From Meerut to Broadway: The Inspirational Journey of Mehula Singh

"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." — Abraham Lincoln and Mehula Singh live up to this quote perfectly. 

Mehula Singh’s life and career serve as a powerful reminder that with passion, hard work, and an unwavering commitment to one’s values, anything is possible. As she continues to innovate and inspire, Singh remains a shining example of what it means to be a true leader and visionary in the world of production design. This article delves into the life of Mehula Singh, her struggle, and what encouraged her to go into the field of production design.

Introduction:

Mehula Singh, a production designer. Since, early childhood she used to travel because her father is a marine engineer, and from there she gained the freedom to express herself which led her to follow the path of a production designer. 

Mehula Singh was born in Meerut and raised in Mumbai, she spent the early days of her childhood on a cargo ship as her father’s profession is marine engineer. She did her undergraduate degree in industrial design from MIT Institute of Design in Pune. At MIT Institute she was introduced to the concept of production design. After her degree for the few times she worked in the film city of India, that is Mumbai, where she contributed to big films like Dabangg 3 and Laxmii. Her career has a turning point when she moves to New York. After contributing to the big-budget films, she furthered her education at NYU with an 80% scholarship. Currently, she is working as a production designer in New York City, working on Broadway shows and independent movies.

Challenges and Achievements:

When COVID-19 hit all the workers of the movie industry were affected by it. The same goes for Mehula Singh, when covid-19 pandemic occurred it halted all her projects in India, but despite being affected by it she decided to face it bravely.  She went on to pursue her further education. With a continued interest in theatre, she applied to NYU for design for stage and film. Upon completing her MFA, she began taking on independent projects as a production designer, enjoying creative ownership and collaboration with directors, DPs, actors, and producers.

Like all working women, she also feels that maintaining a work-life balance is an ongoing challenge for her, especially with a demanding and stressful job that keeps me away from my family for months at a time.

Talking about her achievement, she said “Keep working hard, and the awards and accolades will follow on their own”. Her greatest achievement is that she recently completed her first feature-length film as a production designer called “Major Barbara,” directed by Jay Craven and produced by Kingdom County Productions. The film was shot on the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts, USA. It started its pre-production in Feb and it was just wrapped up in the first week of May. It was a significant milestone in her career. It is a modernist adaptation of the Tony award-winning play ‘Major Barbara’.

Personal Insights:

Mehula Singh’s philosophy to maintain a healthy work and life balance is to enjoy every process, be present in the moment. She said “Another lesson is to enjoy the process, have fun, and make friends and memories along the way. These relationships and experiences serve as support during tough times”.

She believes that one’s point of view in their work makes their work better. She said “As for what sets my work apart, I believe that a person’s experiences and perspectives is what makes their work unique. I anchor my creativity in scripts and stories, finding elements that resonate with me. I seek out humor, lightness, and joy in the stories I work on, aiming to create designs that bring a bit of levity to the audience. I also have a love for colors and light, never shying away from bright hues and patterns. My designs tend to be vibrant”.

Impact and Visions:

Mehula Singh is currently working as an assistant scenic designer with Jason Ardizzone-West, a Tony Award-winning set designer, collaborating on some theatre shows and a very exciting 4D immersive experience on Broadway. However, she aims to be an independent production designer working on global projects, collaborating across boundaries with diverse cultures and ethnicities.

She shared “Throughout my journey, I’ve learned the importance of treating people with kindness and communicating effectively, especially in the high-pressure environment of a film set. Everyone in this industry loves film or theatre and works long hours, giving their all, so it’s crucial to be kind and patient”.

Conclusion:

Mehula Singh advises young women to do their work with full confidence and love their work. She added “What I want to communicate to the world is to find what you love, hone it, respect your collaborators, and approach your work with a sense of light-heartedness. Have fun doing what you do, easier said than done, but it can change the way you go about things”.