Meet Shranjay Arora

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shranjay Arora a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Shranjay, so excited to have you with us today and we are really interested in hearing your thoughts about how folks can develop their empathy? In our experience, most folks want to be empathic towards others, but in a world where we are often only surrounded by people who are very similar to us, it can sometimes be a challenge to develop empathy for others who might not be as similar to us. Any thoughts or advice?

I think my empathy really started forming when I moved away from home. Growing up in India, I saw life through a certain lens, shaped by culture, family, and expectations. But when I came to Los Angeles, that lens was challenged every day. I was surrounded by people who didn’t look like me, didn’t speak like me, and didn’t always understand where I came from. At first, I tried to fit in. Later, I realized the real growth came from listening.

As a filmmaker, empathy became my most important tool. When I’m behind the camera, I have to understand what someone’s feeling without them saying it. Whether it’s an actor breaking down during a scene or a crew member struggling quietly behind the chaos, it’s all about paying attention. You start to notice the small details, the tone, the silence, the hesitation, and that kind of awareness doesn’t turn off when the cameras stop rolling.

As a director, I’ve learned that no character is ever fully good or bad. Every person in a story is fighting for what they believe in, and they’re the main character in their own world. My dad always says, “No one is bad, the conditions make someone do certain things.” I’ve come to understand that more as I’ve grown up. It’s easy to judge from a distance, but when you start looking at people through their circumstances, you start to see how much pain and survival shape behavior.

There were also times that tested me personally. Getting let go from a set, dealing with expectations, pressure, and feeling like I had to constantly prove myself, all of that humbled me. When you’ve been through tough moments like that, you stop assuming things about others. You realize everyone’s carrying something, even if they don’t talk about it.

Empathy, for me, didn’t come from reading or theory. It came from living in different worlds, being misunderstood, and still choosing to understand others anyway. It’s what helps me connect with people, tell better stories, and stay grounded no matter where I am.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m a filmmaker and content creator based in Los Angeles, born in India. My work usually lives somewhere between realism and emotion. I love telling stories that feel deeply human, whether it’s through film, commercials, or digital content. Over the years, I’ve worked as a director, cinematographer, and editor on projects that range from feature films to documentaries to short-form online pieces.

What keeps it exciting for me is the people. Every story I tell connects me to someone new, a perspective, a feeling, or a truth that I might not have noticed otherwise. Filmmaking, to me, is about listening. It’s not just about what looks beautiful on screen but about what feels honest underneath.

Alongside my film work, I’ve been building an online creative space where I explore storytelling in different forms. It blends filmmaking, gaming, and interactive content, creating a bridge between cinematic art and digital entertainment. I stay anonymous there because I like the idea of people connecting with the art and personality rather than the person behind it. It lets me express different sides of myself freely and without labels.

I’ve always been drawn to work that pushes boundaries and tests limits. Rules are great until they stop you from discovering something new. Culture is built through media, and I think it’s important to keep real topics in front of people, to remind them of things that matter, even in spaces built for entertainment. Whether it’s a story, a visual, or a simple idea, I like to challenge how people think and feel about the world around them.

Right now, I’m focused on growing that space into something larger, something that brings people together through storytelling, humor, and curiosity. I’m also continuing to collaborate with artists and filmmakers who challenge and inspire me. My goal is to build a body of work that moves people, whether it’s through a screen, a story, or a small shared moment of understanding.

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?

If I had to narrow it down, I’d say curiosity, patience, and emotional intelligence have been the biggest factors in my journey so far.

Curiosity keeps me learning. In this field, everything changes fast. Gear, platforms, style, audience habits. I’ve learned to stay hungry to explore new things. I watch, listen, experiment, and keep asking why something works. That curiosity makes the work fun again when it starts to feel repetitive.

Patience is what keeps things moving when nothing seems to work. I’ve had projects that took months to get right or moments when opportunities fell through for reasons out of my control. Patience taught me that timing is part of the process. You can do everything right and still need to wait for things to align.

And emotional intelligence is what ties it all together. Whether you’re leading a crew on set, directing actors, or working with clients, you’re dealing with people. Everyone’s coming from a different place, carrying their own expectations and emotions. Understanding that and learning how to communicate calmly has changed how I work and how others respond to me.

For anyone starting out, I’d say don’t rush to be perfect. Stay curious about everything, especially the stuff you don’t understand. Learn to breathe through the chaos and treat people with empathy. The skills will follow, but how you make others feel will take you further than anything else.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Yes, absolutely. I’d love to start building a real team, a group of smart and passionate people who care about creating something meaningful. I’ve reached a point where I want to be surrounded by people who are experts in their fields, whether that’s producers, editors, financial minds, lawyers, or even roles I haven’t thought of yet.

The goal is to build a team that can handle everything from film and production to managing creative personalities and projects in the digital space. I’ve always believed that great work comes from collaboration, and I want to create a space where everyone feels ownership of the vision.

I like rooms that are full of ideas. I want to bring together people who challenge me, who think differently, and who want to build something bigger than themselves. If someone reading this connects with that, I’d love to hear from them.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Zeel.Sangoi
Aaron.Aadrian
Valdaee
Seda Anbarci
Gustavo Casares

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