Payal Saxena: I always dreamt of starting my production house

She says that it was ultimately her will to survive and grow that got her to start her successful venture.

"I started in the industry years ago as an assistant with Dev Anand. At that time there were very few girls behind the camera in the film industry. There were many in the advertising world but almost none in films. I was grateful and always will be to Dev Saab who steered me in direction. From there, my journey took me to different platforms; from Films to the Advertising world to the Door darshan series. They were the best years of my life. I have some of the best memories from that journey," she says.

She adds, "After a few years, I had the chance to leave for the US and settle there. Due to my circumstances back then, it was the best course for me. I went into management and became extremely successful in the US. I found love and settled there but for 25 years I have craved my Bollywood Industry.  I never could let go of my creative world here. I kept dreaming of going back and starting a production house one day."

She got immense support from her loved ones. "They say behind every successful man, there is a woman. I will have to say behind every successful woman, there is a man. My supportive husband is the reason I decide to make my dream become a reality. Other than him my Family which is primarily all women, My Mother both my sister and my daughter supported me tremendously. Indians have a major culture of family. I was blessed with the best. I quit an upper management position in the international corporate world and decided to come and pursue my dream and start Elixir," she says.

Talking about the projects done so far, she says, "Elixir started with short films- Echoes, Kuch Toh Hai, Timeless Treasure. "Echoes" got multiple awards and nominations worldwide, almost 19 awards, and about 27 nominations, including Zee Global. All the short films were of different genres.  What was interesting was that I shot them together, at the same time. Although it got very confusing, I steered it perfectly. It was a great experience for me. I was able to juggle between different genres without any issues. Imagine shooting Romance, Depression, and Horror simultaneously. I loved it. It was challenging but a satisfying experience"

She adds, "There is one documentary which has been 3 years in the making.  It is about Indian Rajasthani tribes called Raikas and their camels. We have traveled to Pushkar and Jaisalmer Fairs for this multiple times. Sometimes the story finds you. I started this documentary with a different idea but found an entirely different but more powerful story. It is relevant and interesting. a documentary that has something important for the world to see"

Besides films, there are other projects also that Elixir has put out. "After we worked on this, we spread our wings and did some corporate work for Times of India, Go Daddy, etc. We started doing collaborations for shows, primarily crime shows. We have been producing content for satellite, OTT platforms, Facebook, YouTube, corporate films, sports review shows for FB  with Virendra Sehwag, documentaries, and web series such as ISHQIYOUN, a  comedy series like Gulak. It is a clean-cut family comedy-drama."

Talking about her support system at work, Payal says, "The key people behind me are my husband Wilfred S Sequeira and my partner Himanshu Pathak. He, too, has amazing insight into creative content. He has vast experience. He keeps me on my toes as he is my biggest critic. He challenges me at every step and though I get frustrated it always ends up being my good work. He is supportive as a producer and helps with every aspect. We shot this web series in the town of Jabalpur. Despite all the hurdles of the outdoors, he made the entire experience very memorable. The key to success is also choosing the right people. It can never be done alone; it takes an army to make and deliver good content. I have that in Himanshu Pathak" she says.

She adds, "Another key person is my DOP, Durgesh Wagle. My short films were all done by him. He is the director of photography at ISHQIYOUN. His understanding of light camera frames is outstanding. He has made magic with every frame picture-perfect. After Himanshu, if anyone has helped me grow it is Durgesh. I have had differences of opinion with him multiple times. Some arguments he would win, some I would, but he never shied away from telling me his point of view. I strongly believe that it is always teamwork and proof of this is when you see ISHQIYOUN."

The entire team is incredibly supportive, says Payal. "The other key people are my team. I am blessed to associate with a team of energetic young people. They make everything about life and death. For them, my reputation, my company prestige, and the content we produce is always top priority. Their loyalty and dedication are unparallel. They also remind me to have fun. We have musical nights, barbeque, play board games, badminton, and even have a horror story night or movie nights. So, we do it all work hard and play harder"

Ask her about her future, and she says, "We are working on a feature film, a couple of documentaries, the sequel of this ISHQIYOUN, A web series on a famous story based on a real event, Crime Show, another web series on woman taboos, a television daily show, corporate small video, and one more documentary. In other words, we are growing fast and expanding"