When Delnaaz Irani started working at the age of 18, never once did she think that she would end up  working for the movie industry. Her wild journey began as a stylish bartender, the exposure of which helped her grow abundantly as a person. A few years, and several experiences later, she decided the time had come to hang up the bottles. Editing, ad production, the business of movie making, seemed to grow on her, until she eventually decided to turn into a professional post production supervisor. She currently works on her own terms, as a freelancer from home.

Delnaaz Irani Talks about her story, with Paroma Sen-Basu, of Indusladies.

How did you get into the field of post production for films?

I started my journey as a working girl in the field of flair bartending. I have travelled the country for work, because I was one of very few female bartenders who specialized in ‘flair’. Flair bartending is basically an exciting, entertaining form of bartending, which involves bartending with a fire show. It’s where we light bottles with fire and juggle them, bartend with them, to entertain our audiences, wherever we go.

I did that for close to five years, and then I decided to take a career turn, and move to some other field. 

That was when I went to a leading post production studio in Mumbai, and worked there as an assistant editor for around a year. The thought that I could use my creativity and knowledge from the confines of one room, remained constantly with me.

I immediately switched jobs, and joined an ad production house based in Mumbai. I enjoyed the post production side of things a lot more, and hence decided that I want to be a post production supervisor for a long time. After working in an ad house for a while, I decided that it was time to be my own boss. I wanted to choose who to work for, and what work I did. That flexibility can only come if you freelance with several people, and companies, or start your own company. I chose to go with the former for the moment. So as of now, I am a professional freelance post production supervisor!

Who, or what, inspires you in this field?

It wouldn’t be fair to choose one name. I believe that I draw inspiration from all the hard working people from all fields. This inspires me to do better daily. I hear stories, read about people, and their struggles, this pushes me on. You can’t have just one person inspiring you.