WRITE ON with Chriselle Almeida

Interview with Tanuj Chopra (Director/Showrunner of Season 2 & 3 of Delhi Crime)

For our season finale, you will not want to miss this riveting interview. If you love the hit Netflix show Delhi Crime as much as I do, you must catch this interview with Tanuj Chopra, the brilliant Director and Showrunner of Season 2 and 3 of this true crime fiction drama that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats with the excellent writing, acting and directing! \ Tanuj talks about his connection to Delhi- how the city has its own heart and soul and yet, an amazing director can capture the essence of a place without having a personal connection. He suggests that there are no rules in this industry- one can go to film school or make it without any formal training. Tanuj is open to whatever may come his way in the future, including Bollywood, and would happily embrace the opportunity!  Hearing Tanuj’s journey as writer, then moving into being the first South Asian film, Punching at the Sun, in Sundance, to his range with genre including comedy, Chee and T, and then directing incredible actors, will have you agree-Tanuj is at the top of his game! I just may have saved the best for last!

Interview with Sharbari Ahmed (Writer)

Sharbari is a writer in every sense of the word! From playwright, Raisins Not Virgins, that was produced, to a published author of novels, The Ocean of Mrs. Nagai and Dust Under Her Feet, to a Writer on the ABC Network hit TV show Quantico, starting Priyanka Chopra, Sharbari is a trailblazer as a Bangladeshi-American writer! Sharbari speaks on what she brings to her writing- from layering with past experiences as well as cultural background. She also is a reader on a South Asian Fellowship Mentorship Program called 1497 and encourages writers to submit their pilots and feature films to this prestigious platform. Sharbari has several exciting projects on the horizon dealing with adapting her various work into screenplays. Sharbari advises to stay tenacious and disciplined. I intend to take her advice as I admire her greatly!

Interview with Seril James (Actor turned Entrepreneur)

Seril started out as an actor with strong TV credits on shows like Silicon Valley and Westworld but has found his entrepreneurial spirit and formed a healthy snack company Chakka Chips- inspired by the jackfruit that grows natively in his homeland of Kerala, India. Seril reveals how he met a guide of sorts that asked him to consider what was something else he loved besides acting-anything that might be able to generate an income. Since Seril loved food, he decided to take this fruit that he enjoyed since he was a child, and introduce it to the western world, and voila, his brand was born! Seril remarks that there are many similarities between being an actor and an entrepreneur- His acting background gave him thick skin and prepared him for rejections as they came up. Most importantly, his storytelling skills made him shine when delivering his pitch! Because at the end of the day, he was not selling a product, people were connecting to his story!  If you want to try these delicious vegetarian, vegan and gluten free snacks, click here to order: https://chakkachips.com [https://chakkachips.com/]

Interview with Zoey Martinson  (Director, Writer and Producer)

As a Director, Zoey, a graduate with an MFA from NYU’s Tisch School for the Arts, has an impressive resume- you can see her work on Showtime, HBO, ABC, Disney and Hulu. Most recently, she was featured on Max’s Project Greenlight, that highlights the Top 10 up and coming Directors. Zoey recently wrapped on a short film turned feature film “The Fisherman”, that she wrote, which will premiere at the Venice Biennale Film Festival. Zoey’s tip is to ask to be a director’s shadow on TV if given the opportunity, as most ask to jump in straight to director before they are ready: it is important to respect the industry enough to know where you belong at any given point in your career. Check out this interview to hear more deep advice like this- or mic drop moments as I like to call them!

Interview with Anjul Nigam (Actor, Writer and Producer)

Anjul is considered a pioneer in the South Asian entertainment community as his career spans 40 years!  He graduated from NYU’s Tisch School for the Arts. Select TV Acting credits include True Detective , Grey’s Anatomy and Never Have I Ever. Most impressive is that he wrote, produced and starred in a coming-of-age feature film called “Growing up Smith” starring Jason Lee. Also, Anjul co-founded a production company with Alec Baldwin called Persona Entertainment. Tune in to hear all the great advice he gives-perhaps my favorite is be kind to people and things will come back full circle! Another word for karma? And with all the good-will Anjul has lined up, I have no doubt wonderful things will keep coming his way!