In a conversation with an LA-based writer, Vaishnavi Padmanathan revealed her first experience of writing a story. She said, “One of the earliest memories I have is of winning a storytelling competition at the age of three, which planted the seed for my passion for writing.”
Her child-like passion for writing continues to date with polished skills from her academic and professional endeavors. Vaishnavi pursued her Bachelor’s in Mass Media from Mumbai University before moving to New York to graduate from Tisch School of the Arts, New York University with a Master of Fine Arts in Dramatic Writing. She has worked in both the Indian film and American TV industries, which Vaishnavi discovered led to a lot of revelations about the kind of stories she wants to write.
“The more I work, the more energy I gain to work on the stories that speak the truth of me and so many women like me,” said Vaishnavi. The source of Vaishnavi’s passion for writing comes from her personal truths that she has realized over time.
Vaishnavi stated, “I think being vulnerable in my work is how I connect with the audience. All the writers I look up to including Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Lulu Wang have time and again shown how speaking one’s truth can be so powerful and at the same time entertaining.”
Revealing the secret behind her creative process, Vaishnavi is a stickler for outlining her stories before she starts the actual writing on her computer. Appreciating the art of fine-tuning her stories, Vaishnavi said, “The one thing that is absolutely necessary for me is to outline the story. Be it writing a TV episode or a feature, breaking scenes down with what the
protagonist wants and what I want as a writer, and checking if both are aligning is a great starting point for me before I embark on a journey with the character.”
Her previous work has been with being credited in ‘Oh! Baby,’ a Telugu film, and her work is featured in ‘Searching for the Good’, an audio play made during COVID lockdown times about COVID. She is currently working for a preschool animated show that is scheduled to be on air sometime soon. Although she could not reveal much about this project as it is still in development, she acknowledged the amount of research that goes into making stories that kids watch, appreciating the talented team of creatives she got to work with that helped her have an enriching experience.
Vaishnavi is a young and motivated writer, who wants to tell stories that are inclusive and authentic. Concluding the interview, Vaishnavi noted her future goals, saying, “My goal is to keep growing more and more as a screenwriter and writer as I don’t want to limit the worlds create on pages. I want to make sure I never become complacent and keep pushing myself forward. I am young and excited, with a lot of stories to tell so I will keep working hard and keep getting inspired by the absolute joy I get when I get to tell my stories to the world.”