Making my first short fitcion film was both challenging and deeply rewarding. Throughout, it tested my ability to hold the creative vision for the film together while navigating real-world constraints, such shooting in a bustling market amid constant unpredictability. Every moment of preproduction required careful planning and organisation, while production demanded quick thinking, improvisation, and flawless coordination with the crew and larger team, and postproduction took unforeseen amounts of creativity and tenacity in working with the inevitable little ways the raw material for the edit differs from the initial script.
 

Working with actors honed my communication skills further; I learnt how to guide performances toward authenticity, and how to create a space of trust and openness on set, especially with a child protagonist. Managing so many variables at once, from the logistical and technical to the emotional, pushed me to strengthen my resilience, flexibility, and leadership skills. Navigating bureaucracy, institutional constraints and remaining flexible in the face of unfolding on-ground conditions sharpened my directorial instincts and renewed my passion for collaborative storytelling. The lessons I took from Kaanch would go on to shape all my future projects. Looking back, this film gave me the fortitude for the larger, more ambitious projects I've worked on since.