|18| Freshly Squeezed Connection With Dilani Rabindran

Our next guest is an entrepreneur, producer, creative consultant & a marketing girly all in one.  Her lifelong passion for global cinema has led her to work with some of the most creative companies (TIFF? You might have heard of it) and people in the world. Through her experiences, she recognized that there was a need for a formal voice to speak on behalf of South Asian cinema and guide talented South Asian filmmakers on how to bring their works to international audiences.  This is how she founded her company Viewfinder Film Productions. This bio doesn't even cover half of the accolades Dilani has achieved but I’m going to let her talk more about it in this episode.

I found this episode was a great way to end off this year. Dilani, though she had a very similar upbringing to my own, had a totally different perspective on life and it was a breath of fresh air to focus on the positive and be reminded to do so in this episode.

Find more from Dilani!

Follow her on Instagram here.   
Keep up with her work for Viewfinder Film Productions here.
Find everything Dilani is working on all in one place, on her website here. 

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Transcript

Freshly Squeezed Connection With Dilani Rabindran

Angie: , [00:00:00] hello and welcome back to the Honey Lemon Podcast. My name is Angie and we're diving in to those sweet and sour experiences that make us who we are.

Our next guest is an entrepreneur, producer, creative consultant, and a marketing girlie all in one. Her lifelong passion for global cinema has led her to work with some of the most creative companies. And people in the world, a. k. a. Tiff, you might have heard of it, a very small thing that happens in Toronto every year, through her experiences, she recognized that there was a need for a formal voice to speak on behalf of South Asian cinema, and really guide talented South Asian filmmakers on how to bring their works to international audiences, This is how she founded her company, Viewfinder Film Productions.

This bio doesn't even cover half of the accolades Dilani has received, but I'm gonna let her talk more about it in this episode. Welcome Dilani Rabindran to the [00:01:00] Honey Lemon Podcast. 

Dilani: Thank you so much for having me. I'm so happy to be here. 

Angie: We were just talking about before I hit record that we'd been trying to do this, I want to say for like two months.

Yeah, it was just crazy, 

Dilani: yeah, and then that thing happened, that thing you mentioned, Tiff, so we're talking post Yeah. Kind of like Very small thing. Just a small thing. Like you might not have heard of it. Yeah. Where I don't sleep for like 10 days, and so it's nice to speak after it.

I've had a couple of hours of sleep now, so. 

Angie: That's good. And you look very beautiful, very fresh. Everyone who's listening on audio, she's wearing this bright green blazer, very CEO, very boss babe energy. 

Dilani: , I mean, there are, there are tights down below, but just so it's a Saturday. 

Angie: Well, I'm wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt, but I put earrings on for you.

Because I was like, I know, party on the bottom of the bottom. Yeah. Yeah. So how I like to start with every guest is a little icebreaker. [00:02:00] I'm going to get you to sign in with your astrological sign. If you know. Oh, 

Dilani: I do know it. I do know it, but I don't know too much about it. So I would love to hear more about it.

I'm an Aquarius. Okay, Aquarius. I know I have that summery personality, but I'm born in like the dead of winter. So 

Angie: yeah, you do have a very summery personality. I was thinking like Leo. 

Dilani: My best friend's a Leo. Maybe we like, balance each other 

Angie: out. Well you do because Aquarius is, the element for Aquarius is air, and then Leo is fire.

So like, fire and air go very well together, right? Right. Yeah. Aquarius, you're, I think you might be our first Aquarius. On the honey lemon pod. So that's exciting. There was a while there where like every single person was a Scorpio. 

Dilani: Was that a requirement to be on the show? 

Angie: Apparently, because funny enough like Capricorns [00:03:00] and Scorpios are a really good match as well.

So it like just happened organically. I think the universe sent them to me. But anyways, Aquarius's are very Like, they're kind of like, the weirdo, in the, in the best way possible, like, when I think of Aquarius, I think of like, Phoebe from Friends. 

Dilani: Okay, yeah. 

Angie: Like, very free spirit, , very eclectic, , 

but they're also very business savvy and like scientific, which makes sense because you like did your undergrad in science, math, they're very innovative, they want to like level up. So I think Aquarius fits you perfectly. And I feel like you have to be kind of like an inner weirdo to like, Connect with film and, you know, things like that, 

Dilani: you know, career path in this manner that I have.

Yes, for sure. But it's funny you mentioned the Phoebe thing because I've done many. I mean, obviously being a film and TV buff. I've done many other like which friends. Yeah. [00:04:00] I've gotten all three, like I've gotten Monica, I've gotten Rachel, I've gotten Phoebe. Monica makes sense to me because I'm very like hyper organized and I need everything to be clean and you know, I do like hosting so that fits perfectly.

The Rachel, I think the only reason I fit the Rachel is because I spend a lot of Mani on clothes, like that's probably the only thing there. I did not grow up rich or have a boat, which I wish. But Phoebe, yeah, Phoebe has a special. You know spot in my heart. I'm not a cat person in like in her sense But I do love all the creativity and all the like wackiness that she brings So yeah, I'm a little bit of all three, but I understand the Phoebe 

Angie: reference.

You understand the Phoebe connection. What's your partner's? Sign, you know 

Dilani: Yeah, he's born the month before me. So is that Sagittarius? It was like mid December. No. Oh, mid December. December 16th. So is that? Yeah. He's a Sagittarius. Again, Sagittarius. Yeah. Actually, I have [00:05:00] quite a lot of Sagittariuses in my life.

Like my younger cousin is like my little sister, they are born very close together and we've noticed a lot of similarities between them. And both of them connect when I'm like, you know, like we're talking the two of them. Yeah. So I'm, I'm surrounded by a lot of the like. pockets of the same signs, actually.

Angie: think we all find that if we actually take a look, it's like, Oh, there's patterns here that just existed in our life before we noticed them, you know? Yeah, exactly. I Want you to like tell us a little brief synopsis of like what, who you are, what you're up to now, because , as I told you, I did like a deep dive on you prior to recording with you and prior to like making up my questions and everything, but my bio doesn't even cover half of the stuff you've done.

Like you're just. I don't even know what to, like, boss babe doesn't even cover it. You just do so much. So can you give the listeners a little, like, synopsis of what you're up to now? What are you working on? What are the things that [00:06:00] you want to share with everyone before we get to know you a little bit better?

Dilani: Thank you so much for that beautiful summary. I honestly, I'm flattered. I'll just, I'd like for you to talk about me instead, but, but what I'm up to right now is I am running my company viewfinder film productions which is now primarily focused on original productions.

But when I first started it it was actually focused on publicity and marketing for other South Asian independent films and filmmakers. So I only got into the producing game myself about what year is it? 2023. I always get confused with pandemic and how many years I can take off my age. But I think I got into it around.

Like right before pandemic started, which is like not a great time to get into producing. But so only the last two to three years have I, you know, put on the producer hat and sort of got into more of the original side of things and making films that I'm interested in. And so right now [00:07:00] we have made three shorts through VFP.

Two of which are wrapping up their festival travels right now, and I'm working on selling all three of our shorts. So it's kind of my primary focus now. As we also start we're in the pre production stages of our fourth film which we're hopefully filming early. next year. So early in 2024, that one for a change will actually be the first film that I've produced.

That's going to be shot entirely here in Toronto. So yeah, so we'll be casting soon for that. So people can, you know, keep an eye out on VFPs pages for our audition calls and and the crew is entirely mostly South Asian, all Canadian. So I love that. Yeah. And we, so the, my, to backtrack, I guess, the.

First three films I made, although I've been producing them from here, they were all shot in India, actually. One of the films had a Canadian co director, but for the most part, all of my directors and you know, the [00:08:00] casting and everybody has been based in South India. So this will be a real change for me because I feel like more of my production experience has been, you know, with.

crews and teams over in India. And so it's, it's going to be different shooting here, but I'm really excited about it. And then on top of that, I am in my full time role, I'm also the senior manager of marketing partnerships for Cineplex Entertainment. So still all film related in my life and it all, you know, combines and, beautifully mends together in very different ways, but all in a way that very much entertains and excites me.

Yeah, it seems 

Angie: like you've had a very clear path or trajectory and you've just kept making little stepping stones and going on to bigger and bigger things and now you have your own business, you're running it, you're doing all these things and I think for me and other South Asian creatives, it's like so hard to fathom even being in the space that you are because 

I think before [00:09:00] the film industry was like very closed off, so you don't even know like how to get in, you don't know what the, , who do I need to know, who do I need to talk to, what courses do I need to take, what do I need to learn, it's just like the face value of like, okay, acting, directing, all that stuff, but there's so much that goes into One production 

Dilani: or any kind of production.

It's true. And I mean, that's part of the reason why my like route into this industry was quite like it wasn't, I think, looking back now, it might look like it was okay, straightforward. Here's the steps. Here's the thing. But it absolutely didn't feel like that. And also, it was one of those things where I didn't think I could do it.

Right. So like you've actually mentioned before, my Undergraduate and my, you know, my focus in school was completely unrelated to film. I do have an undergraduate in genetic biology and math and stats none of which I, I don't get to apply on an, [00:10:00] on an everyday basis now, but it was one of those things where going into.

I like university. First of all, I think it's kind of crazy that you're asked to make those decisions about what you want to do in life at like 17 or something like that. So for me, it was like I excelled at science. It was kind of a natural fit and there wasn't really like a too much debate on what I was going to do in school.

And to be clear, when I think back on it, it was never really like mandated by my parents, but it was one of those things where I think I just naturally like, well, yeah, I'm good at this. Probably makes sense. I'm I also didn't know anybody. I did not know anyone in film, in TV, no one in my family, no one from like extended friends or, or anything like that.

I did not come from, you know, any kind of like legacy, Bollywood or Tollywood family. Yeah. To find out somewhere along the line that I'm related to somebody. But you know, it's one of those things where I never, it never even occurred to me. Like. Film school or, you know, look going into the business [00:11:00] side of entertainment at that age did not occur to me So when I finished my undergrad towards the end of finishing my undergrad I knew I had no interest to work in the field of science for genetics.

Like honestly that field is is better off without me I think yeah, and so I decided to do my MBA because I wanted to bridge the gap between my undergraduate and trying to get into the entertainment side of business. And I also knew that an MBA was one of those degrees that was like, you know, it's universally spoken.

It holds the same kind of rank anywhere you go in the world. And I had an interest to like, maybe I do want to work abroad or something like that. So I loved You know, my master's like, I loved what I learned in MBA was so well rounded and I found that I had interest in things like operations and not so much accounting and finance, although I excelled at it, but like PR, like that's actually the first time I had a class in crisis communications.

And I loved it. I remember, I still remember some of the fun exercises one day, our [00:12:00] teacher our professor at the time told us, you know, come up with like a fake, I think it was sports was a theme, like a fake sports urgency, or we were given like a a sports league and told come up with like a fake urgency.

And like, how would you conduct the The press conference, and that kind of stuff was like so fun for me. And I'm like, Oh, like, this is the kind of thing I would love to do. And it kind of naturally did lead to me eventually getting into being a publicist for films and working on the marketing for movies.

Angie: I do want to get into how you kind of made those little steps. But that really brings us into my first segment, which is when life gives you lemons. So this is kind of like, What made you who you are the experiences that kind of shaped you to have the interest you have now To have the outlook on life you have now, so we're just gonna dive in 

where did your love for film actually 

Dilani: begin? It, it 100 percent began with my parents so both of them were film buffs and my dad in particular [00:13:00] he and I used to be the people who would sit up hours after the movie was done to analyze it, you know, just piece by piece or like, Oh, maybe this, they were hinting at this and that part.

And I don't know if we knew what we were talking about at all. But we would sit there and enjoy pulling it apart. My mom loved movies, too. She does continue. She loves them now as well. But she would be the person who'd be like, I'm going to bed like the movie's done. But we can talk about it tomorrow. But my dad and I would stay up and chat about it for a while after.

So it came from them and The love for Indian cinema in particular came from my mom, because when I was growing up, I think there was a need for her to want to make sure that I knew the Tamil culture, being that I was born and raised here in Canada, whereas my older brother was born in Sri Lanka, and they moved over here when he was four.

And so I think with him, You know, he went into school here pretty soon after. And for me, when I was born, there's quite an age gap between us. So when I was born later[00:14:00] you know, I think my mom was kind of like, I need to make sure this kid knows, you know, Tamil, knows her culture, all that stuff. But also, I mean, it was her own passion too, right?

So the love for cinema came from them. It was just like what I was engrossed in. And I think. For my mom, it was very much a tool because at the time that I was growing up, you know, Tamil language classes weren't that common here. Even like music and dance were just kind of starting up. So I did, she did put me into dance really young because she was a dancer herself.

So I started learning Bharatanatyam when I was like four. And. It was just natural. Like it all wove together. Like I saw the dance on the screen. I learned it. Like, you know, I just practice at home while you're watching movies. So the love was really there. And I don't know if it was like a conscious hobby.

It was just like, this is life. Like we, we go, we come home and we watch Tamil movies. And I also like to tell my mom and tell the story that I feel like they destined me for this industry or this life because my name is actually from a film song. Yeah. So there was a [00:15:00] song that my mom loved growing up called about a girl named Dilhani, and she was like a dream girl.

And so my mom took out the H and named me Dilhani on that song. So I'm like, you, you did this. You put me here. Yeah, it's your fault. Yeah. 

Angie: What was your family dynamic like growing up? It sounds like you had a very Good relationship. I think it's hard right when you come from you were born here They they came from like a completely different way of living So sometimes it's hard to bridge that gap and have an understanding with each other But it seems like you guys found that understanding through 

Dilani: Absolutely.

And for me, like, yeah, I think growing up by my, we were always close with our parents. Like, we obviously went through those, you know, teen angst , phases, like everyone else does. Although I think mine were delayed, like, so bad, another TV reference. But I remember Gilmore Girls when it's like Roy, like they never fought when she was growing up, but she had all her Like teen angst phase, like later in the 20s.

I think that [00:16:00] happened to me too. For the most part, yeah, no, my, my was very close with my parents. You know, my dad passed away a couple of years ago. And he and I were, you know, our bonds were very much based around movies. Movies more than TV wasn't really a TV watcher unless it was CNN. But yeah, so he was, he was very supportive of me wanting to go down this path of, you know, working in film so much so that, you know, when I decided to move to India a couple years ago and work in production, he, his exact words were like, go have fun.

Can I come too? Like that was, that was basically, I think, and he did, you know, he didn't, when I moved there, he didn't come with me, but he did come with me on a couple of trips earlier. And, you know, I'd be running around doing my thing, working for a media outlet and, and just, you know, doing festival stuff and all that.

 So that was really great. Which is, I think, contrary to like what a lot of You know, maybe typical Sri Lankan families or dads might be like, [00:17:00] in fact, I, you know, I tell this story too, that like, when I decided I wanted to go live and work in India, I think I was more afraid to tell my brother than my mom, than my dad, like I was least worried about my dad.

And that's exactly how their reactions went. My brother was most protective. My mom was like, Oh, like, why? I'm like, by yourself, like. Obviously nervous. My dad was like, Let's do it. So yeah, he that was him. And yeah, my mom and I are still very tight to this day. And like, for her, the person I am today as well rounded as I am, and my, you know, knowledge or like affluence in music and the arts is all like all thanks to my mom and my dad, you know, my mom was the one driving me from Mississauga to Scarborough for 7 a.

m. class every weekend. Wow. Like, and, you know, that's why French Vanilla runs in our veins because that was our morning stop at Tim Hortons drive to Scarborough and, and, you know, and it was dance, whether it was [00:18:00] dance veena, violin, vocal, whatever it was, my mom's schedule was basically my schedule. Right.

Mm hmm. And that is. Just the type of people they were, like a lot of, you know, passionate and hardworking South Asian parents. They were very much just devoted to us and, it's, it's why I attribute a lot of what I am today is, is very much because of them. 

Angie: Can you talk a little bit more about that time that you decided to basically move to India and , live out your dreams, basically, because you talk about how, like, that was a very pivotal moment in your life that kind of shaped what you're doing now because that's when you got the idea to found your company to do all the stuff that you're doing now.

Can you talk a little bit more 

Dilani: about that? Yeah, absolutely. So I moved. So I had been traveling to India a couple of times before that. The very first time I visited was with my parents and it was actually, I had already started writing for a very popular website there [00:19:00] called Behindwoods at the time.

So I was the only correspondent from North America and I used to write a column called. East meets West, and it was very much about, you know, being a Tamil South Asian person growing up in the West, like how I interpreted and saw and enjoyed, you know, films coming out of India. So the column did really well, and it really helped me kind of cement a name for myself in South Asian cinema.

And that's honestly how I got started. And so I made friends, you know, from those I worked with online, you know, who ran, who worked in the. The magazine and the website in India made friends. And so when I, we decided we wanted to visit for the first time, like it was very much, it was just like a very warm reception.

And I felt like I knew so many people there already. So, you know, I had a strong circle of friends. So visiting that, you know, a couple of times before, while I was working at TIFF actually you know, just on vacations and things like that, I continued to grow my base there. And The reason or how I decided to move to India [00:20:00] is actually related to TIFF.

So while I was working at TIFF I assisted with South Asian programming. And in the year 2014, I helped to pick this movie that did very well at TIFF to have its world premiere and it was called Kaaka Muttai or the crow's egg. And that movie, which was directed by M. Manikandan, it was his first feature film.

When he came to. You know, Toronto and to have his film premiere at TIFF. I think he was very shocked to see this Tamil girl that, you know, helped pick his movie and that there was a Tamil person at TIFF. Picking his film. 

Angie: Because you don't really see that in the film. Yeah. You don't see people that look like us.

Maybe more, much more about now. Not at that time, it wasn't so common, 

Dilani: right? Yeah, I was, yeah, one of the few South Asian people working in the organization, but in particular anyway, it was just a reflection of the time and like, just that there weren't as many people from our diaspora who were there.

Pursuing jobs in this, you know, industry. And yes, it absolutely has grown and, [00:21:00] and, you know organizations like that are grown as a result very much to be much more diverse and things like that is just a reflection of the times. Right. But for me I. was very excited to meet this, you know, filmmaker that was the first film I helped choose.

I was obviously at a time where I was working there. You're always excited to meet all the celebrities and all that, you know, the knowns, but like I was, I think I was more excited to meet this. filmmaker whose film I adored and I just really wanted to get to know like a young filmmaker, how did this film come to be?

And it had big producers behind it, you know, Dhanush and Vetrimaaran and both like huge celebrities and, and very accomplished people in the Tamil film industry. And Mani was the most, you know, humble down to earth guy. And he was really just upfront with me. And he's like, yeah, so, you know, how you help my film.

I like, there's a bunch of other people who need your help. He just basically opened up my eyes to the fact that there were so many more filmmakers like him who [00:22:00] were, you know, had these great films that could play very well to international audiences and that were, you know, global storytellers. that just weren't getting a chance, you know, to play at big festivals like this.

So, , he went back to India. He had me, he asked for my help to consult on his following films. I helped take them to festivals and all that stuff. And, you know, as I continued to work at TIFF, I kind of started to hit a ceiling in my role there at the time. And I was itching to kind of learn more about production, like, On the ground film production and Mani was always such a great, you know, friend and constant I would see when I would visit India too.

And he got the funding for his third film and with a bigger production company. And he said, Hey, if you want to learn, why don't you just come learn with us? And so that was it. It was really about like the timing. And honestly. A little bit of the like the trust and the familiarity I had with him because I don't, [00:23:00] I and I did talk to other companies actually interviewed with a few other Indian production companies or at least talked about opportunities.

But I wasn't quite sure that any of them really understood what I could bring to the table. Like I think it was, you know, to be frank, I I think it was more about a gimmick at the time, like, Oh, this Canadian Tamil girl who has connections with TIFF, like, Oh yeah, maybe let's get her in on our next film.

But I don't know that they would have actually given me the right opportunities when it came to the set. Right. So it was a familiarity and a trust and Mani that made me. You know, make the jump. And so I resigned from TIFF at that time and I moved to India and I had the opportunity while I was living there to meet a lot of other filmmakers, ones who, you know, I'm very grateful to say when they heard I was coming to town, they're like, I'd like to talk to her because Mani had done a great job of spreading the word.

Right. And people had taken note of how I helped his other films and. I did not realize how many other amazing filmmakers were there that needed help getting the movies out. [00:24:00] So he, you know, he encouraged me a lot. So while I was there, I started my company, which at the time was called Viewfinder Film Consulting, and we put together a package.

And basically, I began what was, I like to call like festival representation services. So I started consulting on films while they were in their posts, like editing stage. I started doing script consulting for people who were working on new scripts. And I primarily would, you know, if I believed in a film, I was very passionate about it.

Then I would help package it together, like in terms of its press kit, its publicity, its marketing, to pitch it to international film festivals. And that's how I ended up working on over nearly 50 films now that I helped help take to international festivals, including shorts and features, and many of which are now available on Netflix and.

prime video and things like that. So yeah, it's it along the way, naturally the instinct and the want to get involved with more new filmmakers and tell new stories was always [00:25:00] kind of growing inside me. I don't think I knew at the time I moved to India that I wanted to be a producer one day. It.

Came up kind of as I was learning more from, you know, people on set and, and the people in the industry that were like, I have to say, it's quite still a male dominated industry in all regions of South Asia when it comes to cinema. But I had the fortune of working with, you know, the most open minded and forward thinking.

People in the industry who are very, very open and happy to have my expertise, my experiences as a woman, as a South Asian woman, even coming from Canada, you know, on their films. And for that, I'm very grateful. 

Angie: I think your story really speaks to the importance of connection, right? Because if you didn't meet Mani, you wouldn't have, you, you might've.

Had the same trajectory, but like maybe you wouldn't have had the same support because he was very [00:26:00] passionate about you He knew what you could do. He brought you over and said, okay, come learn then you met all these other people Like connection is so important and I think because I work Adjacent to the film industry now so I'm really learning that it's not about necessarily about how talented someone is like, that, that is important, but it's mostly about the connections you're making and can you get in front of the right people to say, like, here's what I can do and they 

Dilani: run with you.

Yeah. I mean. The entertainment business as a whole is, I would say, like 50 percent connections. Like, yes, you have to have talent. You have to have, the desire and the passion and the drive to want to make it in this industry. But it is a lot about like, you know, connecting and finding the right people to collaborate with.

Absolutely. So you know, looking back, yeah, it's very much related to the people I met, the people I worked with. It's still the case today, right? You know, the people I [00:27:00] choose to, whose films I choose to produce what, , creatives I choose to collaborate with, it all makes the difference for your, you know, where you're going to go next.

So yeah, I'm, I'm always, I've always been very open with how grateful I am that I met Mani when I did at the stage in his career that he was. 

Angie: You talked a little bit about it, but I want to go a little bit deeper into it because you don't see people that look like you and I working in entertainment and creative industries that often, and when you do, it's like, you know, a Mindy Kaling or like someone who's like, it's like almost unachievable, but then, you know, and it's like, well, am I really going to be able to do that?

So I want you to talk about like, Okay. What are some of the challenges you faced when you were coming up? Like, was there pushback because of your culture, your race, or was there pushback because you were just simply a woman? 

Dilani: Yeah, I'd say that pushback was more so felt when I moved to India and started my own business, [00:28:00] more so than working in the industry here in Canada.

And that's, like I said, because the South Asian cinema industry is primarily male dominated, right? And the pushback I received was usually more in the form of like, when I would provide my feedback on a film, you know, especially if the feedback wasn't, I loved it, a little bit more colorful and peppered, right?

There were filmmakers along the way who were. Keen to get their movie into festivals. 

They heard about what I could do and so they were like, oh yeah, yeah, we'll, we'll give our film to her and she'll, she can take it to the festivals. But I've made it a point since the start of when I established my company till today. I do not represent films or work on, you know, films that I'm not personally passionate about.

One, it would be. You know, wrong of me to say that I can take a film to festivals if I don't really have the faith in their festival success. And honestly, it's just, it's not a great reflection of me, right? Like, if I'm [00:29:00] not passionate about a film, I can't go passionately pitch it to a festival. And I also choose films that I'm, I'm happy to be associated with.

I, like, I do think they're a reflection of me as a, as a consultant, as a, you know, representative and as a brand. So when there were some filmmakers who brought their films to me and were like, Oh yeah, take it to festivals. Like it was like an automatic, like, sure. Do what you want with it. Yeah. But. When I didn't like the film and I explained to them, you know, here's the thing, I'm, I don't think I'm the right person to represent this film.

Of course, if you want to pursue festivals, it's up to you, but I'm personally not not going to accept doing the representation for you in this case. And they would be unwilling to accept that, like unwilling to accept that I didn't like their film or that I couldn't take it to festivals. They're like, well, we'll pay you whatever amount, take it to festival.

That's not how it works. Right. Like it's not no amount of money you pay me can change the outcome of how your film goes. Right. Or does in, in those regards. So that's when I [00:30:00] started to receive the, like, well, what do you know kind of thing. Right. And. It's, I'm glad that it happened less than it did in comparison to people who are like, oh, thank you for the feedback.

Okay, I understand. I'd like to work from, work with you from an earlier stage on my next film so that maybe I'm keeping these kind of things in mind to make sure I have a product or a film that's better for international audiences too, you know, all those kind of things. I'm glad that more people accepted the feedback and were willing to like, you know, work with me in the future.

Take care. But there were those people who were like, well, what does she know? She's a girl from Canada. She's not, you know, and like, I'm very happy to see that there's more female producers and directors within Tamil cinema and, you know, Indian cinema as a whole right now. It's not enough though. Like, let's be honest, it's still, it's still a minority.

And especially when it comes to the South, like it's tougher. And. It's just one of those things where, like, we have to just keep chipping away at it, but we're [00:31:00] working against decades and decades of a patriarchal lead to this industry. Yeah, 

Angie: totally. And I think the important thing is, like, people like yourself, people who are doing it, you're looking through life through your own lens, so then you are able to pull, These things that you know you believe in and will do well and then you're making these more connections and you're doing all these things like no one's gonna be like, we need more South Asian representation.

Let's just do it. You know, it has to be come from us, unfortunately, and there has to be those like barrier breakers like yourself that are like. This is, there's a need for this and I'm going to do it this 

Dilani: way. Yeah. And when it comes to the industry here, like I'm very happy to say there's a lot more initiatives now.

There's a lot more programs, labs, workshops, and everything to encourage BIPOC people in film. Right. And so. To be frank, it's not, it's not just South Asian people who are underrepresented in terms of like producing and directing and writing when it comes to entertainment and film here. [00:32:00] It's quite a few other, you know groups of you know, diverse ethnic groups of emerging producers, writers, everybody.

And I'm, grateful for, , organizations like ones I've had the fortune of being a part of like real world and, you know, being chosen for their producers program and things like that, that encourage us as emerging producers. But there's still a lot of barriers in place from the, from the people who are making the TV shows and making the films here.

It always, it always stings when, , an organization says they support emerging producers and support and want new stories. But hey, the rules say that in order to make a new story, you have to have already produced a TV show in the last five years. It's like, okay, so. How do we get in?

It's the vicious 

Angie: cycle. Yeah. It's like you can't have a job if you don't have experience but you can't get experience 

Dilani: if you don't get a job. Until you get that job, right? Part of the reason I started the company I did. And like I mentioned with Mani and other filmmakers is I love [00:33:00] helping to discover new talent. I love helping to champion new storytellers. And that's actually why the first three shorts I produced are all from first time directors and I chose them through a script competition actually.

 I started a film fund and script competition in memory of my dad. And I sought out. , new storytellers. I wanted to back new filmmakers who needed an in into the industry. And part of the inspiration or reason behind that is because my dad would actually love, you know, analyzing the work of a new filmmaker way more so than the like, you know, established big names that we had come to know and love.

Angie: You started your company because you saw this real need for cultivating South Asian talent, especially like South Indian talent, right?

Because you saw that there was a need for it. Did you feel like you yourself Were represented in the films and media that you [00:34:00] watched growing 

Dilani: up interestingly enough Yes, and no because I like to think when I think back on young Dilani I was leading like a double life because at school I would be into talking about you know What were the shows like Sabrina the Teenage Witch?

 You know that the T was a TGI Friday Yeah. TGI Friday, right? Like, we would talk about, you know, those TV shows at school or the, like, you know, the popular new teen or tween movie out or whatever, but at home I was also watching Tamil movies. I was watching Indian TV, Tamil TV.

I was going to, you know Carnatic music and dance classes. So, I saw myself represented in, like, Tamil movies, but not like, not me per se, but I'm like, Oh, it kind of looked like me, although they also cast a lot of North Indian people that did not look like me at all. So you know, it was one of those things where like, I kind of saw it, but then I realized, wait a minute, all these are happening across the world.

They're not [00:35:00] like, they're not people here. They're not me here. So That's actually one of the reasons you know, I really wanted to get into producing and, and particularly work with creatives here in Canada and, and why the next short we want to do is, is all based here is because I want to talk to the South Asian, , millennial or whatever the ones now, what is it?

Gen Y? Gen Z. Like Gen Z. Okay. Don't even know. Millennial Gen Z experience here now, right? Like those of us who were born in this country. And raised with both cultures, right? And one at home and one at school. Yeah. And those of us who, you know, have grown up learning to balance, like, our ethnic backgrounds, our, you know, cultural traditions with living and working in Canada, you know, things like that.

Like, I don't feel that me exactly was represented on screen when I was growing up, but I definitely see it now more so, which is great. And, you know, like, I, I have great respect and admiration for people like Mindy Kaling. [00:36:00] Yeah. Bringing more of those stories to the screen. So, you know, Never Have I Ever, and even like Sex Lives of College Girls, and , the different kind of representation we see.

Do I think it's representative of everybody? No. No. But I'm glad to see it in these, you know, spurts that we are. Yeah. 

Angie: And, and, and. You can't expect one person to be, because Mindy Ka gets, gets a lot of flack 

Dilani: responsible for everything sometimes. Yeah. 

Angie: I see. On like TikTok and stuff and I'm like, well, she can't represent everyone.

She's representing her own experience and her o obviously all of her storytelling is gonna be through her lens. So it's going to be representative of her experience so you can't really knock her like she's not the champion of all 

Dilani: south asian women growing up in North America like right like you you 

Angie: kind of have to like okay if you have a story to tell you go do it then and see how easy it is you know like exactly I respect anyone that has the balls to just create [00:37:00] something and put it out there and it's Especially if it's reflective of your own, whatever you've been through, because it's hard to do that.

Dilani: Sometimes there's also an expectation like, that immigrant experiences or children of immigrant experiences are always going to be ones of like strife and struggle. But like, yes, our parents went through a lot to come to this country without. practically anything and build a brand new life for us here.

But I would like to focus on, you know, the positive upbringing I had and the positive way I was raised in this country because of their sacrifices and hard work. I don't also feel that all, you know, Tamil, South Asian, like stories need to be rooted in , despair or trauma and trauma. Yeah.

And I feel like, unfortunately, there's sometimes an expectation from Western media that like, that's the story we have to tell. And that's it. 

Angie: Yeah. And that is a story, but there are lots of other stories as well. Absolutely. As we touch on young [00:38:00] Dilani, like, can you describe who was young Dilani when she was a girl?

Like, what did she think of herself? 

Dilani: So she was very she was, I don't know what the exact, it's like an anomaly. I was quietly outgoing. So I would, you know, I went to dance class. I started learning Carnatic music only when I was like 11 or 12 because You know, teachers were kind of coming and getting settled here at that time.

But also, I wanted to learn the instruments that didn't have many teachers here. So I actually, you know, I saw a Veena in a movie or a television show that my mom was watching some Indian show. And I said, I went and pointed, I'm like, I want to learn that. And it took like two years for my mom to find a teacher here, you know, because they just weren't like as established.

I was, you know, when I was not in school, I was at dance class. I was at music class. I liked art. I like to draw, paint. So it was very much like artistically inclined. At school, I was, academically [00:39:00] outgoing. I did the science Olympics. I did the mathletes. I did well in those things.

But I was also my 

Angie: mom would have loved you. 

Dilani: But I was also really keen to do the arts and culture stuff at school. But I was more scared to do it because it was like, everyone at school knows me as like the overachiever academically , like going out for the school play and stuff like I wanted to so badly, but I had to really work up that courage to do it.

And it was only towards the end of like elementary school. I started going out for like musicals and plays and I would do well in it. Like I, you know, I'm proud to say I've starred amazing productions of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and things. But you know, or like emceeing, like even emceeing, like school events and all that.

Like, I really wanted to do that, but I wasn't, I didn't come out of my shell to like closer to high school and put myself out there for those things. And I feel like it's, it's a result of that, [00:40:00] like double lifestyle kind of thing. Like I was quieter in school than I was at home or at, you know, like outside of school events.

And then I slowly started to merge those together. And then in high school, I got more into writing. I got more into public speaking. I actually used to compete at like provincial level public speaking competitions. And I love the creative writing part of it, like writing my speeches and performing them.

Like I was very into it and those things started to help me come out of my shell more and more so that by the time I reached university, even though I was in the, maybe the wrong program, I was out there trying to find those like cultural artistic, you know, outlets more so in, in university, but. For me, like, yeah, it was, it was, I still remember, it's like a very interesting memory that I remember inviting all my friends from high school to my bharatanatyam arangetram, which I did when I was in like, I think I think I was between grade 11 and grade 12, I think.

Angie: Pause for a second. Could you [00:41:00] explain to the listeners what an 

Dilani: arangetram is? Yeah, absolutely. So Well, bharatanatyam is a type of classical you know, Sri Lankan and Indian dance. So it's the ones that's most popular in Sri Lanka and South India. There's a lot of different forms of classical dance.

And it's the one that my mom learned growing up and used to perform all throughout Sri Lanka, actually, as like a star dancer. Yeah. I mean, she could do the, like, I have the pictures of her doing the moves that my body cannot contort. And I so you're arangetram is kind of like your graduation. And I did mine after at least I think at that point it was about over 13 to 14 years of learning the art and it's where you perform solo for like a three to four hour show.

Yeah. It is the ultimate of cardio training that I wish my body could still do. And you know, it rivals like when people say they prep for like a marathon, like it's very much like that. But you [00:42:00] also are wearing like 10 pounds of jewelry and elaborate costumes that you change throughout the show and about two pounds of makeup, right?

Like, I still remember that makeup. It was called pancake makeup where they like, Just slather it. 

Angie: Because the people in the far back row need to be able to see your 

Dilani: glow in the dark. Like, yeah, exactly. Yeah. And there's a live orchestra. In most cases, you'll have a live orchestra playing. So you're also like you're performing completely live.

Like there's no part of this that's really been pre recorded some. In some cases, people will use like pre recorded music. And it's it's a curated program of like, I think about 10 to 12 dances. Each. performance, each song tells a story. So it's not just dancing. You're actually, you're very expressive.

I like to think of it is in many ways, it's a lot like opera and ballet and things like that all put together because bharatanatyam is very expressive. So that's where storytelling, right? Storytelling. [00:43:00] through your movements. Exactly. And so that's where my love of like acting and performing and everything was like very much culminated all together with dance with the Indian and Sri Lankan dance.

So for that, I remember inviting all my friends from school to that performance, which happened in the summer and they all came and they're like, Who, who was that? Like who was that on stage? Like my friends knew I did dance, but they didn't know, like, most of them were not South Asian. And so they were, you know, very fascinated with the whole concept, but they were also like amazed to see me dance for like four hours straight and like exactly tell these really rich, colorful stories.

So I was that person in school, like the double life, like analogy very much makes sense for me. When I think back about young Dilani. 

Angie: You like seem very driven when it comes to all the things you were participating in and I feel like I was the opposite. I was like dragged. Like, you were driving, and I was dragged [00:44:00] 

Dilani: through, like, There was some things I was dragged to, and then as a result, I did not do well in them, and I regret it to this day, but I'm going to admit it on this podcast for you, Angie.

Well, 

Angie: your mom's going to hear it, and she's going to be like, mm hmm. 

Dilani: She's, you know what, it's, she's, she's part of the problem. I can't swim. Oh, okay. I don't know at what point I stopped. It was like, I went to the, you know, the community center classes. Yeah. Most kids do. And I can't remember at what point or why I stopped.

And then by the time I was in grade eight, I was like, I so regret not knowing how to swim. I'm going to continue. I went back and they had changed the system. So it's like whatever courses I had finished, don't count anymore. You have to start in like level zero. So I tried and I was in the class with like the little brother of one of my classmates. 

And, like, it was one of those things where, like, small neighborhood, we knew each other's, like, siblings and stuff. [00:45:00] So the next day I go to school, I want to name drop him because, I don't know, I can't remember, maybe we're on LinkedIn together now, but, like, he was, like, teasing every, teasing me in front of the class because he's like, guess what, Dilani goes swimming with my, like, six year old brother.

And I'd be like, oh, my God. And that was it. I didn't go back. You were done. But I definitely looked into private like adult swim classes. It's funny, I looked into them like right before pandemic and then I'm like, oh, global pandemic, can't learn how to swim. Yeah. But it's on the list. I will do it. I like know enough to tread water and like, you And that's, like, been fine.

Like you won't drown? Yeah. But, you know, it's like one of those things where I'm, like, personally driven to complete that to do list item, so one day I will. 

Angie: 

I really love this episode because a lot of times like the episodes are kind of like This is the trauma I went through, but yours is very, you, you're such a positive person, and I feel that, like, as I'm talking to you, because you're just so [00:46:00] focused on, like, these were my great experiences, this is how I turned them into, like, even more, greater experiences, and it's really nice to get that perspective, because sometimes I feel like, I'm like focused on the negative stuff and like how they like built my character, but you're like the complete 

Dilani: opposite.

Oh, I'm like, I mean, that's today's a good day then I guess I'm like a boss to think like there's definitely moments where I'm like, why did I do this? Why did I choose this? Yeah. But I think if anything, those days. They're less than the ones where I'm like, okay, I'm going to, I'm going to work on something created today and it's going to turn into something people will watch one day and appreciate, right?

Like that drives me. And also like, to be fair, like, I, I feel like I'm creative and All aspects of my life like when it comes to stuff like just I will start random projects for myself And I'm like, why did I do this? It's not like I have the time to but it's like these are my that's my kind of wellness journey, too Right, like I enjoy like [00:47:00] I enjoy making lists and organizing things That's my that's my warm must have some 

Angie: Capricorn in your chart because we love a 

Dilani: list.

Yeah Okay. Yeah, maybe 

Angie: aS we go into our next segment, A Spoonful of Honey, this is kind of like how you, all of this has been very sweet actually, but how you've kind of like taken your experiences and made them sweeter and made them into the opportunities that you have.

Now, so after working at TIFF for four years, we kind of touched on this a little bit, but you moved to India working on M. Manikandan's feature film, and that's where you founded your company, VFP Inc. Like, can you talk about what it's like just starting your own company was that something you always wanted to do, start your own company, or?

Like, how did you wrap your head around that and then just push forward? 

Dilani: I had no idea that I would ever start a company like that was never a, like a aim or a goal or [00:48:00] something I put on like a, you know a vision board one day, never, never thought about it. So I think I used this term before in an interview years ago, I'm an accidental entrepreneur.

Like, I very much just started to do what I was doing out of an interest, like I started to consult for filmmakers, I started to help them with press kits and publicity, because I was good at it, but I also didn't recognize that it was something I could, quote unquote, sell, like, as a business. And You know, thinking back on it, it's a lot to do with connections and the people who told me like what you're doing is valuable and should not be done for free or like just, just out of your own interest all the time.

So 

Angie: prior to starting your business, were you doing everything just kind of volunteer basis? Absolutely. Oh, wow. 

Dilani: Okay. And I mean, like, I'll look back on that and I consider that paying my dues. Because like a lot of working in this industry is like, you know, people do jobs as PAs and, and like, you know, just to exact internships, internships.[00:49:00] 

My very first job at TIFF was an internship. Like I was a marketing intern, the very first festival I worked, it was just a like five month contract for the summer. And then I got, you know, an opportunity there full time like I applied and, you know joined the company in a full time position, but Like, I had dues to pay when it came to, like, working in this field, if I wanted to work in it in the manner I am, which is as a producer, as a creative, not just, you know, somebody working in the business adjacently.

Right. So so for me, yeah, like starting a company, it didn't really occur to me until I was already doing the work. And I'm like, Oh, yeah, maybe I should charge people for this. And so I'm grateful to the people who encouraged me and kind of told me like, what you're doing is worth it. Like, it's not. It's not something that should be done kind of just.

out of the goodness of my heart only. And then so, so starting my own business, like I, I wasn't too scared to do it because I think in a way I [00:50:00] was already doing it. I'm like, okay, I'm just formalizing it now. You know, I'm putting a name on it. I'm putting up written package together. These are the kinds of things I love.

Like I love creating processes and I love creating like Like, yeah, like a flow and, and that's something that I think was, is lacking a lot in, in like creatives in the industry sometimes, like filmmaking can be really chaotic, like it can be a mess, but it could also be really organized and it can be very streamlined.

I liked doing that and helping filmmakers bring their vision to like a more like easily digestible, like let's market your film in a way that's like clear. And it's not just based on word of mouth or based on like, you know, people finding this film later. I wanted to bring order to the creative chaos in, in some ways.

And cause that's very much my personality, but so when it was about changing what I was doing into a company. I was like, okay, I can do this. Had I set out the opposite [00:51:00] way and thought I'm going to create a business that's about marketing films, I don't know I would be that successful.

I think I have to do it. find out I had a market, find out I had a talent for it, and then turn around and be like, all right, we're legit now. That's, that's how it worked out. But if you asked me, you know, like 15 years ago or when I was in university, do you want to start a business one day? Even when I was in my master's program in MBA, I still don't think I was Thinking I would be an entrepreneur one day. 

Angie: It's just, just kind of happened on you and through your connections that just, you were like, Oh, this is the next piece of the puzzle that makes sense. 

Dilani: And I think it happened like in a way because I found something I like doing and like turning that into a business wasn't difficult.

But if I was asked to sit there and think about start a business, what would you do in the front? I don't know that I would have thought about it. Like I, I always tell people, I think I made a job for myself. In this industry, like how many other people can work on [00:52:00] South Asian films that are made across the world, but from here in Toronto, right?

Like I, I literally invented a job for myself and, and it has become more of a common part actually of the filmmaking business. I'm not saying like I invented and then everyone got the idea. Like I think it was being done. Maybe without it having a formal term for a while. And now people having festival consultants people who advise festivals in these kind of maybe a not full fledged programmer, but more of like I bring you the gems kind of role.

Like that's more common now, but there wasn't a term for it like 10 years ago, let's say. And and that process of like keeping a point for your film once it's complete to do festivals was totally not a thing. 

Angie: People who are not as familiar, you know, with the film making process and the festival circuit and all that.

What is the benefit? To do the festival circuit if you're a first time filmmaker or even third, fourth. [00:53:00] 

Dilani: Yeah, if you're a first time filmmaker, honestly, like the chances are that unless you had a really big backing for your film, like, which is a huge get for a first film, doing the festivals is how you usually sell your film, right?

Like you, Usually when you make up, if you're a first time filmmaker, a film can be made and backed by producers, but might not have a distributor already tied onto it. So that means where it's going to be sold, right? So whether it's it's theatrical release or it's, you know digital release later, most films, unless they're backed by a very big studio that already has a platform of their own.

In most cases festivals are a market, right? Like they're the place where you can sell that film and sell your work so that you can get the next project, right? So that you can find producers for the next story you want to tell. And maybe that story is a little bit more personal to you than the first film was because maybe the first film was done to get into the industry and then you have all these other more unique stories that you want to tell.[00:54:00] 

Festivals are a great place to find the next collaborators, to find your distributor, to find your, you know, The next step for filmmakers that have, you know, are established. I think the drive to want to play their films at festivals is still that critical appeal, right? It's the critical appreciation of their work.

It's, you know, these it's prestige obviously to have your films play at major film festivals around the world. So it can be two things. It could be like that creative fulfillment. Like I, my film is. It's seen by these diverse audiences that maybe if the film is only released in its home country, like people who don't know the language are not going to watch it, right?

But festivals bring you to those international audiences and then there's the business advantages to it. And you see it every year at major festivals where I love watching, you know, non South Asian people enjoy South Asian films. And like, that's, and that's honestly like how I got. You know, to where I [00:55:00] am is bringing those, , South Asian films, those gems to non, , Tamil or Hindi or Telugu or Malayalam speaking audiences.

One of the, like one of my favorite films I saw at TIFF this year. It was a Marathi movie called A Match or Sthal in its original language. And the screening I went to for that film, which I believe was the first screening, the first public screening, like most of the audience actually was not South Asian or did not know the language.

Wow, that's amazing. Yeah. And it's, it's, it's quite common at TIFF. Like, and I, I love that about TIFF and I love that about Toronto audiences is they're very keen to see the movies that they may not get access to otherwise. Right. So, and that's how I built my festival schedule. Right. I want to go see the movies that I know are not releasing maybe, or don't already have a release plan in place because Like, who knows, maybe I won't get to see that random Saudi Arabian movie, like, on the big screen again, right?

So [00:56:00] that movie I saw called A Match which was a brilliantly done movie by Jayant Somalkar, that movie was about the bride interview process of arranged marriages. It's in a, in the village actually that he grew up in. So it's a very like tedious and repetitive process of exactly how the male family members of the groom side come there and sit and evaluate this bride.

Like it's all men in the room. Only the prospective bride is the only woman and the questions they ask, they're repetitive. The exact same process of like what snacks they're served how they will question her and then go discuss and then come back and say, we'll get back to you on if we're going to pick this girl or not.

Like that process for a lot of South Asian people watching the film, we're like, yep. Like there wasn't anything too shocking in it for us because we're used to these patriarchal norms. But that audience full of non South Asian people were [00:57:00] like, why are there no women in the room? Why does she get asked the same question?

Why do they give her money at the end when she comes and touches their feet? Like they asked all the granular questions and I loved seeing that audience. Dive into this and ask those questions because it's things that they're not used to seeing, right? And to me like I think for filmmakers and as a producer myself, like that's the kind of audience I want the things I make to play for an inquisitive Curious audience who wants to learn about the world through film 

Angie: I was just gonna say that like it sparks curiosity and people who might not have even known what questions to ask before they watch that piece of art, right?

And it's just exposure of the culture I think that's the true, purpose of art and films and all of the stuff you, it's just exposing you to a different way of life, a different. opinion, a different story that you might have no relation to at all, but there's always that piece of [00:58:00] like connectivity within it.

That's like, Oh, this is actually not my story at all, but I relate to this piece of it. And then there's like, I feel seen, I 

Dilani: feel heard. This is exactly my life, you know? Yeah. Oh yeah. And you can have both of those moments at Like a festival, right? Like you can have the movies where that touch your soul and you identify with and then you can have the ones that like, Oh my God, I knew nothing about this country, this culture, this this way of living.

And I just walked out with so much knowledge and like, Shock. 

Angie: What advice do you have for your fellow entrepreneurs, producers, and people coming up in creative 

Dilani: careers?

Well, I think one of the things I said earlier, actually about starting a business, like start a business. If you want to be an entrepreneur about what you're passionate at and what you're good at, like, don't just start a business for the sake of starting a business. I think like that's integral to the success of that business and you can define success in a lot of different [00:59:00] ways, right?

You can define it as how much money you brought in or whatever it is. Like in my case, I think I define the success of my business on how many different creatives I've helped. Further their journey or their path in the business, how many different films I've got to work on. Like, that's just personal achievement to be able to talk to and work with so many different filmmakers around the world.

Like the success of a business, if you're an entrepreneur, is directly correlated with how passionate you are about what you're doing. Right. And then there are some people who love what they do, but they don't want to turn it into a business. And that's. Perfectly fine, right? Not everything needs to be monetized.

And I completely believe that. But I think like that would be my advice to entrepreneurs is like, go into it only if you're truly, truly passionate about it, because there will be periods where you're like, why did I do this? And you will need to rely. On that passion, right? Yeah. And in terms [01:00:00] of advice to creatives or maybe South Asian, you know, people living in North America who are trying to get into the entertainment business kind of the same advice, like you, Better be ready for the grind because it's as anyone can guess.

It's not easy. It's not a walk in the park. Things are not handed to you and you absolutely need to be patient. Like nothing comes quickly in this industry. As I tell the new writers and people I work with when we reach out to a company and we don't hear back from them for three months, that's normal.

Like that's normal and it takes time. And we will be working on projects for years before we see them come to fruition, or maybe we'll work on them for years and decide this is not going anywhere. We're going to have to change trajectory, right? And like, that's okay. It's all part of the filmmaking or TV making process, but patience is.

probably aside from passion, the thing you need most to work in, in [01:01:00] entertainment whether you're South Asian or not, like any that, that applies to anyone in the industry. 

Angie: What has the highlight of your career been so far? 

Dilani: Oh, that's a great question. It's hard to pick one, but maybe I'll go with a more recent one because it was, it's just, you know, top of mind. But uh, the third film I produced is called Little Wings. I'm very proud of it.

It's directed by Naveen Mu and it was a total hit at festivals. We were also the only Tamil short chosen for Indian panorama, which is the largest Indian film festival that happens every year. And. We have since been nominated for five Critics Choice Awards in India. And all this is from a Canadian girl who decided to hold a script competition and found this story.

And Naveen, who, I, I, sorry, I shouldn't say I found Naveen. He was already doing great things as an assistant director and, and a writer in his own right. But I'm very. Proud that I got to produce his first short and co [01:02:00] produced it along with director Raja Murugan, who is a national award winning director in Indian cinema as well.

So I'll say the highlight has been when I was finally able to travel back to India this past May for the first time in years because of, you know, pandemic. And we held a press and industry screening of the film in Chennai at an iconic theater. And it was so packed, we had to have two screenings back to back.

And I will never forget standing up there with the cast and crew amazing, you know, technical members of our team and our fantastic female lead and just taking questions from the audience and talking about how I got into this and why I chose this film. And it was just a story that I really thought I loved and I wanted to see made and I thought would entertain and, you know, envelop people for a couple of minutes.

And I wasn't wrong. And so now as we work to find it the right home for its, you know, permanent release, [01:03:00] I, I just will always hold on to that moment where I stood up there and I was recognized as a producer in the Indian film industry a successful one. And I was able to turn around and see the film that I.

You know, helped make on that big screen 

 You know, being able to be up there and talk about a film and see that many people enjoyed and, and know that like, okay, you, you did something right.

Angie: I think at the end of the day, cause I find that with podcasting and anything I do, I'm like, Does anyone care? 

Dilani: No, we totally care. Like, speaking from a previous, like, you know, previous podcaster myself, we totally care. First of all, what is everyone listening to with their AirPods in the subway and walking around?

We're listening to your voice. We're listening to storytellers like you, like we, like, no, trust me, we couldn't even go back from work from home to work in real life if it wasn't for podcasters. You're doing Miraculous work. 

Angie: Thank you. But, like, I, [01:04:00] I relate to the fact that you're, like, doing all this stuff and sometimes you're like, is this worth it or is this making a difference because you don't know until you 

Dilani: hit those moments.

But you don't know until you do it. Right? Yeah. Or until you try, right? Like, I mean, that was kind of like, very similar actually my mindset when I was in India and I started a podcast there and I was interviewing Indian celebrities on it. Like it worked out well when I was living there because I had access to meet, you know, these people.

They were, a lot of them were friends that I was meeting while I was working there in the industry. And I'd be like, you want to just come talk to me for like two hours on a podcast? And, and, and you know what? Podcasts were not a thing. thing then. Right. They weren't a thing there. Sorry. They weren't really a thing in South Indian cinema.

So it was cool to be on like one of those first kind of shows that started having these people on it. And I think that's probably the reason why they said yes, because they're like, cool, like an audio only show where I can talk about my career. I love doing it. And you know, I did it for a couple of years, even after I came back from India.

But it, it, it requires so [01:05:00] much work. It's really a. A lot of work from start to finish. And as my company started to grow, I kind of had to step back and decide like which one is, which one am I more invested in and more interested to keep going. So like kudos to you because I know how much work goes into every single episode and you're doing it in addition to your, you know, full time job and other interests.

And honestly, I love the episodes. I love the show. So thank you. And I think it's really unique the way you talk to people about, like, the sour and the sweet experiences because it gives, and you bring on such interesting different guests, right? That everyone has a very different take on what's sour and what's sweet.

And that's great. 

Angie: Yeah. And that's what I love. Cause everyone, and everyone's like teaching me a little bit more because like sometimes it's easy to be stuck in your own. view of things and then you kind of brought it in and out and you see a lot of us do have very similar experiences, but how they shaped us can be quite different, which is so interesting to me.[01:06:00] 

Like, if I was in your shoes, I would have been like, my parents forced me to learn Carnatic music. They forced me to do all this stuff. But you were like, yeah, I'm like doing it. I'm doing the exams. I'm This is what like drove me. And it's like, so interesting. Cause we had like similar upbringing, but totally different perspectives, things we were doing.

Right. So it's, it's just nice to like be reminded sometimes of there is another way to think, and that's what the point of this podcast is. as We close off your interview, I like, I'm doing this new thing with my guests where I'm. Kind of like doing a little temperature check of where they are at right now So I want you to tell me what your sweet is So what is something that's bringing sweetness for joy love to your life?

What is your sour like what's that thing that you're like? Oh, I'm like kind of working on this right now And I'm this is kind of a hill that I have to get over and then what is your balance? What is grounding you what is [01:07:00] keeping you sane? Just like the constant right now in your life.

Dilani: Yeah. I, and I, is it okay if I go in a different order? Yeah, for sure. Okay. Okay. The sour or the thing that I need to work on is actually has to do with control. And I've talked about this like with my partner and it's like, sometimes I like I come home and I have, I have like, I know. I deal with anxiety.

I've dealt with it you know, in therapy over the years and things like that. It's gotten a lot better, but tied to that is also like this, like there's things in my brain that like, if something is messy around me, like I can't sit and do my work because this is, this is, this is occupying me. And that's where I mentioned about priorities.

Like sometimes I swap, like something was urgent, but I got so into like, The dishes because I couldn't look at them for a while, like I couldn't get anything done. Like I sometimes take on too much and then I get frustrated with the people around me because I'm like, why can you help with this more?

And it's like, well, I never gave them the opportunity. I, I jumped in and tried to do it myself because I have [01:08:00] that mentality. Like sometimes if I want it done, I have to do it myself. And that's wrong. I need to work on that. And I'm working on it a lot in like, personally and professionally, very much so.

 Delegating more or not even delegating, just giving other people a chance to like step up and do stuff when it comes to my company and like your pre production for films that we're working on. Like, I don't have to oversee every single tiny step of the process, like learning to let go of that control and allow others to step in so that.

I'm more supported, but also like we collaborate more effectively. The sweet, the thing that makes me happy or like right now is I think yeah, like the, the changes in my professional life and taking on more responsibilities at work. really makes me happy because I feel like I can do more in my role.

But I like that it's coming at a time where I'm, you know, in the pre production stages of my next film, and they kind of complement each other. They're both about like planning and, and seeing, you know, trying to see big [01:09:00] campaigns or goals through to. fruition. Like I don't, I think they're, they're melding very nicely, like at this point.

Right. But the sweet for me is, is I love a pre production stage. I love the, like creating the writing, the, you know, finding the right cast to be in the movie and things like that. Like I like that stage a lot. And so it's also really exciting me to film here for the first time because all my other productions have been shot in India.

So that's definitely Like looking forward to that. To making the next one. That's that's sweet. And. what balances me right now. And I, and I hope this impresses you because I know you're really, really good with your fitness and you're good, like healthy eating. And you're amazing. You're one of my wellness idols that I look up to.

Talk to you a little bit. But I actually, a couple of months ago, I got into F45, like the functional train. It was scary at first and unlike anything I've ever [01:10:00] pushed myself to do, but now it's like my everyday and I need to, I need to do it and it very much feels like my energy levels for the rest of the day.

, I like it because it makes me feel strong. I've never. I've never focused on strength before, like anytime I've worked out in the past or when I was doing dance growing up and I wish I could go back to again, like the benefits of dance in that way, but it was about like cardio and it's about weight loss and now I have a different mentality thanks, you know, a lot, largely in part thanks to my husband because he's really good with weight training and working out and nutrition.

, I. have probably cut my sugar intake by half since we got married, like inadvertently, just from the looks he gives me when he sees like the Nutella I'm putting on that waffle that I ate this morning. And so I never had this kind of mentality of working out before about strength and like wellness versus just like weight loss and numbers on a scale.

So that makes me really happy that I've adjusted that. [01:11:00] mindset. It's, I have a way to go. Like, I still look at the scale and I still, you know, like, I'm like, Oh, I've got to get back to where I was. At this date or the wedding weight or whatever it was, but like now I have more of like, I feel so much energy today and I feel like fitter and I joke about it with my F45 coach.

I'm like, I see a muscle like right here now. And he's like, Oh yeah, it's like bulging out, like pick up that five kilogram weight. Let's go. Yeah. 

Angie: That's so funny. And I think it's important to. Like, remember that we've been so conditioned to look at the scale and always want to see a low number, but I think all F45s do this, they do like the in body scan, do you guys 

Dilani: do that?

Okay, yeah, the joke is I've avoided it. Why? Yeah, I know. Like you and my husband, they're both like, why don't you want 

Angie: No, it's so eyeopening. It is so eyeopening. I'm scared of it. I'm scared of it. No, no, no. It'll like, it'll really [01:12:00] show you because the scale, like your weight scale Yeah. Shows you nothing about how much muscle you have.

Mm-Hmm. It shows you nothing about how much water you're retaining. 

Dilani: I use one of those fancy Bluetooth ones I got off of Amazon, but I don't think it's so accurate. It tells me numbers, but I don't know if those numbers are accurate. Like 

Angie: it tells you how much muscle, all that stuff? Like it tells you muscle mass 

Dilani: and like that kind of BMI and all that stuff.

I think that it's somewhat accurate, but you're right. I know that that scan at F45 would be much more accurate. So I actually funny said that because I have like mentally brought myself to like before Christmas, I will do this and then like, So I have like a comparison going into like next year, but you know, F45 started out one of those things where I'm like, I just want to try it out for the summer and see how I like it.

And now I'm like, Oh, I'm going to stick with it. Yeah. Yeah. Difference for me. I also forgot how much I miss social getting out like classes. Like I used to go. to gym classes before pandemic. And then I [01:13:00] became one of those people who got the Peloton app and like a bike, not the actual Peloton, just a, just a stationary bike at home and worked out like Peloton classes, like all through pandemic, like at home.

And like, I'm, I'm proud of myself for doing that. Got me back into a like a regimen. And, and I did. make myself a lot healthier during the periods where we were like work from home and thing and like got to a new kind of like new standards in my health. But I forgot actually how much I like going somewhere, having it done.

Also like I'm organized, right? So I like the time like I like knowing from this time to this time I'll get my workout in and thing because if I leave it to my own devices and my day takes a turn, that's the first thing that gets cut, right? Like working out is the first thing that gets taken off the to do list because everything else takes precedence and I I don't like how I used to think about that.

So now I'm very happy that I worked it into my balance. 

Angie: I love that for you. Thank you. And Delani, thank you so much for joining us on the Honey Lemon Podcast. [01:14:00] I, I feel like this episode has been so uplifting and it's gonna inspire so many people, creators and everyone. It's just gonna be great. So thank you for joining me.

And I'm glad we finally got to do this. 

Dilani: Thank you so much for having me. I had such a great time. This didn't feel like a podcast. I was just like, Oh, we finally got to. It was just a 

Angie: gab chat, a gab sesh. If people want to find you and support the things that you're doing, where can they find you? 

Dilani: Sure.

You can follow me on it's called Twitter or X. One of those things Instagram and threads, I guess all at the same handle, which is Dilani underscore R. You can follow my company on social platforms at viewfinder FP, um, which is also our website viewfinderfp. com and yeah, if you're a creative, if you're an actor, If you're someone interested in, you know, joining a young producer and her team on set, we will be filming in a couple of months and we will be looking for our lead [01:15:00] soon.

So you can keep an eye out for that. 

Angie: Oh, I think I might know some people that want to, would want to get in there. So I mean, I might even contact you and be like, Hey, do you need help? I want to learn 

Dilani: too. Well, let's all learn together. I mean, that's kind of like been the MO of my business and my productions is like, let's all learn together.

And that's been the 

Angie: MO of your whole trajectory of people giving you the opportunities and the connections. And I know what I'm going to name your episode. As soon as I started talking to you, I was like, Oh yeah, this is going to be. I know exactly what this 

Dilani: is. Oh, I'll wait for the reveal. Eagerly. 

Angie: Yes, you'll see it and you can find Dilani.

I will link everything in the episode description. If you haven't done so yet, I would love if you guys could leave a review, leave a rating on Spotify, and go follow Dilani. She's working on so many different things. And in the meantime be loved be well.

See you later