Author: Umaimah Adan

Born in India and raised in Nigeria, Hamisha Daryani Ahuja draws from her rich cultural upbringing in her latest project. Postcards is a Netflix series that explores complex themes while incorporating elements of Nollywood and Bollywood. The series follows a host of dynamic characters as they navigate familial relationships, health, career challenges and more. A central vehicle for these overlapping themes is migration with all of its uncertainties alongside a backdrop of cross-cultural richness.

Hamisha’s directorial debut, Namaste-Wahala, is where she first introduced her unique approach to filmmaking, a vibrant fusion of Indian and Nigerian influence. With Postcards, Hamisha continues to hone her craft and interest in telling complex stories with authenticity. In engaging with her work, Hamisha implores viewers to seek connection amongst our differences and to think critically while revelling in humour throughout her series.

Alongside filmmaking, Hamisha has worn many hats as a former restaurateur turned actor and wellness workshop facilitator. She is a multi-hyphenate who channels her varied passions to strengthen and fuel her passion for storytelling. She believes in active learning and prioritizing one’s creative dreams through daily effort.

In this interview, Hamisha is in conversation with AMAKA about her approach to film direction, the power of multi-dimensionality and her latest project, Postcards, a new Netflix series.

Please note: The interview has been edited for clarity

AMAKA: Straight away, we (the viewers) are introduced to the concept of japa, which the title of the first episode, 'Japa Blues,' is eponymous with. While the term is uniquely Nigerian, the desire to relocate in search of better is all too familiar to many across the continent. What made you decide on migration as a vehicle and central theme in this project?

Hamisha Daryani Ahuja: The reason I titled the first episode Japa Blues and decided to focus on it is because I hear it a lot, especially recently. At the beginning (of the episode) the narrator states “If you see chance to jappa, you go go”, meaning if you had a chance to leave the country would you?  I feel like this narrative is happening around me a lot and a lot of people can relate. However, I do pursuit of happiness workshops where I teach companies and organizations about being happy. One of the fundamentals is of course dreaming big and wanting to move, but also enjoying the moment and living your journey. That is my ethos in terms of my workshops and I want to infiltrate that a little because if you’ve watched the episode you’ll then see - I hope this isn’t bringing up a spoiler- the protagonist goes to India and meets someone just like him there who is literally like “I know so many people who want to japa as well. The core of the theme I was trying to portray was, whatever your reason for wanting to leave, is it fundamentally about yourself and what you can do about it or is it linked to your location? There’s no right or wrong answer, it’s just really putting it out there as a narrative that yes, we can run away or japa, but the grass isn’t always greener. Ultimately the idea behind it is to continue the discussion of why people want to japa and is it that great when you do.  I also wanted to show how similar our countries and cultures are (in Nigeria and India); that Yemi may be talking about that (japa) here, but over there people are talking about it as well.

AMAKA: Your directorial debut, Namaste-Wahala also richly explores cross-cultural exchange and you continue to combine elements of Bollywood and Nollywood in Postcards. What sorts of challenges have you faced in melding these genres and how has your experience evolved from your previous film?

Hamisha Daryani Ahuja: Not challenges so much as opportunities. As mentioned earlier, our cultures are very similar. Nigeria traditionally and historically grew up on a Bollywood diet. When I was younger, I’d go around supermarkets and hairdressers where Zee and Sony TV would be playing. They’d bring in dubbed shows from India featuring Amitab Bachan and Hema Malini, all household names. Clearly, Bollywood content was well-appreciated in Nigeria and it’s what made me enter the Namaste-Wahala experience. I wanted to see what it would be like to combine the two, not knowing where it was going to go. At that point we had made a small indie film for cinema, then Netflix made it a global original and the rest is history. It’s exciting to see that reaction and the intel I got is that people want more of that. They want to see more cross-culture because it is reality, it’s borderless content. I’m an Indian living in Nigeria but I went to school in London, Canada and Switzerland before moving back to Lagos, so where am I really from, what is my identity? I think I want to show that more because it is so many people’s reality.

In terms of challenges, they are still very different industries in regards to economies of scale, budgets, gaps, etc, that are being bridged. Where there are similarities that I’m very excited about - Nollywood is the talent, vigour and passion. People are super talented in an industry that is exploding, much like Bollywood was a few years ago.  Certain technical challenges are already improving and much like Bollywood is one of India’s biggest cultural exports, Nollywood is on a similar trajectory. This is ultimately why I look at these as opportunities rather than challenges; differences such as work style only add to the process of growth and learning.

AMAKA: Postcards manages to delve into complex, often difficult topics such as class disparity, familial relationships, and wellness. How were you able to create a balance in maintaining depth while providing moments of levity throughout the series?

Hamisha Daryani Ahuja: I wanted to go a bit deeper than Namaste-Wahala in regards to these topics. But of course, you want to have fun and be entertaining so it was always a priority to have that balance while touching on topics that are real. I love happy endings but sometimes we don’t have them and that’s humanity. The conversations, for instance in relation to Japa Blues or the decision to embark on parenthood that is later explored. I wanted to pose the question “Is there a right answer”, while also touching on these topics to get people talking. I’m happy to say I feel like that’s already happening off-screen, people are discussing these topics. I’m getting messages about how they feel like they received some golden nuggets and valuable insight on their own lives. For example, the dynamic between mother and son (Aunty Bunmi and Yemi) and Bunmi’s health challenges. I always feel like when you are putting content out into the world, especially with a platform like Netflix where you’re potentially hitting 260 million people in 190 countries, it’s very important to make sure that your content has some impact. As I said, the other hat I wear is running wellness, pursuit of happiness and self-development-related workshops. So when you are creating content, it’s nice to infiltrate a message if it can help people. Of course, as you can see when you watch, it has to be unique and real, it’s not always “good” but it should be fun. I hope when you watch Postcards, you’ll see that.

AMAKA: How do you hope the audience connects with the series, what do you ultimately want them to take away from Postcards?

Hamisha Daryani Ahuja: I hope people get those subtle messages we talked about, we’re not here to lecture but to have fun, enjoy it and relate. A lot of times, because our industries and cultures are overlapping people enjoy the novelty. Maybe Nigerians will enjoy watching for the different clothing or food in India and at the same time they’ll be able to relate. The idea of putting Rahamu Sadau in India for example, she’s already living there and she speaks Hindi. It’s just to say that we are the same in terms of our emotions and connections, we just wear them in different ways. Maybe we wear different clothes but sometimes they come together, like in her (Rahamu’s) wardrobe we tried to fuse the clothes. We also see her cooking jollof for her Indian husband in the hospital where he works. That’s an example of where I hope people see how similar we are as humans, but it's also nice to have novelty because that’s how we grow and learn. I also want people to have fun and beyond India and Nigeria, I wanted the world to watch. I want people to look at this as borderless content and enjoy it while also thinking a little.

AMAKA: You have had an incredibly diverse career ranging from restaurateur to actor to director. How have your experiences prepared you for this current moment and what advice do you have for other artists who are multi-hyphenates who want to explore their varied interests?

Hamisha Daryani Ahuja: I like to say being a restaurateur was my past life, I ran restaurants for seven years. This gave me a lot of intel on the business side of things in Nigeria and how to run a business. I think that’s the number one thing that has helped me in my film-making experience. I always say it’s very important to wear both hats, to have the business and creative hats on. The business hat is important because you want your product to sell, you want it to go far and to have an ROI (return on investment). When you have that, you can do more while at the same time, your creativity and storytelling better be top-notch because that is what you’re selling. When you marry the two, that helps with success and where I add in a bit of grounding, peace and fun for myself and my team is in my workshops. When we go on set we always meditate for a minute or two before we start and we do a gratitude circle which sets the precedent. I think the intel of my motivational speaking classes also helps me hire people and protect energies to make sure that we are aligned. I am very happy to say now - in post-production of Postcards - it was a beautiful experience. Our set was one of the most peaceful sets, I am claiming this and people also gave me this feedback. I definitely think this diverse career of mine has helped me, not hindered me, I also believe the more you do the more you can do. Experience is a big part of anything, for example, I’ve had formal education in restaurants but nothing prepared me for the seven years I was a restauranter. This time with film, I did not have a formal education but my experience with Namaste-Wahala was my first ever day on set. I can say that I took a lot more out of that than if I had gone to formal school for it. I think that experience is everything and marrying it all together helps.

Other artists that want to explore varied interests should go for it. I always think the busier a person is, the more they can do and it all comes down to priorities, where you put your attention and energy. In addition to my varied career, I also had a new baby on the set of Postcards. I feel that sometimes that raises the stakes and makes them higher in the sense that where you put your value and time has to be of a higher impact. I never think that the more that’s happening in your life from a personal standpoint affects work. It’s all about planning and where you put your priorities, of course, we have realism and don’t quit your day job if you have a big dream. Rather try and do one thing every day that gets you closer to where you eventually want to be. That’s kind of what I did with restaurants, I was running restaurants as my bread and butter but it was important to know I wanted to get into something that was my big dream. Sometimes these things have to come together and overlap until you reach where it is you eventually want to go.

Postcards is now available to watch on Netflix - drop us a comment and let us know what you think!