Meet Rushan Jesani

We were lucky to catch up with Rushan Jesani recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rushan , so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

Being in America placed me out of my comfort zone. In Mumbai, I had the privilege of not having to worry about anything. My father sent me here (America) because he wanted me to have a better life.

Living in a new country alone made me feel vulnerable. My confidence was low, and I did not want to be here. however, There was no desire to give up. I started doing activities that I normally did back at home. One of them was playing football, which is where I gained my confidence. When I first started playing football in Mumbai, it forced me out of my shell. It’s a sport that requires you to communicate and work with your team as well as be able to hold your own. Throughout my time playing, I naturally became a leader.

So playing football here in America reminded me where my confidence in myself all began. Football will always have a place in my heart.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am a dreamer. Having dreams of your own is a sign of hope and happiness. All of my characters have a dream they are chasing, which is a reflection of myself. As an artist, I want to motivate people to not give up on their dreams. If you accept your dreams, you won’t accept your life. If you accept your life, you won’t go for your dreams.
Right now, I am a recent graduate of New York Film Academy who is currently unemployed and goes every Monday to play football to release stress. I am now focused on continuing my path as a filmmaker. My next move is to write and direct a feature.
So far as a filmmaker, I have been making short films. Every one of my short films has prepared me to be the director I am today. In my first film, I did not know where to put the camera and guide the actors. Then, as I progressed with my later films, I became more in control of communicating my vision as a director.
I feel I now have enough skills under my belt to prepare me for this challenge. I want to make a feature because no one is waiting for me until I show up.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Accepting mistakes and learning from them is crucial.

You won’t know how good you are if you don’t write.

Chase your dreams no matter what it takes.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

It’s important for an artist to be open to collaborating with other artists because it pushes you out of your comfort zone by working through your differences. If I am going to collaborate with anyone, first they need to have a dream, and we should have a genuine relationship with one another. My goal would be for our collaboration to push us into the next stage of our careers. I have worked with so many talented individuals, and through each and every one of them, I have been able to network and build relationships. As I understand, I will not be able to do everything on my own; it will take a team. I am always excited to work with others.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rushanjesani?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rushan-jesani-694266172?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Image Credits

Anuj Desai