IN CONVERSATION WITH NAYANA SHYAM
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These 3 magical words have been at the crux of nearly all the content that is being generated online these days! And yes, makind has always made sure of maximising his relaxation trends. The only variable is the source which has been changing over time. The content transforming and evolving almost every single day. Among the varied sources of entertainment, the big red button of Youtube has never failed to bring in wonder and amusement that we have all ever craved for!
From across 1 billion users online, it is hard and strenuous to get a hold of the current vogue in delivering the best content to the best audience. And as any Indian youngster knows FilterCopy has been doing the same, delivering genuinely relatable and amusing video content.
PaperKin is happy to have with us, Nayana Shyam, the director, the writer, the actor, the brain behind many of the videos which have ROFLed us down!
1.How was India for an NRI teenager who was cocooned to a protected environment? What were your expectations about India when you started here?
After moving in the 7th grade to Saudi Arabia, I can’t lie things were very different from what I was used to. I was into sports, debates, and a lot of extra-curricular activities which suddenly vanished to a great extent after moving. So after moving back, it felt quite liberating and scary at the same time (especially after a being a woman in Saudi). It almost felt like I had to grow in a few days with me paying rent, opening a bank account and just a whole lot of things that I hadn’t done. Although after a few months of settling in, it actually became the most wonderful experience. College and then having a job has been a pretty great period, where I’ve actually met some wonderful people as well as made amazing friends.
2. Your first work being a thriller, Meera and then transforming into comic thought-provoking series. Which genre do you think is your niche?
I personally think my strong suits lie in relationships, family and anything pertaining to people and their emotions. I never earlier really thought of myself as a comedy writer or even a funny person. But I guess after working in the field for almost 3 years, I’ve grown to really become comfortable in the genre and actually find myself enjoying quite a bit. Let’s not really talk about Meera. Just kidding. Meera was the first piece of filmmaking that I had ever done in my life. It was one of the biggest learnings that I had at the time and I think that it really made me think that maybe I can actually pull this off.
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3.“Fashion conversations with Mom” maybe one of the milestones in your life, which has covered more than 40 million views till date. What do you think is the reason for the wide range of acceptance you’ve been receiving from the public?
I think it’s because, all across the world, daughters would have really understood the core of the video and to a great degree even mothers. I think it just came straight out of my own experiences and I really never imagined that it would do this well. I just wrote something that had happened to me and found it quite funny (but irritating and annoying at the time of experiencing it first hand). It was also quite fun to show the video to my parents, and see them reacting to basically what they have been saying all my life.
4. “Tenant Entrance Examination”, reveals the exact story of how house owners treat bachelors and unmarried women. How hard was it for you, as a newbie, as a single woman to mark your signature as a writer, as an actor in the field?
I don’t think I’ve quite made my mark yet. I think it was just practice and the volume of scripts, directing that I was doing. I still need to improve as a writer which I personally feel is a weak area and there’s still a long way for me to say that I’ve made a mark. I also think that I’ve always got great guidance from the company. Senior writers like Dhruv Sehgal and Kartik Krishnan have been nothing but the most caring and nourishing mentors.
5. Writer. Actor. Director. And your next move maybe?
More of that for a few years. Hopefully longer formats.
6. And this is out of curiosity…Do you have any plans to have a series based on Mallus, (being an uprooted Mallu)?
Maybe you can start commenting on Dice and FilterCopy videos requesting and if there are enough people willing to watch, I’d definitely champion this proposition.
Also, one of my biggest dreams is to make a film in Malayalam in the next 10 years.
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7. What usually inspires you to work on a lazy day? People really want some tips on this. ;)
I don’t work on lazy days. I get so flustered when the deadlines are approaching that I get stressed, start thinking of food, binge eat, binge watch stuff and then by pure determination and no options left, I end up finishing my work. Sorry if the answer wasn’t exactly… inspiring.
8. Having experienced the fruits of independent working, do you really think one needs to have the first-hand experience from a film institute to get into the film business?
Depends on people to people. If you think it’ll help you then sure. Right now, in the field that we are, there’s more than enough ways to make content and equipment and means is easily available. All you need is a phone and a laptop. If you think formal education will help make your base stronger, then it’s surely a way to go about. But then again some of the most talented people I know in the industry range from high school dropouts to college dropouts.
9. If you were given time machine, what would be those two incidents that you want to avoid, that you want to recreate?
Sometimes when I sit on the edit of a video I directed, and I watch a scene, I find myself thinking how stupid I was not to squeeze the full potential of that scene. I know this is small, but it always bothers me that I couldn’t think of it while writing or while being on set.
10. How do you get to know the wants of the audience? You’ve been always successful in targeting the right audience at the right time!
Not always but working in the web industry for the past 3 years has made me analyse and think like a viewer. Of course, over the course, I’ve been able to learn some important lessons which I try to apply to my writing and direction.
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