The Directors: Smriti Mundhra

Smriti Mundhra is a DGA-winning, Emmy-nominated, and Academy Award-nominated filmmaker. Most recently, Smriti created and directed Netflix’s THE ROMANTICS, a four-part documentary series about the history of Bollywood, featuring interviews and footage from 35 of its biggest stars. Additionally, her 2019 documentary short ST. LOUIS SUPERMAN was nominated for an Oscar and tells the story of a battle rapper-turned-Congressman lobbying for gun rights. It was supported by Judd Apatow, Brad Pitt, and Mark Ruffalo and sold in a multi-studio bidding war to MTV Documentary Films. Smriti is also the creator, director, and EP of the Emmy-nominated Netflix show, INDIAN MATCHMAKING. The series is based on her feature documentary, A SUITABLE GIRL, which premiered at Tribeca and won her the Best Debut Director prize. In addition to her extensive non-scripted success, Smriti more recently directed two episodes of Season 3 of Mindy Kaling’s NEVER HAVE I EVER for Netflix/UTV and directed an episode of Amazon/Freevee’s THE PRADEEPS OF PITTSBURGH, EP’ed by Michael Showalter. Smriti is also adapting the best-selling novel BORN CONFUSED by Tanuja Desai Hidier for television for Wayfarer Studios and is executive producing two series – THE ESTATES for Netflix alongside Chernin Entertainment and the UNTITLED SCHOTTENSTEIN PROJECT for HBO Max.

Smriti is the founder of Meralta Films, a Los Angeles and Mumbai-based production company focused on creating premium fiction and non-fiction content. She holds an MFA in Film from Columbia University and a BA from California State University, Northridge, and lives in Los Angeles with her husband, screenwriter Christian Magalhães, their daughter Isabel and son Jag.

LBB> What elements of a script sets one apart from the other and what sort of scripts get you excited to shoot them?

Smriti> I actually started my career in advertising, as the most junior person in the creative department at TBWA\Chiat\Day, and I got to sit in a lot of rooms with the legendary Lee Clow. One thing he said has stuck with me over the years: for the 30 seconds your spot airs in people’s homes, the viewer is your audience, not just a consumer. You have to entertain them. As a director, I come from a narrative background so scripts that tell a story with an arc - even a simple, unexpected arc - always excite me. I think ads and branded content should be held to the same standard as longer-form content: something that touches a human emotion, with an element of surprise or delight, and where visual style can deliver a substantive message. 

LBB> How do you approach creating a treatment for a spot?

Smriti> I start by trying to absorb the script and the message of the piece by reading, researching, and thinking deeply about what aspect of the piece or the product will touch people’s hearts. I tend to think in colors so the first generative visual element for me is usually a color or color palette, followed by music. That helps me start thinking about tone and visual style. I’m big on scouring for visual and tonal  references - everything from films to photography to paintings and even fonts. But the most essential thing to me is drilling down on the message of the piece in its simplest, most elemental form. What is the client trying to communicate to the audience about the product? And how can I help support that visually and tonally?

LBB> If the script is for a brand that you're not familiar with/ don’t have a big affinity with or a market you're new to, how important is it for you to do research and understand that strategic and contextual side of the ad? If it’s important to you, how do you do it?

Smriti> I actually love working on projects where my exposure to the market or brand is limited - I think it’s a great advantage. I can come in with fresh eyes, and a curiosity that can help me see things someone who is more familiar may take for granted. When I directed a spot for Bumble, I was married with a second child on the way and had never used a dating app before. But in the “brand absorption” process I came to understand that social apps are about more than finding a partner, it’s about agency and freedom. We were able to build those ideas into the spot in unexpected ways.

LBB> What type of work are you most passionate about - is there a particular genre or subject matter or style you are most drawn to?

Smriti> I tend to gravitate towards creative involving love and romance, parent/child relationships and global cultures. But I love new challenges and finding the emotional beats in any genre!

LBB> What misconception about you or your work do you most often encounter and why is it wrong?

Smriti> That I can only do things that involve South Asian stories. I love my culture and my people, and always welcome opportunities to celebrate those things, but I’m also a California-born girl raised on hip-hop and punk and American TV (as well as Bollywood) and I know my skills and understanding of story and style go far beyond my own ancestral borders. 

LBB> What’s the craziest problem you’ve come across in the course of a production – and how did you solve it?

Smriti> The very first spot I directed featured a celebrity actor who appeared in every shot - five scenarios and five complete costume and hair changes had to be shot in 8 hours. I worked with my team to find one location that could play as a corporate office, kitchen, gym, living room and restaurant and we carefully planned the day from every perspective, and we got it done! What’s more, I think the spot turned out so well that nobody could guess what we were up against.