The Stories We Are | Mahesh Gowda | TEDxNHVPS Youth

Quick Overview

Filmmaker and storyteller Mahesh Gowda shares his personal journey of overcoming vitiligo and societal judgment by embracing his story and channeling his passion into filmmaking, culminating in the creation and success of his film "Bili Chukkigala Halli Hakki," which won awards and streamed on Amazon Prime.

Key Points: Mahesh Gowda recounts developing vitiligo at age 24/25 while pursuing post-graduation and working as a first assistant choreographer. He faced intense emotional turmoil, including being treated as untouchable and people worrying about his marriage prospects due to his skin condition. The turning point occurred when he realized he needed to create his own empowering story, leading him to quit his job and pursue film direction at the London Film Academy. He produced and directed his first feature film, "Bili Chukkigala Halli Hakki," which won the Best Short Film award at the 15th Dada Saheb Phalke Festival and streamed on Amazon Prime. Gowda contrasts his physical state before and after his transformation (shown in a four-panel image) to illustrate the power of overcoming internal struggles. He emphasizes that the problem wasn't external (the skin condition) but internal (how he perceived himself and the world perceived him), urging the audience to write their own powerful stories.

Context: This TEDx talk is delivered by Mahesh Gowda, identified as a filmmaker, actor, producer, and storyteller, focusing on his personal struggle with vitiligo and how he transformed this challenge into a source of creative inspiration and professional success in the film industry.

Detailed Analysis

Mahesh Gowda begins by stating that he loves stories and that his life story needed to be told, especially concerning his skin condition, vitiligo. He recounts that when he was 24 or 25, while pursuing post-graduation and working as a first assistant choreographer, he experienced intense self-doubt and social stigma related to his vitiligo, including people avoiding him and worrying about his marriage. This internal turmoil—the feeling that his life was unfairly difficult and that he was untouchable—was the real problem, not the physical condition itself. The turning point came when he decided to stop running from the issue and instead channel his passion for cinema into action. He quit his job, moved to London to pursue an MBA, and later enrolled in the London Film Academy to study direction. Upon returning to India in 2013, he started his production house and directed his first feature film, "Bili Chukkigala Halli Hakki." This film, which addressed the issue of vitiligo, won the Best Short Film award at the 15th Dada Saheb Phalke Festival and was streamed on Amazon Prime. He shows a slide illustrating his physical transformation to emphasize that this success came from actively fighting his internal battles rather than succumbing to the external perception of his condition. He concludes by challenging the audience to pick up their pen and write their own powerful, tangible stories, noting that the stage is waiting for them.