Aarushi Chowdhury was born in North India into a large family of sixty, all living under one roof. Her family even made the news for their size.
As the youngest, she enjoyed being the centre of attention, surrounded by love and fun. Things changed when her family moved to Melbourne when she was six. Suddenly, all the attention she was used to was no longer there.
The arrival of her younger sister initially brought back joy and excitement to her life, but that didn’t last long.
Aarushi recalls, “One day, I woke up and my little sister was gone, and in her place was a teenage demon who thought I was ‘totally embarrassing.’ Suddenly, all the fun things we once enjoyed together felt childish and boring to her.”
So, she made a film so that her 13-year-old sister would finally hang out with her.
“And she did! Well, she had to—I cast her in the film,” laughs Aarushi.
Clown is Aarushi’s debut short film which follows Sami, an eight-year-old horror fanatic eager to play “serial killers” with her older sister, Jiya.
“I was a horror fanatic and still am, so it was important that Sami had this quirky interest. Not many eight-year-olds know who Leatherface is (and that’s probably for the best). Scaring people has always excited me,” Aarushi shares.
While co-writing Clown with Diane Vu, Aarushi also addressed her past feelings of shame about distancing herself from her cultural identity.
“It’s nuanced in the film, but growing up, being Australian meant being included. It was challenging yet rewarding to explore cultural politics and social acceptance through Sami’s choices.”
Further, she adds, “Often, in the Indian community, there’s a toxic preference for being fair-skinned, making self-acceptance harder. As people of colour, we sometimes lack the luxury to be flawed on-screen, which strips away our humanity. I wanted to cast someone with my skin colour and place her in a story about loving serial killers while being a little excitingly evil,” she adds.
Aarushi based many of her directing choices on memories from her life. For instance, the old Hindi music in the first scene reflects the constant noise she heard at home.
In the movie, the house is decorated with auspicious turmeric and red, representing Indian culture’s appreciation for vibrant designs. Production designer Tiffany crafted posters of Aarushi’s favourite scary films, such as Bhool Bhulaiyaa and The Babadook.
While the teen girls speak with thick Australian accents, Sapna, the mother (played by Aarushi’s actual mum), comforts her daughter in Hindi, showcasing their lived experiences.
Importantly, Aarushi wanted to highlight shared human experiences that connect everyone, regardless of background.
“I wanted to show that being Indian is really fun. We don’t just sit at home and talk about race (though we do that too). We’re human and face similar issues as everyone else.”
Aarushi’s journey in filmmaking began when she was studying commerce and law at Monash University. She jumped at the chance to assistant direct a short film. All the experiences including waking up at 4 am for the set revealed her passion for filmmaking.
To pursue her goal of writing and directing, she worked in various roles, including casting for Apple TV, producing for M&Ms, assisting camera for Vogue, lighting for indie features, production coordinating for SBS, and writing research for Tony Ayres and NBCUniversal.
After finally ripping off the proverbial bandaid, Aarushi directed her first project, a music video for Jennifer Loveless. She has continued on that path, now freelancing as a writer and director.
Aarushi created Clown on a budget of $6,000, which included a $4,000 Quick Response Arts grant from the City of Melbourne that covered most costs, with an additional $2,000 of her own. And she is also grateful to the great team behind the project.
Clown has been nominated for Best Director and Best Film at the 2024 Cannes Indie Shorts Awards, and Aarushi has also been nominated for the “Young Australian Filmmaker of the Year” award at the 2024 Byron Bay Film Festival.
An elated Aarushi says, “Ultimately, I hope people leave with a little less judgment toward themselves and a little more appreciation for their siblings (I’m looking at you, Shaina).”
The Indian Sun acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government.
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