Meet Neeta Thadani | Director, Writer & Performer

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

Hi Neeta, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
My family is incredibly practical. I think as immigrants, you kind of have to be. It’s the only way to ensure survival and provide a comfortable life for your family. I’m very lucky to not have to think about practicality in that way and, when I decided to pursue an artistic career, that already seemed like a big enough risk in itself; a much bigger risk than anyone in my family was used to. I think the way I look at it now is: “Well I already took this huge risk to get here, and there’s not really much else to do but keep going.”

Risk shows itself as something much closer to imposter syndrome for me. If someone asks me to work on a writing project or to come on board as a director, the risk still sounds a lot like “Am I good enough to do this?” and the risk I would be taking there is the attempt to find out. I usually end up finding my footing along the way, but the initial step forward is really where the feeling of anxiety associated with risk-taking shows up.

Please tell us more about your art. 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?
I didn’t really get a lot of creative nourishment growing up. It was a struggle to pay for dance classes or acting lessons. My parents were much more focused on me succeeding academically and now, something I had to really get okay with is the fact that I haven’t honed my specific aesthetic and style of art making and storytelling yet. I’m still figuring it out, but I have found that my approach is very academic in nature. Instead of bemoaning the time lost, I am working to embrace my critical and observant academic eye and apply it to my directing and writing. A lot of research goes into the plays and films I write, and my directing style is also informed heavily by dramaturgy. Even right now for a process I am working on with four other writers, I conducted a couple of interviews to bring back to the rest of the writer’s room and it’s been so significant in our process.

I really go above and beyond when I’m on a project and give everything I can to it, from a short workshop to a longer rehearsal process, I dedicate everything I can. I’m always looking for ways to deepen my understanding of the work, to find more ways into the thing through research and collaboration. I’m incredibly passionate, perhaps to a fault, but I will go to the ends of the earth for a project if I truly believe in it.

I also did a lot of advocacy and leadership work in high school and college. I worked for The Trevor Project, the Jane Goodall Institute, and started an affinity group for the acting studio I was a part of in college. And that sense for justice still lives in my writing. I’m particularly interested in the crafting of the South Asian identity in America as it pertains to queerness, caste privilege, and decolonization. I don’t shy away from heavy topics like Hindu Nationalism and Islamophobia, which are two things that have significantly informed my upbringing. Even the projects other writers have brought to me to direct really live in that same world and that synergy makes directing even easier. When my friend Ellis brought me their play “White Bitches in Delhi” to direct, I felt like I knew exactly what to do with it and to this day, it’s one of the pieces I am proudest of. It ended up being so bold and exciting.

I don’t really bring ego into my work either. It’s something I think is really important, especially when you’re a minority artist, there is often this pressure to “represent everyone and everything” and I have really had to drop that mindset and fear that I’m not speaking to every single South Asian person out there when I make something. Even for a couple pieces where my voice is really intertwined with subject matter like my one-person show, “The First Gen Desi’s Guide to Reclamation and Acceptance” and “Mahila” a short film I wrote, produced, and directed about a South Asian woman having a gender crisis weeks before her wedding. While those pieces are very close to me, I don’t really like to make my art all about me. I feel like so much of my work is trying to fill a gap, of stories I didn’t get to grow up seeing, and yet, I am still very adamant about specificity without the self-insert.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The best part of the city, for me, is getting to experience the art coming out of it. The last time I had someone stay with me for a week, I took her to see so much theater. I think two out of the five shows we saw ended up being things we actually liked, but all of them were conversation starters and kept us thinking about the kind of creative work we want to do. So, none of it was really a loss, and it was fun anyway because we were with each other. I would definitely continue to do something in that vein: take them to as many shows as possible. I usually like to find out what’s happening Off Broadway and then in smaller performance spaces around Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. I feel like I always have a friend putting something up somewhere, so a reading or performance at The Brick or somewhere of that size is always fair game. I took someone to see a one person show at New York Theatre Workshop and she had never seen anything Off Broadway before. It completely changed her idea of what was possible in theater, and I really love being able to do that for people.

If they’re a museum person, I do like to see if there are any exhibits happening that they might be interested in.The Asia Society had this wild exhibit last year on how underworlds are depicted in different Asian cultures and the Brooklyn Museum just had an archive of objects from Spike Lee’s personal collection on display. Also, the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research hosts many film screenings and panel discussions.The most recent one I took someone to was for an Indian filmmaker who was screening his short about colorism in India. I feel like I’m a really good cultural curator, I always know the right thing to recommend to someone. So I would really just tailor the trip to the person, and prioritize art.

One place I adore in the city is The Chai Spot on Mott Street. I only take cherished loved ones there. I actually refused to take anyone I was dating there because I didn’t want to ruin my association with the place because of a bad breakup or something. It has a gorgeous interior filled with Kashmiri rugs and these beautiful, colorful, and most importantly, comfortable patterned cushions to sit on. It’s the one place in the city I have found that actually wants you to stay there all day. Most places in the city prefer a revolving door where you’re in and out as quickly as possible to make room for the next group of people. But not The Chai Spot. I’ve seen people napping, taking zoom calls, and having full on family reunions in there. As long as you have an occasional cup of chai, you’re welcome to stay as long as you like. It’s a little more pricey than other chai places in the city but a percentage of the profit goes to helping women and children in Pakistan, so I will gladly buy a $7 chai. It’s also a perfect place to relax after a long day of showing someone around the city.

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?
I definitely want to dedicate my shoutout to my friends, who are, more often than not, also my collaborators. They’re all so inspiring in their own endeavors, and whenever I get the opportunity to work with them, they encourage and push me to improve my own artistic practice. So many of them also live by a “networking across” model of bringing your people up with you, and whenever I get a chance to do the same for them, I take it. In that sense, I feel very taken care of. Like, I know I’ll always have people on my side through every point in my career.

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

Other: Here’s a link to my podcast, “Bitch, Why?” https://linktr.ee/bitchwhy It’s a pop culture commentary podcast Link to another podcast I wrote and produced: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2kMPayjvgQtWN7szJlPjC1?si=73ca05bacf1f45b5

Image Credits
Lauren Roberts, Marisa Hetzler, Jonathan Barbee, Zack Chalmers