Around The World

Travelling helps Los Angeles-based art director Aashrita Kamath in building imaginary worlds, some of which you will see in James Cameron’s Avatar 2 & 3.

- Shilpa Raina

How does travel inspire your work?

Travel is an integral part of my work and I love the fact that I can immerse myself in a new culture for months at a time, work with the locals, see a side of a place that I never would as a tourist. As a filmmaker, I’m inviting the audience to step into a new world—to create a shared experience that didn’t exist before. Firsthand experience of the myriad cultures and traditions across the globe helps me build specific, authentic and relatable worlds within the film; and I think this ultimately gives the audience an immersive experience in the theatre.

How has India contributed to your work?

It was only after moving to Los Angeles that I realised how deeply rooted I was in my Indian sense of aesthetics—whether it was to add a splash or using every innovative way possible to make the set look as good as it could, sometimes with impossibly limited resources. I think it’s my inherent ability for jugaad that makes this possible.

What’s your favourite city in India for work and why?

Mumbai, meri jaan. That’s where I learnt that come what may, the show must go on and you must party as hard as you work! I owe it to that city, to the people I met there and worked with for the career that I have today.