrimps over there. And maybe some karaoke? I am from India, and we don’t have many karaoke bars there.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
A lot of people have helped me be where I am. I got lucky to meet them. Pratik More took me under his wing and supported me like a big brother when I started working in Mumbai. Back then, he was a line producer and he is an executive producer now. He also got me my first paying gig. I worked with him as a producer intern when I started off. Vishal Bajaj, executive producer of many award winning films, saw the value in my efforts and guided me through my journey. He also helped me transition from a production coordinator to an assistant director. Aman Sharma, first assistant director, taught me all the logistics of running a set. He literally taught me all things that I know about pulling off big-scale productions. Sidharth Sengupta, director of ‘Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein’ (Netflix Series) is my director mentor. I was a third assistant director on his show. He gave me freedom and charge of some creative responsibilities. It meant a lot to me as it gave me a lot of confidence. I send him my films and he always takes out time to watch them and give me feedback. My parents, Rakesh and Priti Relan, stood by me like a rock throughout my journey. At first, they disapproved of my decision to make films instead of developing code. They gave me some time to explore my newly found passion and supported me without any expectations. I made a short documentary named ‘Kaushalya’ about a rural soap manufacturer which helped me win their confidence and converted my parents into my biggest supporters.

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