Mac Mohan’s daughter Manjari Makijany on assisting Christopher Nolan: ‘It’s been an incredible journey’

Director Manjari Makijany, daughter of late actor Mac Mohan, has spoken about working with filmmakers Christopher Nolan and Vishal Bhardwaj. Los Angeles-based Manjari has worked as an assistant director with Christopher in Dunkirk and The Dark Knight Rises, with Vishal in Saat Khoon Maaf and Patty Jenkins in Wonder Woman.

Manjari Makijany’s film Skater Girl released on streaming platform Netflix on June 11. She and her sister, Vinati Makijany, have written the script. Vinati is also the producer of the project. The movie is touted to be India’s first movie on skateboarding.

Speaking to The Quint, Manjari said, “When you’re an assistant director or an assistant in any capacity, you’re really a fly on the wall, you’re invisible. Whatever you are learning and whatever you are doing is pretty much through observation, and absorbing as a sponge. It’s been an incredible journey being on these projects and watching some amazing filmmakers at work. I never went to film school. My first job was as an assistant on a set that’s where I learnt the craft. I learnt cinema language from Vishal (Bhardwaj) ji where he would have a shot list and I would watch him sort of set a shot and somehow all of these things find a way when you’re working and when you’re directing.”

Manjari, who has also directed three short films, added, “Of course the short films were like a way of saying that, ‘Can I actually direct or am I just in this thing saying that one day I wanna be a director. So that was a good experience to test the directorial skills.”

Her directorial debut Skater Girl is a coming-of-age story about “confidence, courage, and the profound impact of blazing your own trail”, as per news agency PTI. Set in a remote village in Rajasthan, the film follows Prerna (Rachel Saanchita Gupta), a local teen living a life bound by tradition and duty to her parents.

When London-bred advertising executive Jessica (Amy Maghera) arrives in the village, Prerna and the other local children are introduced to an exciting new adventure sport thanks to Jessica and her old friend (Jonathan Readwin) who cruises into town on a skateboard.

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“Determined to empower and encourage their newfound passion, Jessica sets out on an uphill battle to build the kids their own skatepark, leaving Prerna with a difficult choice between conforming to society’s expectations of her and living out her dream of competing in the National Skateboarding Championship,” the plotline reads, as per PTI.