South Asia Society gathers to praise M. Night Shyamalan, a rising film star

By Jim Birnbaum South Asia Society students gathered in High Rise North's Rooftop Lounge Friday night to celebrate the accomplishments of a rising film star. M. Night Shyamalan -- writer, director and star of the independently produced Praying with Anger -- was honored with the annual Trailblazer Award for "enhancing people's views of the South Asian-American community," according to Wharton and Engineering sophomore Neeta Rastogi. The Trailblazer Award ceremony is an opportunity for South Asian Americans at the University to honor "role models who exemplify the things we want to obtain," Society President and College junior Mika Rao said. Shyamalan, a graduate of New York University's film school and a resident of suburban Philadelphia, spoke with students for half an hour about his childhood experiences and their relationship to his current career. "The beautiful thing about the arts is that you can reach a lot of people," he said, explaining his interest in film at an early age. Shyamalan chose to pursue a career in the movies despite his parents' encouragement to study medicine. He also passed over an acceptance to the University of Pennsylvania in order to begin his film career in New York. Praying with Anger depicts a South Asian American who travels to India and discovers a great deal about his family's culture and, ultimately, about himself. The movie received "beautiful reviews," noted Shyamalan. He added that it was painstakingly filmed in India, where cameras and other resources are hard to obtain. Despite facing severe budget constraints, Praying with Anger was successfully completed, and eventually opened to a packed house at the Toronto Film Festival, he explained. Many of the moviegoers left the cinema "crying and sniffling," Shyamalan said. "Tears are a big thing in the movie industry," he added. Friday night's audience was nearly as impressed with Shyamalan himself. "It's sort of inspiring to see a South Asian American that's gone back to his roots to make a film about the experiences that some of us have," said College freshman Raj Mittal. College junior Sonal Gandhi agreed. "It's nice to have prominent South Asian Americans make meaningful contributions that enhance people's awareness of the beauty behind their culture," Gandhi said.