IN THE BUSINESS OF EMOTIONS

ENTREPRENEUR VISHAL PUNJABI OF THE WEDDING FILMER HAS CARVED OUT QUITE A NICHE FOR HIMSELF. HE GIVES AMAIRA CHHABRIA AN IN-DEPTH INSIGHT INTO HIS WORK, INSPIRATION, AND MORE

- AMAIRA CHHABRIA

It’s safe to say that your wedding is the one day you’ll want to talk and reminisce about for years to come. Every time you re-watch your wedding video, the goal is to instantly be transported back to that day. For this to happen, you’ll need an expert with skillful shooting abilities, good knowledge of lighting, thoughtful composition, and that fly-on-the-wall discretion so as to shape up your memories of a lifetime. Add to that the need to find someone who suits your personality and understands your aesthetic and the search only becomes harder.

This is where Vishal Punjabi of The Wedding Filmer (he’s worked on over 300 wedding films!) comes in. When you watch his work, it’s obvious that his attention to detail when it comes to color, dialogue, music, pacing, sound design, composition, lighting, and storytelling is in a league of its own. His films take on an organic journey, floating through your celebrations and capturing the perfect moments.

With an international upbringing, this Ghanaian Indian has been exposed to different cultures, people, and ideas of relationships. Growing up, he says, “I got the bone of romance from my mother Mona (poet/writer) who hopelessly fell in love with my father Ashok (businessman). When I was 9 years old, however, my parents decided to part ways and I got a bit lost in the process.” But Vishal continued to believe in happily ever afters.

Being a filmmaker was his dream from the beginning. He moved to London to study theatre thinking that it would bring him closer to films but then dropped out of college to work with actor Shah Rukh Khan. This changed his life in more ways than one and he spent 10 years working at Red Chillies. “At first, his team connected with me which felt like a hoax. Next thing I know he personally called. Being an ardent fan I said yes and moved to Mumbai.”