Vidushi Chadha’s short film Neckline has made waves at film festivals worldwide. But the actor-writer can’t wait to showcase her award-winning work back home, in India. The Delhi girl, based in Los Angeles (USA), is waiting for submissions for the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) film festival to open. “I can’t wait to show my work [here]. I’m a little scared, because the home crowd is the most critical, but it will also be gratifying,” she tells us.

She has written, acted and produced the film that won Best Direction for Narrative Short at the iconic Golden State Film Festival, LA this year. It will be screened at Marina del Rey Film Festival next month. The former resident of south Delhi’s Defence Colony reminisces her time at Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), Delhi University (DU) where she pursued BCom (Hons) and fell in love with acting after she joined its dramatic society.

Her artistic journey began back in 2016 when Chadha, within her first month of joining SRCC, was cast as the lead in the college play, an adaptation of Black Comedy, a one-act farce by English playwright Peter Shaffer. Chadha recalls, “It was my first time acting and I didn’t know what I was doing. I started taking part in every acting workshop I could find as I was supposed to be on the stage for at least an hour and hold the attention of the audience. I found freedom in acting. Being a part of the play was life-changing, not just for me but for almost everyone who was part of the production. We were working for months on it and performed across Delhi.”

Chadha remained an active member of her college’s theatre society, and even brushed her skills at various theatres in the city. “Acting became my priority. I would attend my classes in the morning and from 1pm to 4pm, I would rehearse for our society’s production. Later, I would take the metro to Connaught Place, to work on another play and then later in the night I would have my tuitions for accounting and corporate law. My parents were very clear that I won’t be allowed to act if I didn’t score well,” adds Chadha.

In 2018, she moved to California to pursue Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), and is currently in preproduction stage for her next short film, Back Pocket – a humorous and cheeky piece that she has written on the lack of pockets in women’s clothing. However, she still misses the comfort of home. “I really miss the vibe of the city, especially the theatre community and support. We used to be so resourceful in college, making huge sets possible through juggad,” shares Chadha, who adding how she strives to create meaningful work that inspires, uplifts and touches people’s hearts. 

Author tweets @AngelaPaljor

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