Sometimes Carelessness Is the Key to Success - Mansha Totla (Indian Matchmaking Actor)

 

I didn’t “choose” Indian matchmaking, it was more of an opportunity that presented itself out of pure coincidence. I wasn't really thinking of the repercussions or expecting any level of response because it genuinely just was something I did purely for fun

Tell us about your background and journey so far?
 
I was born and raised in Mumbai, India. I come from a Rajasthani Marwari family and have had a rather religious and cultural upbringing. My friends and family have always been a major part of my life and influential in my upbringing in many ways. Growing up I had suffered through many hardships in life some personal and others situational. I wasn’t the best at studies and unfortunately wasn’t surrounded by the nicest people at school, but that has never changed my attitude towards anyone, instead I believe has played a key role in always keeping me grounded. 

I have always been fond of philanthropy and think it's crucial to give back to the world, which is something that a lot of my projects even today are based on. My father has always taught me to be kind towards everyone and I believe it is from him that I've learned the art of giving, being empathetic, and working hard to achieve my goals. From my mother, a housewife turned successful jewelry designer, 

I have learned love, compassion, and sacrifice. From my little sister, I have learned patience, witty humor, and a great deal of sass. Honestly, without these people in my life, I would be nowhere.
 
I’m blessed with parents that never forced me to be the typical, doctor, engineer, or lawyer, but rather always motivated me to follow my heart and pursue my artistic talents, which I think is rare in even the most modern homes in Bombay today. I’ve always been passionate about storytelling and theatre, from a very young age. 

Starting with puppet shows at home, and creating impromptu stories to put my little sister to bed, to make my own home movies, sometimes 15mins long, so I have always been creatively driven, never really been the best at studies. I’ve always loved baking and have had an entrepreneurial mindset since I was a child, one of my first endeavors was a home baking business when I was 14 (yes my love of food is real). 
 
I attended Dhirubhai Ambani International School for 14 years and earned my IB diploma degree from there, after which I went to university abroad in 2017 to pursue filmmaking. 

During my school days, I would always be the enthusiastic one to participate in school productions or all the sporting events. I did a few commercials here and there as a child. I also played taekwondo for a good number of years, whilst at school, and in 2010 won a gold in the Maharashtra state level competition (a little known fact about me) and then went on to win silver on the national level, after which I decided to divert my focus into academics fully. 
 
Ironically, unlike many people I meet today who knew they wanted to be a part of the industry since they were 5, I was never really one to care much for it. It was pure entertainment for me always, and I was more attracted to other mediums of art. But in 2016 my dad motivated me to attend a film camp in NYC and give the film a chance, and I instantly fell in love with film and solo travel. Since then I've visited multiple countries and meeting different people from different cultures has never ceased to fascinate me. 
 

Why did you choose Indian Match Making as a debut and what is your opinion of flack some of the participants got?
 
I didn’t “choose” Indian matchmaking, it was more of an opportunity that presented itself out of pure coincidence. If I’m completely honest, I wasn't really thinking of the repercussions or expecting any level of response because it genuinely just was something I did purely for fun. I was interning with a production company in Mumbai and they got me linked with the director of the show, since, I want to make documentaries, and they thought it would be fitting to intern with a professional in that field. 

The director, Smriti, was working on two documentary series at the time, however, I only knew about the one I was an AD for and didn’t even know she was filming ‘Indian Matchmaking’ simultaneously. It was only when my cousins, Akshay and Aditya bhaiya came home for dinner one night that we realized we’re both working with Smriti, except that Akshay was one of the people on the show and I was an AD for her other project. 

So I told Smriti that my cousin is one of the people on her show, and we laughed about this coincidence, and literally the next day, out of the blue she asked me to be on it, as she thought it would be a fun idea to have me on there, as well. Confession: I only agreed because they promised they would get me brownies, and that's how the infamous brownie scene took place haha. 
 
In regards to the criticism or comments people on the show have received I think what the audience doesn’t really keep in mind when writing things about people on the show, is that you’re only seeing what you’ve been shown and you don’t know the whole story, you know like 5% of it, which is what they want you to see. So, basing their opinions off of someone solely based on their appearance on a show may not be the best idea. 

Although it was a tough blow initially, and I personally didn’t know how to deal with all the trolls and comments myself, I think as of now, everyone’s gotten pretty used to the idea of it and are more focused on the good opportunities they’ve received in terms of work and other things because of the show. 
 

Do you believe in arranged marriages?
 
So, for me personally, I don’t think I will ever get an arranged marriage done for myself, simply because I’d rather fall in love with someone organically and would want to find someone on my own, rather than having my family arrange some sort of set up. But, I have nothing against the idea of it. 

I’m sure it works out for a lot of people and many couples have found their soulmate through this process and I fully support that. But, in my opinion, I think in today’s world a lot of people my age just see it as either ‘the last resort’ or ‘another way to meet people’ (when you’re at that marriage stage of course.) 
 

What did you study and what did you aspire to do?
 
During my first 2 years at university in upstate New York, I majored in filmmaking and dabbled in a few things, such as; graphic design, media marketing, and advertising. 

I was pretty indecisive at first, considering the film is such an unstable career choice, but during my second year of college, I took the first documentary class that helped me get fixated on my decision of becoming a documentary filmmaker and I haven’t looked back since. It was one of those things that I always knew I wanted to do, I guess I just needed a little reassurance before I dove headfirst into this world. 

Now that I’m all in, I aspire to gain success as a documentary film director, one who can influence people through her films and create positive waves of change in the world.
 

What's next for you?
 
I have both long term and short term goals mapped out because I’m the type of person who likes to make many plans. But, at the moment I’m working on a few personal projects, such as; my first documentary debut film, titled “Spraying positivity” that has just come out (a link to which can be found in my Instagram bio: @mansha_ ). 

I have a few other shoots and brand campaigns lined up, and a charity fundraiser that I'm organizing this month, but, apart from that I’m trying to spend more time with my family before I head back to the states in January. I took a gap year last year, to come back and work, and regain my focus towards the film, so I will be heading back now to complete my education and get my degree in journalism and documentary film from L.M.U, L.A. I plan on making more documentaries in the future and always growing and improving in both; my field of work and as a person. 
 

Which is your favorite book and why?
 
The Great Gatsby is one of my all-time favorites. I could read it over and over again and still never be tired of it. 

For me, a hopeless romantic, a lover of anything vintage over designer, and jazz music over EDM, I think it’s the atmosphere of the era, 1920’s New York, the feel of the jazz age that the book creates that I adore the most. Another aspect that makes this book stand out to me is how people of our generation even today can relate to its timeless themes of; isolation, love, and the need to achieve  “the American dream”. 

Also, Fitzgerald is one of my favorite authors and I see a great deal of him in myself. He at my age was Brash, artistically ambitious and when writing The Great Gatsby wanted to create a piece that makes him feel is a work of art that is made by someone more capable than himself. I’m currently at a stage in my life where I’m experiencing the same passion and drive towards my work and feel the same way about many of my projects, as Fitzgerlad did.

Read More - Working in the Film Industry Could Not Just Be a Daydream, but a Reality

Interviewed by - Mukund M