Indie Shorts Awards Cannes

Aarushi Chowdhury

Aarushi Chowdhury is a writer-director fascinated by chaos in the mundane, even more by the people who create it. Her debut film, 'Clown,' premiered at SXSW in Sydney, and she recently wrote research for Tony Ayres Productions. Currently, Aarushi is in pre-production for a proof-of-concept developed through AFTRS and Screen Australia’s Talent Camp. Aarushi enjoys exploring familial relationships, class and moral ambiguity - a natural response to growing up in a household of sixty.

The sibling relationship between Sami and Jiya is central to the film. How did you work with the young actresses to shape this dynamic?
All three girls (and my own mum who plays Jiya and Sami’s mum in the film) are first-time actors so I was very grateful that they all had such natural performances. Casting was integral to making this relationship feel real. I had casted my sister, Shaina (playing Jiya) first and then we did a bunch of chemistry tests during auditions with some terrific young actors. I casted Deeya to play Sami because she was just so naturally cheeky and sassy, exactly the type of personality we wanted to bring some complexity to Sami’s character, who was pitifully the butt of most jokes. We rehearsed fortnightly for about 2-3 months which seems quite major (and it was) but the first few weeks were just full of fun activities that allowed Deeya and Shaina to build a relationship as well as Shaina and Alessia (playing Eliza) to form a friendship. We played Uno, tiggy, charades, and other games to help naturally build a relationship between the three of them, making them much less embarrassed about playing and being silly in front of each other. A natural dynamic started to form; sometimes Deeya would feel jealous when Shaina didn’t give her enough attention and other times she would purposely try to get a reaction from Shaina by stealing Alessia away from her. One of the activities we did was Karaoke and both Alessia and Shaina love music so we got some inspiration from their favourite rappers. I didn’t want to be too rigid when directing the performance for most scenes so we left quite a bit of room for improv since their bond had become so strong. Deeya has a very magnetic on-screen presence so I wanted to play into those moments a lot more. I would usually present the scenes as something fun to spark her interest—each action and intention had to feel like a game, or she would naturally lose interest. All three of the child actors had very different styles of visualising and working so there was a lot of experimenting on my end regarding what safely evokes the most natural performances from each of the kids.
What did you envision for the visual style of the film, in order for it to reflect its coming-of-age themes? Were there specific choices around color, lighting, or set design that you had to change or rethink in order to reinforce the story’s emotional undertones?
The first scene was shot like a horror film not to subvert genres, but to place us in Sami’s POV and how she sees the world when she is in full control. As Sami starts to lose control, we employed a more mature and patient approach to the cinematography. I personally really love when the camera is observatory. It was important to me to keep the camera on a tripod for nearly all the scenes, minimising complex camera movements and quick cuts. This allowed the focus to remain on the characters, who drove the action in each moment. This is because I wanted us to be in their world, right there with them without making them aware of our presence. We chose neutral overcast lightning to help keep things embedded in reality. This static choice enhanced the impact of the stylised chaos and fast cuts in the montage scene. We were excited to recreate a classic 90s makeover montage inspired by films like The Princess Diaries and Clueless, while subtly exploring themes of beauty and its potential role in social isolation. The lighter and darker foundations served as a significant element to highlight that theme, grounding us in the reality many Indian women face—the social isolation within the Indian community that often results from having darker skin like mine. Initially, we captured Sami choosing between the lighter and darker foundations in a WIDE shot, but we felt the emotional impact was lacking. So, we decided to film a pick-up shot using a CLOSE-UP to better immerse the audience in the experience of an Indian girl. For the Gonorrhea rap scene, I intentionally chose a shallow focus on the area where Sami would be, emphasising her inability to get her sister’s attention—and, by extension, ours as well. Coming-of-age often involves feelings of isolation, so a lot of the framing and blocking for Sami sees her on the outside looking in and often in boxed silhouettes. The final scene was initially intended to be shot in another corner of Jiya’s room, but we realised that the walk-in closet was a much more impactful option. This choice allowed us to single out Sami, framing her alone as she pivots away from the norm. The color palette for Sami’s room featured deep reds and mustard yellows, reflecting her gory interests, while Jiya’s room contrasted with a lush and playful mix of magentas, sky blues, and whites. We aimed to avoid traditional and explicit associations of colors with femininity and masculinity, instead subtly incorporating baby pinks, blues, purples, and yellows throughout Jiya’s room and wardrobe. Our Colourist, Ted Deacey did a wonderful job amplifying the existing tones; we deepened the reds a little and added some grain for texture – Sami isn’t a clean-cut put-together person and neither is her perspective. Marcus Cropp (Cinematographer), Tiffany Dias (Production Designer) and their respective teams did a terrific job at bringing this visual style to life.
What were some of the most challenging and some of the most memorable moments on set?
I’m a freelance writer and director but this was my first narrative film, I learned so much on this shoot. In particular, I wish I allowed myself to have more fun. I am a bit of a perfectionist, which I have now observed is a creativity-killer. So now when I make things, I try to embrace the imperfections and have as much fun as possible (within reason). I truly believe this is all reflected in your final product. The dolly-shot was exceptionally challenging because Deeya had to hit a lot of beats in a single shot. We ended up having only one usable take of that shot, which was exceptionally nerve-wracking given that it was the final shot of the film. Regardless, I was proud of all the girls for nailing such a hard scene. I also had to bribe Deeya with a plethora of ‘Sour Patch Kids’ lollies but it was worth the glare she delivered to Eliza. As you know, there are always some roadblocks when it comes to working with kids, there were definitely some things on set that were unexpected. Thankfully, we had an adaptable team that supported me as I adjusted some of the shots to accommodate a new three-take maximum for Deeya. We only had a production budget of AUD$4,000 which would usually be much more challenging if it wasn’t for the Melbourne film community. I’m biased but I feel confident in saying that Melbourne is one of the best homes to indie filmmaking. The way the film community came together to support the making of Clown made me a little emotional. From those who proofread the script and provided catering, to friends who helped move Sami’s bed across town and so much more! I got exceptionally lucky that my family friends opened their home to us to shoot for free! Everyone contributed as a favor or at reduced rates, offering so much more than just their time to me and this short film. I can’t wait to be on bigger productions so I can repay these talented folk. It does take a village and I’m really grateful for ours. Shooting the ‘gonorrhea rap’ was extremely memorable. I was in awe of both Alessia and Shaina and how funny the two of them were. I was super proud that Shaina let out her silly side and felt comfy to improvise. Shaina first saw herself on screen at the SXSW premiere of Clown in Sydney. We watched the film with our parents and some of the crew. I sat next to her, and we held hands the whole time. That’s a memory I’ll never forget. Premiering in our hometown at Melbourne International Film Festival was a dream come true. I used to volunteer at MIFF so it meant a lot to be a part of the festival and celebrate with the team on our home turf. The most fulfilling part of the whole process is when someone comes up to me and shares their experience about growing up with a sibling and how we reminded them a bit about their own childhood.
All new updates on Clown can be found at https://aarushichowdhury.com/work/clown-8dga3-ddhcd-eg9ch