Meet Manjari Makijany: The Indian filmmaker making waves in the West

 Learning the art of filmmaking from maverick directors such as Christopher Nolan, Patty Jenkins, and Vishal Bhardwaj has put Indian filmmaker Manjari Makijany on the world map. She brings alive the stories that transcend borders and cultures, and that’s what makes the 34-year-old an exceptional filmmaker. A regular at the international film festivals, Manjari is a woman director who is making a difference with her unique storytelling.

Manjari was introduced to films by her father Mac Mohan, aka Sambha from Sholay. The Los Angeles-based filmmaker has now found her niche in independent cinema after years of learning from the stalwart of cinema.

For someone, whose stories were rejected a number of times, she never gave up – she is now helming the first Indo-American Disney film Spin which will be coming on Netflix.

Film background to film career

Born in Mumbai to Mohan Makijany, popularly known as Mac Mohan in Bollywood, Manjari’s love for cinema runs deep. Cinema was a way of life in the Makijany household, and Manjari’s tryst with films began early in life, thanks to her dad. As a child, she frequented the sets of her father’s films, but it was her love for plays at Prithvi Theatre that drew her towards storytelling and its visual impact. Watching the stage transform with each play as it transported the audience to a new world was a surreal experience for a young Manjari. She would often enter into long conversations with her dad and dissect almost every scene from the films that she’d watch. Read More