Even before Inside Out hit the theatres in India on Friday, there was a lot of buzz about the latest offering from Disney Pixar. However, what not many know is that three Indians had a big role to play in Inside Out: Sajan Skaria (character supervisor), lighting artist Vandana Reddy Sahrawat from Hyderabad (who has worked in Monsters Inc, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, Up, Brave etc.) and Amit Baadkar.
In an interview with DC, Vandana speaks about how she was drawn to animation, the high-profile Hollywood animation projects she has worked on and more.
“When I first saw the original Toy Story movie, I knew I wanted to pursue my career in animation. Actually, it was more of an animation and CG visual effects inspiration for me. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Toy Story, Babe and Jurassic Park are the films I’d name in this regard,” says Vandana, whose first Hollywood movie was Babe – Pig in the City.
“I had just moved to Los Angeles, with no friends or family around. I was a lighting technical director and was learning on the job for the most part. I worked with a very talented team that generously helped me learn the proprietary software and get up to speed. By the end of the five-month project, my colleagues had become my family in LA!” says Vandana, who is currently living in California.
Vandana says it was a great experience working in Inside Out. “I absolutely love all of Pete Docter’s movies, they’re always so touching and wildly imaginative at the same time. To be a part of such inspiring projects itself is such a rewarding experience,” she says.
Even though work gets hectic, Vandana does manage to take out time to unwind. “I saw Dil Dhadakne Do recently, in theatre in Dublin, California."
