By Jamie Lu
Since childhood, Strawberry Crest High School graduate Arnav Jadhao has been working hard to pursue his dream of becoming a film director. Today, at 18 years old, Jadhao is months away from beginning his freshman year at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts and is in the process of creating his first-ever feature-length film.
Last year, Jadhao’s short film Teen’s Guide to Marathi was chosen as a finalist in the international Student World Impact Film Festival, and Jadhao was awarded with a chance to have a feature-length film screened by Amazon Prime Video. Enter Project FTG. Working with fellow Strawberry Crest High School alumni Rasagna Avula (producer) and Adithi Simha (production assistant), along with various other local teens, Jadhao is directing a “black comedy [film] where a group of cash-strapped teenagers hatch a plan to fund their dream summer by pulling off the ultimate scam: creating a fake charity.” FTG stands for ‘For the Girls,’ a working title. This project is a dream come true for Jadhao and his team.
“Growing up in an Indian household, film is a really big part of culture and history,” said Avula. Avula and Simha’s interest in film began when Jadhao started their school’s film club during their sophomore year. Avula and Jadhao expressed how South Asia has a rich cinematic history and a culture that celebrates theater, cinema and storytelling.
“A lot of my previous films dealt heavily with my culture, especially because for South Asians there’s not a lot of representation in the media,” said Jadhao. “Obviously, that’s starting to change, and I want that to be [at] the forefront of my work.”
Jadhao strives to achieve authentic representation in his films. He wants Project FTG to feature a diverse range of people and encourages anyone to audition if they fit within the specified age range, regardless of prior experience. In the words of Simha, “it’s always good to take the first step.”
The star of Project FTG, Ridhima Bhat, has acted in all of Jadhao’s films since they were both children.
“I like to describe her as my muse,” Jadhao said. “I said [to her], if I make a feature film one day, then I’m gonna have you as my lead. … She’s such a versatile actress.”
Jadhao and his team are currently seeking cast and behind-the-scenes members, as well as filming locations. Their project is entirely student-led, and they are looking for support via sponsorships and donations to a GoFundMe. To support Project FTG or learn more about it, Jadhao encouraged the community to follow the film’s Instagram and TikTok pages, @project.ftg, to help them build a stronger online presence.
Jadhao and his team thanked the current casting crew, Bhat, his parents and the local community for supporting his work. Jadhao said, “It’s going to be a long road ahead,” but he feels excited and confident about his future in film. He plans to begin filming for FTG in August.
