Meet Avik Pandey

We were lucky to catch up with Avik Pandey recently and have shared our conversation below.

Avik, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

Such a relevant question. My thoughts:

1. Assume that it’s a level playing field and ask yourself, “on merit alone, am I the best in this room?”.

If not, get to work. Your craft comes first. Devote yourself to it fully.

In my opinion, to focus on what’s out of my control before maximizing what IS can foster a defeatist mindset, one I’ve harbored in the past – “no matter how good I am at my job, I’ll not succeed because I’m Indian”. Debilitating, exaggerated, and a perfect way to shoot yourself in the foot.

So, first, ensure you’re the best. Now, you have the strength to look at the stats. I accept my disadvantage. I’m a South Asian man and in Hollywood, the only roles we get have one prerequisite – lameness. We don’t even get to play OUR best stereotypes – math genius, hacker wiz, mystical entity with magical powers – let alone race-neutral characters. If a character’s cool, it’s reserved for more desirable ethnicities.

I see the antidote to this disadvantage in two parts. One, I need to undeniably be the best in the room. Significantly more qualified. This is achieved by improving everything in my control – most importantly, my craft and employability (work ethic, discipline, a positive personality), but also any assets that give me an edge – physical conditioning, performing arts skills (such as singing, dancing, acrobatics), and even an engaging social media presence.

Second, embrace your authenticity.

2. Authenticity: Clichéd as it is, no one can be a better you than you.

Especially if the reason you look different than everyone is that you’re from a different culture, race, or part of the world. To throttle the best parts of that uniqueness – be it in your craft or personal life – is a mistake. It’d be like Bruce Lee abandoning the mixed martial arts.

That uniqueness IS your strength.

Bring that to the table and you truly have an edge.

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?

My name is Avik Pandey and I’m an actor, filmmaker, and model based in LA.

I tell stories for a living and acting is my primary vessel to express myself. I specialize in being a director’s actor and bringing their vision to life. A researcher at the core who loves studying and an impressionist since childhood, given the permission or opportunity, I’m able to fully transform into the character in the story, whilst also honoring the creator’s vision.

In this context, some of my favorite performances are Jamie Foxx’s Ray Charles, Day-Lewis’ Bill The Butcher, Jake Gyllenhaal’s Lou Bloom, Meryl Streep’s Sophie, Amanda Seyfried’s Elizabeth Holmes, Heath Ledger’s The Joker, and most performances by Indian maestros such as Nawazzudin Siddiqui, Irrfan Khan, and Naseeruddin Shah.

I love big commercial films as well and believe that it’s supremely difficult to capture the hearts of audiences all around the world. It has to be a perfect blend of so many ingredients, including great storytelling (by any metric) and unprecedented spectacle. For this reason, as a filmmaker, I’m deeply inspired by Spielberg, Cameron, Aamir Khan, Rakesh Roshan, Raju Hirani, and Nolan.

In terms of pure craft and not spectacle, however, I adore the films of Lynch, Scorsese, Hitchcock, Coogler, Gerwig, Baumbach, Rakesh Omprakash Mehra, Fincher, Spike Lee… so many inspirations.

Some of my directorial and writing work has explored the themes and genres of fantasy, family, romance, faith, old Hollywood-esque comedy, religion, betrayal, and crime.

Next up, I’m focused on making
1. a riveting musical comedy-drama that explores the nuances of international students (my most ambitious project)
2. a fantastical tale inspired by a real (very hard to believe) story surrounding the Beatles, at their peak.
3. writing character dramas of very flawed and yet, irresistible characters, inspired by real people

I tell stories to entertain but also to hold up a mirror. There’s a delicate balance that needs to be struck and I’m excited to find it, like my heroes before me.

Lastly, as a model, I take great joy in conceptual shoots, shooting looks that aren’t typically embodied by Indian men, and honoring my roots, my country’s mythologies, and the childhood stories that I grew up with.

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?

1. Prioritize your mental health like a full-time job / with an uncompromisable ritual.

Cultivate a ritual. In my experience, the easiest way to nurture your mental health is to optimize what is obviously important. For me, it is quality of nutrition, sleep hygiene, fixed sleep schedule, daily morning jog or walk, quality time with family, taking care of my loved ones, volunteering or helping those in need whenever possible, weight training, and expressing gratitude.

Once you cultivate your ritual, do NOT be a smart-ass. We’re too smart for our own good. Follow your ritual like a horse with blinders on.

2. Accept that emotions are ever-changing. Do the work anyway.

Respect that our beautiful brains will take us through a spectrum of emotions, producing tens of thousands of thoughts on a daily basis. It WILL happen, it’s supposed to. Our job is to not validate each of those emotions. Stay locked in.

This is especially relevant to your work. No matter how much you claim to adore your job or “if you love what you do, you’ll never have to work another day of your life” or a similar aphorism, you WILL have off days. Days you couldn’t be bothered. Days you just want to quit.

In his 5-year long no-days-off training, Michael Phelps didn’t want to get out of bed most days. But he did, and that’s when it truly matters. Just take the first step. Just do it for a minute. Before you know it, you’ll have momentum.

3. 100% commitment is easier than balance between extremes.

Fully commit. If you try to balance between extremes, you will inadvertently tip over to the easier side.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

I owe a lot to my older brother, Utkarsh. It’s very difficult to do justice to expressing how much he’s helped me, let alone in a single answer, but I’d love to use this prompt as a starter.

I’ve looked up to my brother since I was born and I basically copied everything he did. My early exposure to the arts, basketball, Western music and films, dancing, singing, and acting all came from following him around and copying him. In a very typical fashion (“take your brother with you”), my parents would send me off with him to his friends’ parties, his basketball practices, acting classes, art classes… you name it.

Whatever he learnt, he mastered, and I learnt it from him four years before he did. So I learnt from the best by practicing with him! Most importantly, he was extremely generous with his knowledge, advice, and wisdom.

As an example, he was excellent at basketball and the school team captain for every division (5th, 8th, 12th grade). He was much taller and stronger and yet, we practiced together like we were equals. I’d always lose but my growth was a a steep curve. By the time I was in 3rd grade, I was the best basketball player in U10 division (till 5th grade). Like my brother, I proceeded to be the school team captain in grades 5 and 8, and I was appointed Sports Captain in 12th grade.

I benefitted the exact same way in acting, singing, and dancing, all three of which I’m pursuing as a film actor in Los Angeles today. He proactively guided me to make decisions he wished he’d made at my age, and his selfless generosity continues to this day.

As an adult and college student, after I flew out to the U.S. in 2018, I lived with him for years. When I first arrived, I was obese, deeply depressed, and lacked structure. Once again, he took me under his wing and taught me everything he knew about physical and mental health. Psychological and practical.

In terms of fitness, he taught me fundamentals such as meal prepping, regularly utilizing trackers for my macros, workouts, and sleep, and the push/pull/legs split. He didn’t just tell me, he meticulously showed me, step-by-step. We worked out together, every single day. He bought me a gym membership, equipment like a Fitbit and shoes for running, lifting, and basketball. In 6 months, I looked like an athlete again. Today, as an actor and model, I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in, and I still live by the fundamentals he taught me. They’re instrumental in my fitness, mental health, and employability.

My brother’s been a consistent source of strength, especially during my time in the U.S. (basically, my entire 20s so far). I’m not sure how I would’ve dealt with being alone in a new country if not for him. Be it enrolling me in the Tony Robbins seminar or taking me to super fun trips or always being there for me for emotional support, he’s helped me in countless ways. Last but not the least, he paid for my college tuition and I didn’t have to worry about rent at all for several years, since I lived with him.

I’ve benefitted a great deal by being his younger sibling. As of yesterday, he saw some of my most recent films and sent me long voice memos with his feedback. To this day, he mentors me and teaches me what he’s just learnt, so I can benefit from it four years before he could.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

1, 5, 8 – Alex Lopes
2, 4 – Caitlin Kelly

3 – Chirag Patel

6 – Ashton Morrow

9 – Amanda Bird

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