people say that I’m lucky to be in this
field they asked me what I’ve done to be
able to travel to be able to make movies
to be able to do the things that I seem
to want to do I
I prefer the word blessed it’s a lot of
very difficult
razy sometimes can I mean sometimes
considered crazy decisions that I’ve had
to make on a personal level today I’m
talking to you about following your
dream
maybe not somebody else’s not something
that was set for you by someone else
dreams I have to introduce myself
Benny noble filmmaker writer producer
philosopher a bunch of things that I try
and do for the next few years I’m gonna
be shuttling between Australia u.s. and
India as you can see I’m nervous I hate
being on stage usually the people behind
the curtains who are making this happen
but it it’s it’s an honor to be here
today I want to start with finding the
inner child in you we’re constantly
learning we’re growing either as
individuals or as a group hopefully when
I leave here today I would have left you
with at least one thought or just just a
question to yourself as to whether you
would at least consider the possibility
of leaving your fears aside and maybe
maybe taking that one step where it’s
chasing your dream carve your own path
team that these brilliant brilliant
students have come up with had a lot of
people running to check up dictionaries
trying to find out the meaning of the
word what is this word me it’s about
shedding all of those beliefs that are
thrust
by our upbringing by the nature of the
place that we’ve been brought up in by
society and it’s trying to find out
what’s right for you what would make you
smile
what would make you wake up in the
morning and say I want to do this there
is a famous quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson
do not follow where the path may lead go
instead where there is no path and leave
a trail let’s start at the beginning
somebody said this earlier but if you
just close your eyes for like just a
second imagine if you were that child
that baby that toddler um before you
learned the most famous word in Indian
poems no no don’t do this no don’t go
there
no don’t try that no it’s a word that
you hear from I don’t know really really
early age um
seemingly harmless meant for good
reasons but but often with dire
consequences where it impacts the rest
of your life where you’re constantly
fearful to take that step that step that
can take you closer to what your dreams
are that step that can maybe make you an
even greater success than you are in
whatever field that has been chosen for
you we all start out having dreams
whether it’s big or small most of us
feel passionate about something in life
but somewhere along the way I would say
90% of the people stopped pursuing their
dreams and keep saying we’ll do it
someday and I get that I don’t know job
when I marry when I build a home for
myself when I get a million dollars
but why is that I think it’s because we
stopped believing that we can even
achieve those dreams it’s we start to
feel that we can’t make a difference um
we need to figure out how to get from
where we are to where we want to be and
what’s the way to do that break free
break free from the shackles break free
from something that you need to know
what you want to be what you want for
yourself my story before I get into my
journey but I grew up in the Middle East
in Kuwait I grew up in a very sheltered
very protected environment and grew up
thinking college education family a
great job and I don’t know what else has
been taught and passed on the
generations that is what we should
strive for I’ve been there did all of
that I was successful even in my
corporate job and and doing most of
those things but somewhere there was
always something lacking what is it
and I remember thinking there is this
part of me that’s always been creative
whether it’s writing or singing which I
don’t do anymore writing poetry short
stories all of that I think I started a
really young age my dad for summer
vacations when everyone else is having
fun would tell me would take us to the
British Library and bias books and
parentis books and ask us to do a
summary a synopsis the entire book and
story I hated it
I felt like it’s the worst punishment
but I’m being given every day and today
I realize and a few years ago I realized
it was the best thing that he’s done for
me because I started writing short
stories poems I think from when I was
like eight or nine I used to submit
stuff to our school magazine every
company that I’ve worked in I started to
head the corporate magazine and do all
of that um but my journey I think that
is what I can bring to you today ah yeah
I’m not gonna lie though making was not
my dream when I was a kid um I did not
think of being a director or producer
hell I had no idea what producing meant
I just wondered what it would be uh I
was this little girl that just near I
wanted to be creative I had all these
at some point I think I realized I’ve
always been influenced by art I’ve
always been influenced by music and I
also knew that I love helping people
how do I marry the two how do I bring
something that seems entertaining it
also changed the lives of people in some
way if I can touch someone in just a
small way and change the way you think
change the way you you know question all
of your beliefs and and ask is
everything that I’ve been taught right
or do I have something that I can think
about the first seed came around ten
actually maybe more than that but like
twelve thirteen years ago when I was
watching an Oprah show um people ask me
is that what made you think of this
filled even and it’s true cuz cuz I I
watched her on screen she had this
amazing show but that day the show was
not about I don’t know giving something
to other people it was not about some
celebrity coming on stage it was not
about a her or a famous story but it was
about the people behind the scenes it
was about people like all of the
organizers here today who are the unseen
faces that make things happen and you
see the face um so for me Oprah she was
face and the voice but what touched me
about it was that these are the people
who came up with the themes the ideas
the you know booked chose made contact
with the the agents that stars thee
whatever came up with cause us to fight
for to raise money for and she helped
use her power her star power to make
that happen and I want to be her at some
point I want to do that and if I can get
to a place where I can have any kind of
visibility any kind of power I want to
do it from behind this scenes I don’t
need to be the face don’t need to be the
star I just want to be able to make a
difference
um so I looked around for places to see
what I could do and how to get into this
area at the time I was in India and
Hyderabad I had visited Bombay I talked
to a bunch of people ah everywhere I was
told no I am NOT very Indian they call
me fake Indian be
girl girls can’t do much you’re gonna be
eaten alive so and the worst was no came
from people that cared about you so
they’re not all you know aggressive
negative nose but they were also from
well-meaning friends and family oh my
god you can’t do that because you’d have
to compromise your ideals you’d have to
UM do things that you’re not happy about
and you will definitely not be able to
say no yeah that’s true uh so I just
gave it up I moved to Switzerland I was
working there for a few years again it
came to a crossroad I I was talking to a
friend of mine she works as a
distributor and in France and I was
telling her maybe I want to do this but
I don’t have to do it in India I can do
it anywhere study somewhere and and they
said yeah why don’t you come work with
me and I’m like no if I’m doing this I
want to do it right want to be able to
go all the way to the basics get the
foundation right so that when I get out
I can go full throttle it’s been a hard
road but in the end I know that it is up
to each one of us to decide what you
would like to do and what is best for
you not your parents though they love
you and you should definitely listen to
them and almost everything but ask your
heart not your teachers 90 friends your
heart that is what’s most important I
just want to end with you can too if
I’ve reached here I’ve made about nine
films of my own now
I’ve worked on about 26 films in the
last four years
and I’m hoping that I’m gonna make so
many more um I want to be able to tell
stories that’ll inspire people and I’m
telling you dream big don’t let anyone
tell you no don’t let anyone say you
can’t because you can as long as you the
one person that is most important
believes in yourself and you believe in
yourself and can work hard for that yeah
there are people who say yeah you give
me that job I’ll do this for you know
it’s important that you make that step
you do what it takes whatever it takes
in the last three years when I moved to
LA I don’t know there were weeks months
where I would have two hours of sleep
and that’s it so sometimes that’s what
it takes but at the end of the day I
know no matter what I’ve been happy
don’t regret a day of it and yeah
whatever way I will I’m pretty sure that
I’ll reap the rewards and you will too
thank you guys [Applause]
field they asked me what I’ve done to be
able to travel to be able to make movies
to be able to do the things that I seem
to want to do I
I prefer the word blessed it’s a lot of
very difficult
razy sometimes can I mean sometimes
considered crazy decisions that I’ve had
to make on a personal level today I’m
talking to you about following your
dream
maybe not somebody else’s not something
that was set for you by someone else
dreams I have to introduce myself
Benny noble filmmaker writer producer
philosopher a bunch of things that I try
and do for the next few years I’m gonna
be shuttling between Australia u.s. and
India as you can see I’m nervous I hate
being on stage usually the people behind
the curtains who are making this happen
but it it’s it’s an honor to be here
today I want to start with finding the
inner child in you we’re constantly
learning we’re growing either as
individuals or as a group hopefully when
I leave here today I would have left you
with at least one thought or just just a
question to yourself as to whether you
would at least consider the possibility
of leaving your fears aside and maybe
maybe taking that one step where it’s
chasing your dream carve your own path
team that these brilliant brilliant
students have come up with had a lot of
people running to check up dictionaries
trying to find out the meaning of the
word what is this word me it’s about
shedding all of those beliefs that are
thrust
by our upbringing by the nature of the
place that we’ve been brought up in by
society and it’s trying to find out
what’s right for you what would make you
smile
what would make you wake up in the
morning and say I want to do this there
is a famous quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson
do not follow where the path may lead go
instead where there is no path and leave
a trail let’s start at the beginning
somebody said this earlier but if you
just close your eyes for like just a
second imagine if you were that child
that baby that toddler um before you
learned the most famous word in Indian
poems no no don’t do this no don’t go
there
no don’t try that no it’s a word that
you hear from I don’t know really really
early age um
seemingly harmless meant for good
reasons but but often with dire
consequences where it impacts the rest
of your life where you’re constantly
fearful to take that step that step that
can take you closer to what your dreams
are that step that can maybe make you an
even greater success than you are in
whatever field that has been chosen for
you we all start out having dreams
whether it’s big or small most of us
feel passionate about something in life
but somewhere along the way I would say
90% of the people stopped pursuing their
dreams and keep saying we’ll do it
someday and I get that I don’t know job
when I marry when I build a home for
myself when I get a million dollars
but why is that I think it’s because we
stopped believing that we can even
achieve those dreams it’s we start to
feel that we can’t make a difference um
we need to figure out how to get from
where we are to where we want to be and
what’s the way to do that break free
break free from the shackles break free
from something that you need to know
what you want to be what you want for
yourself my story before I get into my
journey but I grew up in the Middle East
in Kuwait I grew up in a very sheltered
very protected environment and grew up
thinking college education family a
great job and I don’t know what else has
been taught and passed on the
generations that is what we should
strive for I’ve been there did all of
that I was successful even in my
corporate job and and doing most of
those things but somewhere there was
always something lacking what is it
and I remember thinking there is this
part of me that’s always been creative
whether it’s writing or singing which I
don’t do anymore writing poetry short
stories all of that I think I started a
really young age my dad for summer
vacations when everyone else is having
fun would tell me would take us to the
British Library and bias books and
parentis books and ask us to do a
summary a synopsis the entire book and
story I hated it
I felt like it’s the worst punishment
but I’m being given every day and today
I realize and a few years ago I realized
it was the best thing that he’s done for
me because I started writing short
stories poems I think from when I was
like eight or nine I used to submit
stuff to our school magazine every
company that I’ve worked in I started to
head the corporate magazine and do all
of that um but my journey I think that
is what I can bring to you today ah yeah
I’m not gonna lie though making was not
my dream when I was a kid um I did not
think of being a director or producer
hell I had no idea what producing meant
I just wondered what it would be uh I
was this little girl that just near I
wanted to be creative I had all these
at some point I think I realized I’ve
always been influenced by art I’ve
always been influenced by music and I
also knew that I love helping people
how do I marry the two how do I bring
something that seems entertaining it
also changed the lives of people in some
way if I can touch someone in just a
small way and change the way you think
change the way you you know question all
of your beliefs and and ask is
everything that I’ve been taught right
or do I have something that I can think
about the first seed came around ten
actually maybe more than that but like
twelve thirteen years ago when I was
watching an Oprah show um people ask me
is that what made you think of this
filled even and it’s true cuz cuz I I
watched her on screen she had this
amazing show but that day the show was
not about I don’t know giving something
to other people it was not about some
celebrity coming on stage it was not
about a her or a famous story but it was
about the people behind the scenes it
was about people like all of the
organizers here today who are the unseen
faces that make things happen and you
see the face um so for me Oprah she was
face and the voice but what touched me
about it was that these are the people
who came up with the themes the ideas
the you know booked chose made contact
with the the agents that stars thee
whatever came up with cause us to fight
for to raise money for and she helped
use her power her star power to make
that happen and I want to be her at some
point I want to do that and if I can get
to a place where I can have any kind of
visibility any kind of power I want to
do it from behind this scenes I don’t
need to be the face don’t need to be the
star I just want to be able to make a
difference
um so I looked around for places to see
what I could do and how to get into this
area at the time I was in India and
Hyderabad I had visited Bombay I talked
to a bunch of people ah everywhere I was
told no I am NOT very Indian they call
me fake Indian be
girl girls can’t do much you’re gonna be
eaten alive so and the worst was no came
from people that cared about you so
they’re not all you know aggressive
negative nose but they were also from
well-meaning friends and family oh my
god you can’t do that because you’d have
to compromise your ideals you’d have to
UM do things that you’re not happy about
and you will definitely not be able to
say no yeah that’s true uh so I just
gave it up I moved to Switzerland I was
working there for a few years again it
came to a crossroad I I was talking to a
friend of mine she works as a
distributor and in France and I was
telling her maybe I want to do this but
I don’t have to do it in India I can do
it anywhere study somewhere and and they
said yeah why don’t you come work with
me and I’m like no if I’m doing this I
want to do it right want to be able to
go all the way to the basics get the
foundation right so that when I get out
I can go full throttle it’s been a hard
road but in the end I know that it is up
to each one of us to decide what you
would like to do and what is best for
you not your parents though they love
you and you should definitely listen to
them and almost everything but ask your
heart not your teachers 90 friends your
heart that is what’s most important I
just want to end with you can too if
I’ve reached here I’ve made about nine
films of my own now
I’ve worked on about 26 films in the
last four years
and I’m hoping that I’m gonna make so
many more um I want to be able to tell
stories that’ll inspire people and I’m
telling you dream big don’t let anyone
tell you no don’t let anyone say you
can’t because you can as long as you the
one person that is most important
believes in yourself and you believe in
yourself and can work hard for that yeah
there are people who say yeah you give
me that job I’ll do this for you know
it’s important that you make that step
you do what it takes whatever it takes
in the last three years when I moved to
LA I don’t know there were weeks months
where I would have two hours of sleep
and that’s it so sometimes that’s what
it takes but at the end of the day I
know no matter what I’ve been happy
don’t regret a day of it and yeah
whatever way I will I’m pretty sure that
I’ll reap the rewards and you will too
thank you guys [Applause]
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