Why I Started Milaba Arts

A Teacher, a Barber, and a Street Sweeper

I grew up in a small village in Gujarat, India. The kind of place you could capture entirely in a single drone shot—not too high, just enough to show a handful of houses, narrow paths, and open fields. Almost everyone was a farmer. Except for three people: a school teacher who taught all grades up to fourth, a barber who made house calls and served food at weddings, and a man who cleaned the village with his family and played drums at celebrations.

For better education, my family moved to a slightly bigger village where I could attend school up to 10th grade. My parents were protective; they didn’t let me hang out with friends, fearing bad influences. So I stayed home and watched television. It became my window to the world. I wanted to go to all the places I saw on screen.

You Need to Be a Little Bit Arrogant

After graduating with a finance degree, I realized I wanted to work in media. But growing up where I did, there were no role models in entertainment. Most people stayed in the village their entire lives. So I made mistakes, missed opportunities, learned, and kept trying until I got accepted into a top media school in Mumbai.

I had three options: Journalism, Film, or Advertising. Film had sparked my dream—but I thought it was too big for someone like me. I chose Advertising, thinking it was a more realistic goal. Even then, I didn’t believe I could belong to the "creative" side. I assumed creative people had to grow up speaking a certain way, dressing a certain way, living a certain life. That wasn’t me.

So I picked Client Servicing over Creative. But something shifted. While I was stressing about where I’d get an internship, I was called into the placement office. They told me an ad agency wanted to bring me on as an intern. I found out later that my Copywriting professor had recommended me. He saw something I didn’t yet believe about myself.

I did well at the internship. I was paid and offered a job. While some of my classmates had known from the start they wanted to be copywriters, I had to be told—over and over—that I could be one. They believed it was their birthright. I had to be convinced.

I’ve always been ambitious, but I was too humble. I dreamt big and reached places I never imagined, but I lacked the belief—and a little arrogance—that you sometimes need to claim your identity. That quiet confidence that says: "I am enough. I don’t need anyone’s approval to be a storyteller."

Finally Connected All the Dots

In 2013, I moved to Los Angeles. I had all the ambition in the world. I learned filmmaking. I learned about the culture. I immersed myself in it all.

But somewhere along the way, I started waiting for opportunities—asking for them—instead of creating my own. I worked for people who weren’t more qualified or creative than me. Jobs where I basically ran the company. But I still didn’t give myself permission to take the creative lead.

Eventually, I landed an entry-level role on a major studio project. It was a small job, but a big moment. LA had been a brutal town for film work after the strikes, so I took what I could. And that job connected all the dots.

I saw how "big" people think, lead, act under pressure. I realized: I’m just as good. It was painful to be on set and in writers’ rooms and not write, direct, or act. Because the truth is, it hurts not to be creative every day. If I don’t tell the stories I want to tell, no one else will—and I’ll have to live with that regret.

The Beginning of an Exciting Journey

Every experience—living in villages, moving to big cities, doing jobs I was overqualified for, working as a copywriter, actor, director, producer, and editor—has made me a better storyteller.

Now, I tell stories the way I see them. I choose the message. I choose the people who help bring them to life. I refine this craft every day—because someday, I want a child in a village like mine to not just dream big, but to believe in themselves from the beginning.

That’s why I started Milaba Arts.

And now, as I prepare to become a father, we’ve decided to name our daughter Milaba. She is the soul and inspiration behind everything I build from here on.

Wish me success.