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Prachi and I connected through Flat and Flatmates in Mumbai. I was searching for a roommate, and she came. We connected instantly, even though both of us are from different backgrounds. I am a typical Delhi girl who moved to Mumbai. Prachi belongs to Banswara, a small town in Rajasthan. Our similar career aspirations in the film industry have made us the perfect best friends for over six years. In a busy city like Mumbai, finding someone with whom your vibe matches naturally from day one is tricky. Prachi and I are lucky to find each other.
Initially, I was fond of theatre during my graduation from Hansraj College, Delhi University. ‘Ab Shah Rukh ke college se padhi hu toh thoda toh acting ka chaska lagna hi tha.’ But, while pursuing Mass Communication in post-graduation, I couldn’t continue theatre due to my hectic schedule. The gap made me realise that ‘Theatre’ or ‘Acting ’ was my calling. So, to pursue it full-time, Mumbai felt the best in India.
Talking about Prachi, since childhood, she knew ‘use heroine ban na hai, TV par aana hai’. But, coming from a small town and a family filled with government employees, the dream of the film industry felt miles away. She took an MBA and then Fashion Designing. But deep down, she knew her heart was in the film industry. So, she finally took a leap of faith and came to Mumbai. Her parents took the decision positively as they know Prachi is a ‘hoshiyar’ girl who always finds her way. Moreover, she has always been on stage since childhood.
Prachi has loved to write since she was thirteen years old. Noticing her work, I suggested her to get into scriptwriting. And it worked! With time, we had a close group of friends who aspired to make their career in the film industry. Actor, writer, director, DOP, editor, singer, composer, make-up artist; everyone was in our circle. And, our conversation often ended with, ‘Yaar kuch karte hai, milke kuch karte hai’. We considered making a team and discussed it with our friends. They agreed. And juggling with my and Prachi’s names, we founded Prakriti Productions. ‘Red’, our short film, is the first project under the production house.
The idea for the short film came during the COVID-19 lockdown. It was a tough time when a lot of us were going through mental health problems. One day, while talking with friends, Prachi said, ‘Yaar ghar pe hai, ro bhi nahi sakte hai. Rone ke liye bhi bathroom jana padega.’ The way she said it was funny, but at the same time, it felt terrible. It’s strange, as crying isn’t normal in our society. The thought clicked her hard. Later, we noticed many people around us live such a mundane life that they don’t realise they are going through something wrong.
So, through ‘Red’, we have metaphorically tried to portray such issues. For the shoot, Ayush has done a brilliant job. I told him,’ Yaar tu toh meri photos ache click kr leta hai, meri film bhi shoot kar de naa.’ And he just did it. So basically, a singer and composer helped us shoot and edit, even though he is not a DOP/editor. He took shots as Prachi instructed and made music for the same.
To keep it natural, we have done a gorilla shoot. And to bring awareness and reach the maximum number of people, we have released the short film on Humara Movie’s YouTube channel. Do watch it! After watching Red, we genuinely hope people take positive steps to improve their lives.
We’re glad to partner with Humara Movie. They release a short film every week. And we feature the story of someone behind the film. After all, everyone has a story.
Delhi Stories is an emerging platform to feature inspirational, motivational, relatable and beautiful stories. Do you also have an interesting friendship story like Aakriti Vohra and Prachi Upadhyay?
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