Everybody likes watching film and in childhood if someone is asked his/her passion majority of them will definitely like to pursue career in films. But the societal pressure and other obligations often lead them to shift path, gladly that does not happen with our alumnus Manendra Singh Lodhi. After passing engineering in 2011 he joined prestigious Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute in Kolkata to hone his skills in Film editing. He has now worked in plethora of TV series and films ranging from Priyanka Chopra and Farhan AKhtar’s The Sky is Pink to Bobby Deol’s Class of ’83.

Early Life and Schooling :

Manendra was born and brought up in Rajsamand district near Udaipur. His mother was a Government school teacher and got retired recently. His father retired from his private job quite early. The diversity shown in Manendra’s films can be said to be destined in his life only as his father was from Uttar Pradesh whereas mother was from Madhya Pradesh and they got settled in Rajasthan. He also credits his childhood interest of reading comics and other books for shaping his present career as a filmmaker, editor which is essentially a storytelling medium. Manendra was a studious child, he excelled in every exam he appeared and topped his district in 10th board examination. He studied till 12th with his brother in Lakshmipat Singhania School and like all of us he feels this was the greatest time.

MBM Days :

After passing class 12th, the challenge was to enter in a good college for graduation. ” After completing 12 th, like any other student I wanted to get admission in any of the reputed Engineering College. It was quite competitive phase of my life there was constant pressure to excel in entrance tests. Fortunately I got admission in MBM Engineering College in 2007 and opted Electrical branch” informs Manendra. His excitement to join Engineering college was short lived, though Manendra was a school topper, but somehow he felt disconnected with the Engineering studies. However with the hard work and focus he got his mojo back and in later years of Engineering he excelled in studies. “Initially I thought that doing Engineering was not a good idea but later I realized that four years which I spent in college gave me enriching experience. Interacting with different students with varied background helped me become a better story teller. Here I developed my passion towards movies and decided to explore this area “says Manendra.

Lights, Camera , Action :

In campus placements Manendra got placed in Infosys and this opened another world of exposure for him. While working with Infosys in Chennai he interacted with seniors with the common interest in movies and even joined a film club. Here he met budding film makers and got an insight of what all he can pursue in film making. Being in bench in Infosys for the first six months provided him another opportunity to harness his talent in film making and he made 2 films during this period with his friends. One of the movies was on a very sensitive topic like Schizophrenia. Though these movies were made on mobile, edited on usual laptops, they became a stepping stone in Manendra’s film career. This short movie received accolades and rave reviews from his peers and audience. This kind of positive feedback further inspired Manendra towards pursuing a career in film making. Now ably sure about his inclination and career path he decided to join film institute for sharpening his skills and applied for SRFTI and FTII, the two pioneer institutions of film making in India. He finally made it to Satyajeet Ray Film and Television Institute in Kolkata and completed his Post Graduation Diploma (Film Editing) in the year 2016. After this he worked for several years with one of his seniors from the institute. After gaining experience and required exposure in the Industry, Manendra finally became an Independent Film editor. So far he has edited 2 OTT series and 3 feature films including blockbusters like The Sky is Pink and The Class of 83′ and Sia.

Manendra has always been supportive to students and youngsters who are willing to pursue unconventional and uncharted career path. “For the students it is necessary that they realize their strengths at the early stage of the life. One should follow the passion and make sure 100% efforts are being made to achieve the goals. It has been nice for me to be engaged in the work which is close to my heart.” Says Manendra

It is such an inspirational and motivational journey of Manendra Singh. With grit, determination and focused approach he achieved success in his professional life. Team MBM Stories wishes him a lot of happiness and success in his future endeavors.

About Author :

Yodhesh chouhan (MBM 2011) is gold medalist of Electrical Engineering Department. Before clearing RAS 2013 he worked briefly as inspector with Central Board of Excise and Customs in Mumbai. His multidimensional skill set includes writing , web site creation etc .