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A Modern Businesswoman Discovers Her Indian Side

Written and Published by India West magazine, June 1, 2001.

SAN FRANCISCO - Kavita Bali 's short film Birth of a Butterfly explores the thoughts and feelings of a rising Indian American corporate woman and her discovery of her elusive cultural heritage.

Bali 's film will screen June 10 as part of "3rd I," a series of films on South Asian identity presented by Network of Indian Professionals.

A scene from the film Birth of a Butterfly, which will screen in San Francisco June 10.

"I am an Indo-American artist brought up in the U.S. since the age of six," Bali, 35, told India-West. "I seek to unveil the universal humanity within all of us through my art, as a way to bridge the internal East/West struggles many young people are just starting to grapple with."

The 1993 film, described as a poetic portrait of a modern-day woman, looks at themes of alienation and identity as they are experienced by a rising corporate executive.

Two more short experimental films by Indian Americans will also screen: Seven Days to Burn is an exploration of bi-racial identity; and Home addresses issues of homeland, resettlement and identity. A discussion will follow the screenings.

Kavita Bali, born in Allahbad, grew up watching Amitabh Bachchan movies at home in upstate New York during the early 1970s. Although she couldn't always understand the Hindi, she said, she was able to pierce through to the inner meanings of cinema as both an art form and a means of expression.

She studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and in the New York University's Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Film Program, and Bali now works as a graphic artist and director. She is also active in creating an online artist community bringing together 1st- and 2nd-generation immigrant communities, through a collective called Urban Peacock.

For more information on Bali 's projects, visit www.urbanpeacock.com.

Birth of a Butterfly, Home, and Seven Days to Burn will screen at Artists' Television Access at 992 Valencia St. (at 21st St.), San Francisco. For directions call (415) 824-3890. Tickets are available only at the door and the screening is expected to sell out, so arrive early.

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India West - North America's Most Honored Weekly Indian Magazine.