Meet Anubhav Kaushish | Director of Photography
We had the good fortune of connecting with Anubhav Kaushish and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Anubhav, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The most important factor behind everything I’ve achieved is reinvention. I’ve failed, I’ve fallen behind, and I’ve started again more times than people can imagine, but every fall became a reset that made me sharper.
I began studying science in India because it felt safe, but I failed my 12th-grade exams. That moment could’ve ended everything, but instead it forced me to listen to what I’d always known: that I belonged in the film industry. I joined a Bachelor’s program in animation, during my studies I worked as an intern in a post-production studio, and kept asking one director for a chance to assist. After a month, he finally said yes, and I worked that first job for free. I didn’t care about the money; I cared about the frame.
From there, I worked back-to-back productions until I got complacent and lost momentum. Sitting with no work for a year taught me my first real lesson: consistency is everything. You can’t rely on yesterday’s praise. You have to build every single day, even when no one’s watching.
Then the pandemic hit, and I lost my grandfather, the man I loved the most, who told me, “If there’s no place for you on the land, remember the sky is yours.” That line stayed with me. I left India for Los Angeles with his voice in my head and started over, learning, networking, and building from scratch. I took every job I could: DP, AC, gaffer, grip, whatever kept me close to the camera. Money came slowly, but the growth was constant.
Eventually, my work started speaking for me. My short film God’s Second-Best Man won Best Cinematography at the Makizhmithran International Film Festival, and people began to notice. That small win reminded me of why I began, not for fame or approval, but to tell stories that feel alive. Even now, when I crew on big sets like Diljit Dosanjh’s music video, I remind myself: I’m here because I didn’t stop.
What defines my success isn’t a single project or award; it’s the ability to rebuild. Every stage of my life demanded a new version of me, and I showed up. That’s what keeps me moving forward: the hunger to evolve into the person my grandfather believed I would be.
Every sleepless night, every unpaid job, every fall, that’s what built me. You need those stories of struggle because one day, when you’re holding that biggest award on the biggest stage, those are the stories that make people believe they can do it too.
I’m not just building a career. I’m building proof that if you don’t stop, you’ll make it. And I will.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art lives somewhere between discipline and emotion. As a cinematographer, I’m drawn to the way light tells truth, how a single reflection or shadow can express what words can’t. I don’t shoot to make things look beautiful; I shoot to make them feel honest. Every frame has to breathe the same air as the character. That’s what sets me apart, I build emotion first, not exposure.
What I’m most proud of isn’t a particular film or award; it’s the growth between each project. When I look at my early work and compare it to what I’m doing now, I see proof that I’ve evolved, not just technically, but emotionally. That’s what excites me the most: the idea that I’m still becoming.
Getting here wasn’t easy. I studied film formally in Los Angeles, but school alone doesn’t teach you survival. I had to work jobs outside of class, AC, gaffer, grip, anything that kept me close to a camera. I’ve worked for free, borrowed gear, and pushed through nights when I didn’t know how I’d pay rent during my opt. Each of those moments shaped me more than any classroom ever could.
I’ve learned that talent only gets you noticed once. After that, it’s consistency, humility, and obsession that keep you in the room. You have to keep studying the light, the story, and yourself, every single day.
What I want the world to know about me is simple: I’m not chasing fame or validation. I’m chasing the frame that feels like truth. My brand isn’t about perfection; it’s about honesty. Whether it’s a small student film or a massive music video, I approach it the same way: find the soul of the story and protect it.
I want people to remember that I came from failure, from restarts, from long days where nothing worked, and still kept going. That’s my real art. The camera is just the tool I use to prove it.
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?
My journey wouldn’t exist without my family. They stood beside me when I failed, when I switched paths, and when I decided to chase a dream that didn’t come with any guarantees. My grandfather, especially, was the first person who saw something in me before I ever saw it myself. He used to tell me, “If there’s no place for you on land, the sky is yours.” That sentence still carries me through every risk I take.
I also owe a lot to my friends, the ones who never questioned why I was chasing this, even when it looked impossible. They were the people who showed up when I was broke, uncertain, or just trying to keep believing.
And then there’s one friend here in Los Angeles who became more like a mentor. He didn’t hand me opportunities; he taught me how to earn them. He told me when I was doing it wrong, when I was slacking, and when I needed to push harder. That honesty kept me grounded.
Between my family’s faith, my grandfather’s words, and my friends’ belief, that’s the foundation I stand on. Whatever I become from here, it’s because of them.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anubhav7k/?hl=en
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