Actress and filmmaker Shreya Patel: My experiences have taught me to dream big, take risks and create work that uplifts others – Exclusive |

Shreya Patel is a dynamic force whose path is shaped by several areas, including – modeling, international speaking for Mental health awarenessActing and filmmaking. Her film ‘Unibrow’ was recently selected in the short film category at many award ceremonies and cemented Shreya’s position in the world of entertainment and StorytellingIn a recent interview with us, Shreya Patel shared insights into her influences, creative process and the evolution of the film industry.
In our conversation, Shreya, an Indian-Canadian artist, mentioned how her global experiences shaped her perspective as Filmmaker“Even at the age of six, I knew that I wanted to enter the world of fashion“My journey of walking over 600 runways in Asia, the Middle East and North America was marked by profound learnings, especially while volunteering with the Make-A-Wish Foundation,” she said. These experiences fueled her desire to amplify unheard voices through filmmaking, which led to the creation of her production company.

“My experiences in fashion and filmmaking have taught me to dream big, take risks and create work that resonates with and uplifts others. As a global citizen, I have learned to embrace diversity and enrich my life experiences, which is reflected in my films. While the path has been challenging, it has been full of lessons that have enriched my storytelling and fueled my passion for creating impactful content,” she added.

When asked how she tells her stories in a fresh and engaging way, she stressed the importance of drawing from personal experiences. “We draw heavily from relatable experiences and our own lives to keep our stories fresh and engaging. Rabiya (Rabia Mansoor, her business partner) and I are fed up with Hollywood portraying South Asian women as mostly supporting characters or as doctors and engineers. We are more than just two-dimensional stereotypes and we strive to tell stories that reflect that,” she explained.
On the topic of writer’s block and creative challenges, Shreya shared how she overcomes these obstacles. “Sometimes my writer’s block comes with burnout and the best way to deal with it is to spend time in nature or with people close to me to ground myself. I have to remind myself that rest is productive and therefore productive. Also, when I have writer’s block, it is often helpful to take breaks and come back to work with a fresh mind. For creative challenges during the filmmaking process, I have learnt to think on my feet while multitasking. I am a solution-oriented person by nature, so I find it easy to tackle challenges on sets with a calm mind,” she noted.

Last but not the least, Shreya reflected on the changes she has witnessed in the film industry from the day she started her career to today. “The film industry has changed significantly since I started. With the advent of virtual tools, I can now travel more freely and have writers’ meetings over Zoom. I have also directed several projects over Zoom, which was unthinkable at the beginning. Moreover, the power of phone cameras has revolutionized filmmaking. Today, anyone can create content with a smartphone, whereas when I started, I had to learn how to film with a big film camera. Back then, everything was just starting to go digital,” she concluded.
Shreya Patel is currently working on a comedy series called “Layla is Relevant” and is also writing a script for a film on human trafficking while continuing to produce various projects for her company.