Cinema is often reduced to glamour, red carpets, and box-office numbers, but producer Chitra Vakil Sharma believes its real strength lies much deeper. Extending her support to director-writer Anmol Mahajan’s book The Vault of Filmology, The producer says the book redefines how filmmaking is perceived — not as an isolated creative pursuit, but as an extension of lived knowledge and experience.
“Cinema is not just about visuals or fame,” Chitra says. “It is a disciplined process where knowledge, observation, ethics, and human experience come together to create meaning.” Drawing from her years in the film industry, Chitra highlights that no film exists in isolation. According to her, storytelling is shaped by a wide range of disciplines — history, psychology, politics, science, management, and even everyday life. “What we study in classrooms often finds its relevance much later on a film set. That’s where theory finally turns into reality, she explains”
This interdisciplinary perspective is what makes The Vault of Filmology resonate strongly with her. Chitra describes the book not as a conventional filmmaking manual, but as a reflection of life itself. “At a time when careers are constantly shifting, the book asks an important question,” she says. “What if filmmaking isn’t a departure from your profession, but a continuation of it?”
She notes that the book speaks directly to professionals who feel creatively constrained yet are hesitant to abandon years of education and experience. Rather than dismissing prior knowledge, Filmology positions cinema as a space that absorbs and builds upon it. “It reassures people standing at a crossroads,” Chitra adds. “It tells them that nothing they’ve learned is wasted.”
What Chitra appreciates most is the book’s grounded honesty. She points out that it does not romanticize stardom or promise overnight success. “It doesn’t sell dreams,” she says. “It talks about process, structure, discipline, and responsibility. That’s rare and refreshing.”
Filmmaking, as presented in the book, is an organized and accountable practice where creativity is guided by clarity. For those contemplating a career shift, Sharma believes the book offers a realistic and practical roadmap rather than illusions. She attributes this clarity to author Anmol Mahajan’s own professional journey. With a background in advertising and extensive experience directing and producing ad films, Mahajan understands precision, deadlines, and the importance of instant yet honest audience connection.
“He knows how the real world works,” Sharma notes. “That sharpness is visible throughout the book.” According to her, Mahajan strikes a balance between creative instinct and structured thinking — an approach shaped by real-world decision-making rather than abstract theory.
“He understands that cinema is influenced by people, society, markets, and time,” she says. “That confidence comes from working across both creative and strategic spaces.” In an era where young professionals are often urged to follow passion without direction, Chitra believes The Vault of Filmology offers something far more valuable.
“It offers clarity,” she says. “It presents filmmaking as a language where multiple disciplines can interact.” She adds that the book’s relevance extends beyond aspiring filmmakers to teachers, engineers, managers, students, and lifelong learners. “Cinema isn’t separate from life,” Chitra concludes. “It is examined, organized, and returned to us through collective effort.”
For anyone navigating curiosity, change, or professional uncertainty, she feels the book doesn’t promise shortcuts. “It offers understanding,” she says. “And in today’s unpredictable world, that understanding may be the most powerful tool of all.”
