Meet Vaishnavi Padmanathan | Writer

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

Hi Vaishnavi, why did you pursue a creative career?
Since a very young age, I have always been attracted to storytelling. I found a sense of grounding and empowerment through stories, which helped me profoundly growing up. Being a shy, introverted kid, I always had trouble communicating. But this limitation didn’t exist when I was writing. Naturally, when it came time to choose a career, I did what any teenager would do, I went with my strongest strength at the time, which was writing. It wasn’t easy, as I tried to find my footing in the style of writing I wanted to devote my career to. It was only when I found screenwriting, that everything else fell into place. More importantly, I was able to give it my best, even when things got tough and rough because that’s how much I wanted (and still do) to keep telling stories to the world.

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.
I always knew I wanted to be a writer but choosing the medium was a bit of a long journey as writing exists in so many forms. In my undergrad years, I chose to major in Journalism, thinking I like the idea of archiving time as it occurs. But then one fine day, in one of my classes, I was assigned to write a short film, and it was through writing that script, I realized how much I enjoyed the format. And since then, I have focused all my energies on pursuing it professionally.

My desire to be a writer comes from being curious about the world and with each story I write, I try to channel those curiosities and find answers. I like infusing these stories with humor because I believe comedy is an act of rebellion at any time, especially in the times we are living through right now.

All of my writing revolves around subjects that are supposed to be taboos in the community I belong to. I want to tell stories that allow those who are not seen in the media to feel represented, to feel heard, and to have them know that they are not alone. In 2021, when an online media publication did a survey about female representation in the Indian media landscape, they found out that only eight percent of Heads of Departments were female and writing was included in the five categories surveyed. Now, what does this random fact have to do with anything? It paints a bleak picture of the present, but it was bleaker during my childhood! And something has to give for it to change, and as I started my work as a writer, I realized I wanted to work towards that – to change the tide in favor of all storytellers, rather than a few.

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.
If my friend is coming for a weekend, I would divvy up the two days into hanging out in West LA and East LA. On Saturday, we could go to Santa Monica Pier and take a stroll around the neighborhood. Grab brunch at Berbere, a vegan spot, and then go hang out at the beach for a while. Take a small break by going home, before heading for dinner at Iki Ramen in Koreatown. After dinner, go for karaoke somewhere local like Gaam or Star Night, and sing the night away or else head for a late-night viewing of a movie at Alamo Drafthouse in Downtown LA, depending on how we are feeling. On Sunday, we can grab breakfast at Jewel in Silverlake, and head to the Barnsdall Park to have our breakfast there. For lunch, eat some tacos at Tacos Tu Madre, and then again, depending on how we are feeling either head to the Griffith Observatory or go thrift shopping in Los Feliz. If we do Griffith Observatory, we stay until the sun sets and maybe even sneak a view through one of the public telescopes. Then for the final meal of the trip, we can head to The Guest House for dinner and drinks.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I wish I could give a less clichéd answer, but credit should be given where credit is due. My loved ones are my biggest support system in life. They are the reason I was able to keep going despite my own self-doubts. My parents and my elder sister have spoiled me silly with their love for me, which is probably why I am delusional enough to believe I can be whatever I want in this world, as long as I am leading with kindness.

Website: https://www.vaishnavipadmanathan.com/