Meet Janik Rai | Commercial Director

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

Hi Janik, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I initially studied marketing, but I was always drawn to advertising and the creative side of how ideas are communicated. That curiosity led me into making commercials, where strategy and storytelling intersect. It became a way to follow my instincts while creating work with intention and lasting impact. Over time, it became clear that this was the most honest way for me to work.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I walked away from business school to make films. For a South Asian kid, that is not just a career pivot. It is swimming against a very strong cultural current. There is a script written for you before you are born, and I tore mine up.

My family believed in me. That meant everything. The weight was not coming from home. It was coming from everywhere else. The expectations baked into the culture, the unspoken rules about what a respectable path looks like. Choosing filmmaking anyway, with my family’s support behind me, made the leap feel possible even when nothing else did.

The first year nearly broke me. I found myself working with some of the biggest names in Punjabi music: Karan Aujla, Diljit Dosanjh, Sonam Bajwa. Artists whose audiences number in the tens of millions. I was not eased into it. I was thrown in. The pressure was immense and the stakes felt enormous every single day.

But that year taught me more than any classroom could have. It taught me that the discomfort is the work. That being underprepared for something massive forces you to grow faster than you thought possible. I came out the other side with a body of work I am genuinely proud of, and a much clearer sense of who I am as a filmmaker.

What sets me apart is that I am not chasing a look. I am chasing something true. I want the people in front of my camera to forget the camera is there. I want audiences to feel like they have stumbled into a real moment, not watched a produced one. That thread runs through everything I make, whether it is a commercial for a global brand or a music video for an artist with millions of fans.

I got here by betting on myself when almost nobody else would. I would make that bet again.

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?
LA rewards you most when you stop trying to see everything and just live in it.

Start slow. Coffee at Gjusta in Venice, then a walk down Abbot Kinney. That neighbourhood alone tells you what LA is at its best: creative, relaxed, a little ridiculous in the best way.

Hike up to Griffith Observatory midweek. The view never gets old. For food, Bestia in the Arts District is a must. Republique on Melrose is the other one where the room feels as good as the meal.

A day in Malibu is non-negotiable. Drive up PCH, find a stretch of beach, do very little. That is the version of LA people forget exists until they are standing in it.

By the end of the week the city clicks. It is not about the landmarks. It is about stringing together a series of really good hours.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would dedicate my shoutout to my family. Coming from a South Asian background, pursuing a creative career is not always the conventional path, but they never treated it as something unrealistic or discouraged. Their constant support, trust, and belief in what I was building gave me the space to commit fully to this work. That foundation made everything else possible.

Website: https://www.janikrai.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janikrai/