{"id":133789,"date":"2019-06-07T18:42:42","date_gmt":"2019-06-07T22:42:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.blackfilm.com\/read\/?p=133789"},"modified":"2019-06-07T18:42:42","modified_gmt":"2019-06-07T22:42:42","slug":"late-night-director-nisha-ganatra-on-directing-mindy-kalings-sundance-darling-and-the-need-for-diversity-in-hollywood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blackfilm.com\/read\/late-night-director-nisha-ganatra-on-directing-mindy-kalings-sundance-darling-and-the-need-for-diversity-in-hollywood\/","title":{"rendered":"Late Night Director Nisha Ganatra on Directing Mindy Kaling\u2019s Sundance Darling and the Need For Diversity in Hollywood"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Nisha Ganatra<\/strong> is a powerful force to be reckoned with in Hollywood. The Indian American director has helmed both film and television projects for some of the most tv popular shows. Ganatra has guided episodes of The Mindy Project, Dear White People, Fresh Off The Boat <\/strong>and\u00a0<\/span>Brooklyn 99<\/strong>.\u00a0 <\/span>It seems fitting that Mindy Kaling selected Ganatra to tell her story, when she wrote Late Night <\/strong>about her first big job as a television writer, in a writer\u2019s room full of all white men. <\/span><\/p>\n

The comedy garnered so much buzz at Sundance that it was bought by Amazon in a record setting $13 million dollar deal. Mindy Kaling portrays Molly Patel who is hired by Katherine Newberry (Emma Thompson) to bring a fresh female voice to help her low rated late night talk show.\u00a0 <\/span>Molly finds that she is constantly challenged and ridiculed by her male peers as the only woman of color in the room. <\/span><\/p>\n

BlackFilm spoke with Nisha Ganatra about working with Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson to convey Mindy\u2019s personal experience in the movie. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/span><\/span>Mindy Kaling wrote the film about her experience as a television writer.\u00a0 <\/span>She was the only woman on The Office\u2019s writing staff when she was first hired at twenty-four. Did she give you any additional notes or guidance about how she wanted to be portrayed in the role? <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Nisha Ganatra: <\/b>No, I read the script. I related to the character\u2019s journey. We\u2019ve had a very similar shared experience. The nice thing about the movie is we didn\u2019t have to give each other guidance.\u00a0 <\/span>Obviously I directed her and gave her guidance on her performance. When we were on the set to express my vision of the film. We both had a shared experience, so I guess we could start a little further down the road than where a director and writer usually have to start.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Can you talk more about that shared experience that you both have? <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Nisha Ganatra: <\/b>I think we both often find ourselves as the only woman in the room in television. Or the only woman of color in a position of power in television. It\u2019s that thing that happens when you walk into a room and you realize nobody else who is in here looks like me. And I think it is something we both have experienced through the span of our careers. It was really fun to get her to portray that and talk about it and make fun of it.<\/span><\/p>\n