Silicon Valley, California, USA: Filmmaker Ben Rekhi says his creative outlook has been deeply shaped by the entrepreneurial mindset he inherited from his father. He believes the Indian American community holds powerful, underrepresented stories that deserve to be told through cinema.

Rekhi recalls that his decision to become a filmmaker was initially met with hesitation from his father, Kanwal Rekhi, a Silicon Valley pioneer. However, after witnessing Ben successfully complete and premiere a project during high school, his father began to see filmmaking as a viable profession. Over time, he accepted that creative paths cannot be imposed and ultimately became one of Ben’s strongest supporters.

Viewing cinema through a business lens, Rekhi says his father taught him to treat every film like a startup—pitching ideas, raising funds, managing teams, and working within tight budgets and timelines. He notes that many business principles seamlessly apply to filmmaking, even though intuition and artistic instinct remain central to the process.

Reflecting on his diverse body of work across genres and countries, Rekhi describes filmmaking as an unpredictable yet fulfilling journey. He cites projects like Watch List (Maria) as deeply personal experiences and says true success now lies in purpose rather than profit. His Oscar-qualifying documentary short, The Breakthrough Group, further reinforced his belief in cinema’s healing power.

Rekhi also stresses that Indian American stories are still underrepresented globally and rarely connect equally with Indian and Western audiences. While films like The Lunchbox are rare exceptions, he believes global resonance cannot be engineered. Having spent years working in Mumbai, Rekhi praises Indian film crews and actors, but says his strengths lie in projects with an international outlook rather than films made solely for the Indian market.