Parvinder Shergill Interview
Dr Parvinder Shergill
We spoke with Dr Parvinder Shergill about her career and current projects LOVEBUG and Phantoms which has just surpassed it’s crowdfunding target. Read on to discover more about her fantastic projects, how she balances being a psychiatrist and working multiple roles in her film career, along with the topics she finds important to highlight in film.
Tell us a little about yourself and the work you do
I am a doctor working in mental health in the NHS, I am also a professional writer, expert speaker for radio and Parliament, part of an award winning podcast, actress, and filmmaker.
What route did you take to begin working in the industry?
I have always wanted to be a woman of many career routes. Acting has always been and is my first love. I was diagnosed with dyslexia when I was younger and it made me love writing, I would spend hours trying to piece words together, which then became a habit for me. Writing for me is a place where I can escape my daily life, and express myself in a way that no can encroach. It is my special place. My diary.
I have always been interested in the academics so I decided before I pursue acting and filmmaking professionally that I would first get some life experience, so I decided to do Philosophy and Medicine at University which certainly gave me so much and I have really grown as a person as a result. This also helped me as a person as I was very shy and lacked confidence growing up.
Why did you want to get into the industry?
I knew when I was a little girl I wanted to be an actress. I feel free and alive when I am performing. However, I am British Indian and when I was growing up there wasn’t a place I felt for me in the industry, which is why I decided to get an education and live life before trying to get in the industry as I knew it was going to be a challenge for me as a woman, and a woman of colour. I certainly am grateful I decided to pursue this after becoming a doctor, as I now have the confidence to enter the industry with passion to change the face of the screen. I went into professional acting about a year and half ago. I wasn’t planning on becoming a filmmaker, but with my writing ability I decided to write the roles that I wanted to be cast in with my love for mental health, which has opened doors now for me to become a screenwriter, director, and producer.
Behind the scenes of LOVEBUG
What is your proudest moment of your career so far?
Hmm, probably setting up a charity for orphans with disabilities in Romania whilst I was in medical school.
How do you balance your work as a psychiatrist and your work in film?
I am an incredibly organised and structured person. I have learnt to also balance a lot since a young age, so for me it is normal to do juggling a lot. I make sure I have scheduled down time for myself, and I make sure I meet deadlines efficiently at a high standard. I think also being a doctor you pick up with these skills and maintain them in order to survive in the NHS.
What new skills would you like to learn in the next few years?
I would like to learn the art of pitching! This is something I am recognising is very important when reaching out to production companies, and I have some scripts I want to get produced on large budgets, so I certainly want to become a master at this!
What three things do you always have on your bedside table?
Water, planner, pen.
If you could have worked on any film in history, which would it be?
Hmm definitely a difficult question, there are certainly many. I suppose my inner child would have to say Harry Potter. I think to make a whole platform for the entire fictional world in books/theatre/film is an incredible accomplishment. I think the cast and crew involved would have had a once a lifetime experience. Harry Potter is also a story that generations to come will know, and not many can say that of their work!
Dr Parvinder Shergill speaking on BBC Radio
What topics do you like to explore in your work?
I would like to explore women as leads in films, and specifically women of colour. I think more needs to be done to not type cast women or stereotype them - women are capable of playing the exact same leads as most men get, so I would like that in my work. I am also exploring in my current work roles of mental health and LGBT background, as this is a huge stigma not just globally but also in ethnic minority communities, so I would like to explore these themes to normalise it on the screen and hopefully help these conversations happen in real life.
Could you tell us some women who work in the industry that you admire the work of?
As an actress I adore Viola Davis. She just connects every character with raw human emotions, something I hope to aspire to deliver in my characters.
As a South Asian female filmmaker, I guess I do look up to Gurinder Chadha. She was the first South Asian female filmmaker I felt helped change the platform for South Asian artists in the industry, something I am trying to do myself.
Tell us about your crowdfunding campaign - what is the aim, how can people help?
We have recently finished our crowd funding for Phantoms, however I am accepting emails from any person that still wants to be a producer on the film which I can organise.
Phantoms is a unique film about mental health, LGBT, all female BAME cast in modern horror. We have a fabulous cast and crew for this, and currently are speaking with the Royal College of Psychiatrists about it, as its one of its kind, especially highlighting maternal mental health in pregnancy. I really am hoping to link my passion with mental health as a psychiatrist with film in Phantoms. We will be having a premiere for this film this year, and have been already in discussion with platforms such as Raindance for this film. The aim of this film is to reduce ethnic stigma, gender stigma, mental health and LGBT stigma, while normalising it on a film platform.
Still from LOVEBUG
What are you working on at the moment?
So I am the co-producer/writer and lead in Phantoms, I also released my romcom LOVEBUG (a romcom about finding love during COVID), and I have my first feature I have written, will be directing and starring in, called THE LINNK, which is a psychological thriller with themes of abuse in an all BAME cast this summer. I also have other scripts I am working on for film and tv, and have been cast as a lead female actress in three films for this summer which I am looking forward to getting stuck in.
Interview by Sophie Duncan
