Emmy award-winning film and television graduate student Manahar Kumar sat down with The Connector and talked about his rich inspirations, career and exciting projects.
The Connector: What inspired you to get into this craft? Which filmmakers are your biggest inspirations?
Kumar: Having grown up in India, I have actively been a part of the theater culture. Since the age of 14, I have been mesmerized by the art of storytelling. From plays like “The Lion King,” to helming the role of Detective Sergeant Trotter in Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” to portraying the wise and honest Juror No. eight in Reginald Rose’s “12 Angry Men,” I was curious to learn the craft behind the camera.
Coming from a country with a rich heritage and culture, filmmakers like Rajkumar Hirani, Shoojit Sircar, Zoya Akhtar and Imtiaz Ali have been of major influence. I believe they have the ability to take viewers through a journey. World filmmakers like Wong Kar-wai and the Italian neorealist auteur, Vittorio De Sica have opened my world view and made me realize how powerful a medium cinema can be. Closer to Hollywood, filmmakers like Noah Baumbach, Christopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg have inspired me with their ability to direct movies with exceptional technical craft and collaborations.
The Connector: When did you know this would be something you wanted to pursue as a lifestyle?
Kumar: As soon as I’d come home from school, I would be glued to the TV set. In a way, the TV box became my first best friend, entertaining me, making me laugh and most importantly giving me dreams to aspire to.
Once I started making films, I just could not stop at creating. I would find myself editing bits of films and plays, creating montage of videos for personal documentation.
The Connector: What are the biggest challenges and rewards you’ve experienced in your career thus far?
Kumar: It’s never easy to be away from home. I believe distance was one of my biggest challenges, yet it makes me laser-focused. As an international student, one travels thousands of miles away to a new land, not just trying to figure out new opportunities but also simultaneously trying to make a mark and begin your chapter as a professional. All we’re all looking for, is that life-altering, “Yes!” while continuously challenging, failing and growing, yet never giving up.
It gets tough when things like visas need to be understood and planned for in the long run. It’s the mindset that counts though, how one approaches, from either a place of fear or fun, like a math problem; either way trying to solve it to the best of your capabilities.
Some of my short documentaries have garnered attention in the Student Emmy’s as well as the Film Festival Circuit. “Kya dekh raha hai?” (“What are you looking at?”) won the Best Micro Short Film Award at the Georgia Documentary Film Festival as well as the Student Emmy.
My second short documentary, “Badlaav Republic” (“Change Republic”) won the Best International Film Award at the Oregon Documentary Film Festival. Moreover, my thesis film, “Stardust” was a Top 10 Film Impact Georgia Grant Finalist and the script got in as a semi-finalist for a Screencraft competition.
The Connector: Tell us about “Stardust.”
Kumar: “Stardust” is my thesis short film for the completion of my M.F.A. in film and television from SCAD Atlanta. We’ll be shooting the film in February 2020. You can find all the info about the film here.
The Connector: Any other exciting projects on the horizon you want to mention?
Kumar: Over the winter break, I headed to Los Angeles for the very first time. I attended a two-week acting intensive at Margie Haber Studio, with 12 actors from around the world and the United States. It was an eye-opening experience, making me introspect my relationship with acting. Moreover, I found my childlike self again. It took me on a journey with the same naïve little boy who not just loved getting entertained, but also loved entertaining everyone around him. When I moved back to Atlanta, I finally got an agent as well.
I recently acted as an antagonist in a Columbia University thesis film, “Mabrook,” shot in Atlanta. The film is currently in post-production. After shooting “Stardust,” I shall be portraying the lead role in SCAD Atlanta’s pilot initiative “What Remains of Emily.”
Lastly, my roommate Suraj Savkoor and I are working on two different web series outside of school. One being a comedy about a roommate counselor trying to figure out the ropes between two has-been best friends and another that is currently still under development.
The Connector: How do you feel you’ve evolved as an artist over the years, and how do you think you’ll evolve further?
I look forward to immense and worldly failures in order to wake up the next day, brush the dust off my pants and begin again. As they say, “The show must go on … .”
To see more of Kumar’s work, follow his Instagram accounts, @iammanahar & @stardust.thefilm.
