The filmmaker hasn’t limited herself to only making films that represent South Asians. Her work spans across different cultures and backgrounds, and she makes a conscious effort to not fit herself into a box or stereotype.
Mumbai is where all the action is, why would you look beyond? — This idea has comforted many-a-filmmaker who have pursued their film studies in India and continued with a career here. However, Indian-born and bred Sonia Bajaj took the path less taken.
At the age of 21, Bajaj migrated to the United States to pursue her MFA in filmmaking. She then went on to launch her own production company in Los Angeles, proceeding to film award-winning short films in New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta. She continues to ace the film festival circuits globally, making her country and loved ones proud, narrating stories close to her heart.
“For some, ‘women empowerment’ stops at being just a phrase. As a filmmaker who comes from a predominantly patriarchal set-up, it’s my passion to showcase what an empowered woman can do, how she can empower the society as a whole,” says Bajaj.
One such story is her short film Rose, which Bajaj is now developing into a full-length feature film. The narrative depicts the story of a woman trapped in an abusive relationship and how she empowers herself. Bajaj will be directing and producing the full-length feature in collaboration with Craig Miller Productions based in Atlanta, Georgia.
“Rose is a tale really close to my heart. In Rose, I see a woman of substance and strength who has many odds against her, including her own emotions,” says Bajaj.
Bajaj has directed and produced over ten short films that have won nominations and awards at prestigious film festivals such as Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, World-Fest Houston International Film Festival, San Diego International Film Festival, Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival and many more. Her mantra for success remains the same — to keep pushing forward and inspire her viewers with strong characters and plot lines.
“I want to wake up every day and still feel enthusiastic about wanting to achieve more, hence I don’t want to limit myself to a set goal,” says Bajaj. “With every story I write, I aim to strike a chord with my viewers, appeal to different sensibilities and emotions. After all, cinema is an art, a mode of expression. It’s a conversation between the storyteller and the viewer,” she adds.
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The filmmaker hasn’t limited herself to only making films that represent South Asians. Her work spans across different cultures and backgrounds, and she makes a conscious effort to not fit herself into a box or stereotype. She believes in narratives that are much closer to reality and wants her career to reflect what she stands for. She quips, “It’s my goal to film all over the world and offer women and underrepresented communities a platform to share their stories. That’s what inspires me the most as a creator.”
From a student who directed her first music video in over a month to an outstanding professional who shot five short films in three days, Bajaj has evolved not only as a visionary director, but also as a creative storyteller. Her movies cover a range of subjects, from serial dating to zombie surprises. The filmmaker has a penchant for women-oriented stories, fueled by her own experiences as a woman of colour in the United States. Fewer opportunities for female storytellers and issues such as unequal pay and cultural-racial underrepresentation is what inspires Bajaj to tackle such themes.
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