Meet Vishnu Vinod Pillai | Writer, Director, Producer & Editor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Vishnu Vinod Pillai and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vishnu, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Risks are nothing but a necessary element in all our lives. It is the fear of the same that stops many from achieving their dreams. Fear of risks is the ultimate dream killer, for without it we shall not be able to come out of our comfort zone and break out of our shells. However, they should never be blind risks. Every risk we take in life should be calculated, and it is the lack of the same that has created a myth in society that risks equal bad. Anything that can go wrong in life will go wrong, hence calculated risks will help you mitigate the damage. Blind risks will make you lose everything that you have, and it this stupidity that we should never fall into in life.
My career as a creative started out by taking a great risk, which in retrospect was calculated and I had a Plan B for it.
That risk was to quit my job and move to the US to attend film school. This risk has paid off, as I was able to make connections I would otherwise have been unable to.

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 am, and have always been, a writer. I love to get lost in the world of stories and reading is one of my favorite past times. I love to work with diverse genres and experiment in my approach of storytelling. The challenges I have faced throughout is finding the time and motivation to sit down and write. Sometimes it is so easy to procrastinate, that I have to force myself to remember the greater feeling of writing a good story. Whenever I am stuck in a slump, the book I turn to is the Harry Potter series. For some reason these books have always been able to inspire me to create something of my own, and it has done that successfully since I was twelve. So the lesson I have learnt is keep reading Harry Potter, for it will keep fueling my passion for storytelling.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Our first trip would be to Universal Studios. Spend the whole day going on the rides, taking the studio tour and maybe having a good lunch in “The Three Broomsticks.” The next day we would take a tour of the city by visiting the Hollywood sign, Walk of Fame etc. Third day would probably be dedicated to visit DisneyLand. On the fourth day I shall take them to Santa Monica Pier and the other beaches in the vicinity. Fifth day would begin with a sunrise at Mulholland Drive, a visit to Griffith Observatory and a trek up to the viewpoint. The entire trip would be wrapped up finally with a movie experience either in TCL Chinese theater for it’s IMAX screen or an old classic film in 35mm print from Quentin Tarantino’s personal collection in New Beverly Cinemas.

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?
The only people who deserve credit for my story is none other than my parents, who have supported me both financially and emotionally these past few years in pursuing my dreams and enabling me to keep at it.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vishnu_pillai_7

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vishnu-vinod-pillai

Other: https://vimeo.com/user183862485