When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut. When I grew up, I became a filmmaker instead. 

I’m a writer, director and a recent MFA Film and Television Production graduate of USC School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles, California. I create stories and films that transgress cultures, borders and explore what it means to be human beings. I recently interned at Pixar Animation Studios where I worked in the editorial department on Onward, their upcoming original film. I also assisted on Toy Story 4 and Incredibles 2, among others. I did my undergraduate from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. 

I’m from Nepal and spent a lot of my childhood in comic book aisles, video game parlors and my dad’s hardware shop. I would often follow ants and birds with my Handycam imagining myself as a wildlife videographer. When I was 12, once I was filming my cousin brother with my camera on a tripod when the camera battery died abruptly. When I replaced it, my brother had left, but I kept on filming the empty frame. When I played back the video clips, my brother suddenly disappeared – BOOM. That became a magical moment for me to make films. 
 
I have been surrounded by storytelling all my life – from typing news in Nepali for a local newspaper in my hometown as a kid to serving as the executive editor for my college newspaper. I have worked as a newspaper photo intern traversing the nooks and crannies of Iowa, as a kids photographer at Shooting Star Productions in San Francisco, research intern at New York Times, film development intern at MJZ, and video intern at BuzzFeed Motion Pictures, among others. But it is the other experiences - being around little kids in my large family, working unique jobs - a crab steamer at a seafood restaurant, a swimming pool cleaner, selling fireworks on a July 4th, being a resident advisor in college, and experiencing America as an immigrant are what make me.  

I'm inspired by childlike wonder, feelings, magic and poetry. I'm influenced by the works of Billy Wilder, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Andrew Niccol, Steven Spielberg and Pete Docter. 
 
I also dabble in poetry, comedy, photography and empowering the voiceless.

Resume here.