Meet Pramita Mukherjee | Animation film maker
We had the good fortune of connecting with Pramita Mukherjee and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Pramita, why did you pursue a creative career?
Right from my childhood, I loved sketching and playing musical instruments. I also learnt and practiced Indian classical dance for over 17 years. My father was an excellent theater actor and guitarist, who played a huge role in nurturing creativity within me. But what fascinated me the most was cartoons or animated movies, as I always wondered how they were made.
I was born in Kolkata, India and always dreamt of making movies someday but had no clue how to. There weren’t too many animation schools around those days and hardly any awareness of animation as a career. After high school I did a certification course on 3d animation and landed as an intern in Mumbai in 2007 , doing months of graveyard shift learning as much as I could. And then in 2008 KungFu Panda released and I was mesmerized by that movie. It just refueled me to chase my dream to work in animation movies. But at the same time when I started in India, I never thought someday I would get an opportunity to be part of DreamWorks Animation, LA or have my name on the credit list of an Academy nominated movie. It was a long journey and not an easy one though !
the passion and dedication to make movies look good , the urge to grow and keep learning from all around along with being surrounded by a very supportive family and a highly encouraging artistic community have been the key factors for me.
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.
16 years back when I started, the Indian animation industry was very different and quite challenging to navigate especially for a 19 year old me, trying to succeed. In 2017 I moved to London and being a woman of color and leader initially I encountered different kinds of hurdles. It took a little while but I was able to survive and thrive. I have realized no matter where you are globally , there will be challenges in every step and the habits you develop over the years will shape your path, so it’s very important to have the right one.
Every time I watch our movie on the big screen , the beautiful work from all my fellow artists which collectively makes the movie magical, pushes me a little more to give my best for the next one. I would say the huge artist community that I am part of keeps inspiring me everytime.
The other thing that keeps me going is mentoring aspiring women animators to break into the industry. I am an active WIA (Women in Animation) mentor , a global non-profit organization and through the WIA mentorship programme I have so far mentored over 60 women artists across US and Europe. The joy of giving back to the community is an enriching experience, one that I cherish the most.
Letting go of ego, being flexible, staying focussed, along with patience and passion helped. Since animation filmmaking is a highly collaborative process, maintaining effective communication and being respectful to your fellow co-workers can really do the trick. Also with the constant evolving art and technology, it is very important to continue to learn. Whenever I work on a new movie , I always ensure I learn one new skill to add to my expertise .
When I talk about risks in my life, I took the risk of following my passion of becoming an animator without knowing much about the scope of job opportunities. I enjoyed working over a decade in India , but back then there weren’t too many studios. In fact I lost jobs multiple times due to unforeseen studio closures and in some instances didn’t even get paid. All of these pushed me to get out of my comfort zone and take the risk to move to London and then to LA.
Today when I look back , if I had not taken those risks with the crazy ups and downs that came in my career , I wouldn’t have got the opportunity to be a lead artist on Wonder Woman at or be a part of the Academy nominated Puss In Boots Last Wish , which still feels surreal at times.
I love to work and am kind of a workaholic. In fact when I started it was mostly work , but over the years I have learnt to be more balanced. Unfortunately movies sometimes have hard delivery dates but then there are down times too to relax.
Did it change over the years, not until last year but now it’s a big YES, since last July I became a mom and have an adorable 6 month old baby. With a hybrid work culture I was comfortable to work during the entire pregnancy, and I joined back as soon as I recovered as I was itching to finish my latest movie Kung Fu Panda 4 that I was working on for over a year.
I must say I am blessed to be part of DreamWorks Animation, which pioneers in work life balance and on top since my work is also my hobby, I enjoy it thoroughly and it feels less stressful.
But it is extremely important to maintain balance and find time for yourself , since over working and burning yourself out does not really increase your productivity rather reduces it.
The last thing I will add is the primary lesson I learnt over 16 years. There are no shortcuts to success and survival is tough in this career. You have to be focused and give your 100 percent all the time. Also voice up and stand for yourself with confidence, because often no one else will.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The first credit to my success solely goes to my family. My parents were the first one to encourage me study animation in an era, where hardly it was considered to be a career option. Breaking all social boundaries, they have always supported me firmly for every challenges I faced in my initial career. Then followed by my husband. He has undoubtedly been a rock solid pillar behind all my success and failures , pushing me beyond my limitations towards more growth and achievements.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breathe_with_pramita?igsh=MmVlMjlkMTBhMg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
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