Meet Sharvari Bhat

We were lucky to catch up with Sharvari Bhat recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sharvari, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

So, every teacher I have encountered has said that there are “no stupid questions.” And it’s been sort of a lifelong journey for me to internalize and believe that statement.

I grew up in an education system where the numbers game was paramount. At the end of a semester, our school ranked us by cumulative scores received on tests. In 5th grade, I got the first rank in my cohort. I remember being on top of the world that month, I remember my parents raving about me to anyone who would listen, I remember secretly loving when all my classmates called me a nerd. What I don’t remember is what we actually learned in 5th grade. So I quickly began to base my self worth on being right, deprioritizing learning in the process.

This mindset followed me to college and throughout my early career; I found myself becoming shy, preferring to sweep my questions under a rug in order to hide the fact that I had questions in the first place. The idea that having all the answers was the ultimate life goal held me back from growing and accepting new, challenging opportunities.

My perspective began to shift when I produced my first short film in the summer of 2022, called Sink. The film was supposed to be shot over 3 days, entirely outdoors in a dense forest. Given that, weather was the most important aspect for the production. Around a week prior to filming, we started seeing some signs of rain on our shoot days. The signs were sporadic and would often show up and disappear–you know how unreliable weather apps are. By this time, all the dates, cast, crew, and travel plans had been set. I was at a juncture where my gut was telling me to come up with a contingency for weather, but the part of my brain that believed this would be akin to admitting fault to a mistake, pushed my instincts aside. I felt, particularly as a female producer in a predominantly male workspace, the need to be correct, to have all my plans remain unchangeable. My fear of being perceived as “at fault” or “wrong” overtook my primary responsibility as a Producer to ensure that filming went smoothly.

Ultimately, despite the weather issues and the occasional downpour, the film turned out beautiful. The most important lesson I took back from this experience was that true confidence doesn’t come from knowing all the answers, it’s actually all about having the courage to ask all the questions, even the stupid ones (especially the stupid ones). I look at all the peers and role models I respect today and they all have one thing in common–they are not afraid to say “I don’t know, tell me more.” My producing advisor at Columbia University, the incredible Producer Mynette Louie, had no qualms in asking a student to expand on a film related topic she needs more information about. After producing Sink, it felt like my ears finally popped. I looked around and saw how liberating and encouraging it was to allow yourself to not pretend to know everything.

Ironically, working on internalizing the idea that “no one has all the answers” helped me bring myself out of the shell I had been hiding in. By giving myself the liberty to learn, grow and fall, I was able to express myself and my personality better, giving my confidence a much needed push. It’s obviously not a finished journey, I still have a long way to go. However, every time I ask an obvious question or get an answer wrong, I hope my 9 year old self is proud of me.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am a Creative Producer from Pune, India, currently based in New York City. I received a dual degree in Film & Television and Psychology from Boston University. During my undergraduate life, I loved being a part of theatrical productions. So I directed, stage managed, and tech directed stage plays for a theater group called Wandering Minds. I later went on to become the President of the theater group in 2020 and was a part of pivoting the club’s strategy to put up online plays and showcases during the pandemic.

I recently completed an MFA in Creative Producing from Columbia University’s School of the Arts. Through Columbia University I have produced over 10 short films and my projects have been generously supported by Panavision, NY Women’s Fund, From The Heart Productions, The Film Collaborative, and The Gotham Film Institute. My most recent film, Sink, screened at the 47th Asian American International Film Festival. I worked as a Production & Post-Production Assistant in branded content at Piro earlier this year. Over the summer, I produced my first feature film – an absurdist comedy of manners. I am currently working as a Production Intern at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, enjoying every minute of it. I move to LA in December 2024 and I’m looking forward to making new friends and meeting new collaborators!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

These are three lessons I’ve learned from my mentors or from my own mistakes.

Debrief and Reflect: On film productions, it’s easy to be swayed away by the joy of wrapping a movie and moving on. However, it is important to examine that experience, analyze your own performance and that of your collaborators. In the indie film world, you often hop from one workplace to another. he pressures of money and time are real; they can sometimes compel you to make decisions that push or even cross your moral boundaries. It is important, especially as a leader, to set a standard for the kind of workplace you are providing and ensure that you are upholding those standards across multiple projects.

Horse’s Blinkers: The entertainment industry is unpredictable for everyone in their own unique way. The worst thing you can do to yourself is keep looking around at your peers to assess your own performance. In an ecosystem where there is no right path or pipeline, the only way ahead is making your own. I often find myself comparing my achievements to my friends from Columbia and have to snap myself out of that stagnating mindset. I have to remind myself to focus on my own journey and that my path will illuminate itself as long as I keep looking ahead.

Don’t Hoard Resources: This is a relationship based industry; who you know often matters more than what you know. It can be tempting to keep opportunities, contacts, grants, gigs, fellowships, residencies a secret from your peers in an effort to increase your own chances. It’s important to keep in mind that kindness is remembered and reciprocated. If your friend has a screenplay that is a good fit for a grant, tell them! This is not to say that you should only be kind when there’s a reward expected in the future. However, in an industry so intricately connected, there usually is!

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

More often than not, I am juggling multiple projects in different stages that need varying degrees of attention. So I often find myself overwhelmed by workload. I have been told to take time out of the day for myself, to meditate, go on walks, or just do something that isn’t stress inducing when I feel overwhelmed. However, as someone whose mind simply will not stop racing until there is some semblance of a solution, I have found a two-fold technique that works for me.

Step One: Write out your concerns, preferably on a physical paper. Usually when I am overwhelmed, it is because there are too many varied tasks to complete and I don’t know where to start. My anxiety tries to push me to resolve all of them at once, which, as much as I hate to admit, is impossible. So taking a step back and writing down a simple yet specific task list of everything that needs to be completed frees up some brain space for my mind to actually be able to relax. The physical act of writing personally makes me feel like I am removing a stressful idea from within me and placing it outside of my body. Once externalized, it somehow becomes easier to conquer.

Step Two: Do something else! After I have freed up some brain space, I can finally take a step away from the stressors and bring myself back to homeostasis. The temptation can be to immediately start checking off boxes from the task list, however it is important for me to make sure that I am in calm state of mind in order to deliver my best work. For me, this usually means watching an episode of a show that I have already seen, cooking, making some coffee, going on a walk, or if the time is appropriate, taking a nap!

I know that for myself, if I don’t do Step One, Step Two will never be effective in actually reducing anxiety. However, everyones mind and body is different, the key really is to find the most efficient way for you to get to a calmer headspace.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sharvaribhat.wixsite.com/portfolio
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharvariibhatt/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharvari-bhat-7a1091127/