| The amazing experience of directing “Blind” made Nikhil realize that filmmaking is something he loved doing and had potential to excel at. Coming to filmmaking from the perspective of an actor and a writer, he found he had a natural affinity for directing actors (which all the actors wholeheartedly appreciated), and choosing shots as a function of the story living within him.
In September 2005, he joined the Digital Filmmaking program at the new San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking in order to continue learning this new craft. The appeal of this program was the hands on approach and the equal emphasis on all aspects of filmmaking: lighting, camera, grip, sound, editing, screenwriting, and directing. By being required to crew on fellow students’ productions in many different respects, Nikhil gained greater knowledge and technical skills to make more informed choices as a director and to more easily work with all members of a production team.
During his tenure at the SF school, Nikhil made three films – a comedy, a documentary, and a character study, entitled "Name Day", in which he also starred. "Name Day" went on to premiere at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles in April 2007 to extremely positive reviews, and became a finalist for the Moondance Film Festival. He also received a lead that resulted in his first paid filmmaking job; a clever and humorous marketing video for the software company Mindjet, for which he wrote the script, directed, and produced.
Nikhil completed the full, two-year Meisner technique acting program with Rachael Adler, and is close to finishing a feature film script.
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