Charu Menon on High Craft, Human Storytelling, and the Industry Changes we Still Need to See

In 1994, New Scientist magazine published a groundbreaking - and more than slightly playful - hypothesis. Referred to as ‘Nominative Determinism’, it was the theory that people tended to gravitate towards careers that bore a relation to their names. 

Was it just an outlandish bit of fun? Maybe not. Consider, for example, the career of renowned seafood restaurateur Sandy Fish. Or the American TV meteorologist Storm Field. 

For another case study, look no further than Heckler’s award-winning partner and EP Charu Menon. The filmmaker, who was instrumental in establishing the post powerhouse’s presence in Southeast Asia and guiding it through a pandemic soon after, has a name inspired by Charulata - the 1964 drama written and produced by the legendary Satyajit Ray. 

In the film, audiences witness Charulata discover and nurture her creative impulses. In reality, Charu has wasted no time in doing the same. When she moved into advertising following a stint in TV journalism, Charu recalls a desire to be associated with the “high craft” that our industry can afford at its best. 

Happily, that’s precisely what Charu is now best-known for. Whether it be the breathtaking ambition of SK-II’s Olympics campaign, or more recently guiding viewers through jaw-dropping virtual worlds in support of the new OnePlus 11R, it’s those most creatively satisfying campaigns that have become her speciality. 

Reflecting on the work of which she is most proud, however, Charu reaches beyond advertising. “By The River was a personal project - something where I was keen to keep hold of my day job in case it all went wrong”, she laughs. “I wanted to merge the two things that I love - high craft, and human storytelling”. 

The result was a remarkably gripping and emotive short film exploring the nature of India’s ‘Death Hotels’. The often-astonishing documentary offered audiences an unforgettable insight into the lives, and indeed deaths, of devout Hindus seeking ‘moksha’ - a freedom from the relentless cycle of death and rebirth.

“It wasn’t easy to pull off… we ended up shooting in 45-degree heat with an international crew”, says Charu. “We ran into pretty much every production nightmare you could name - our DOP was briefly hospitalised at one point!”. 

But in spite of the various challenges of its creation, the film eventually received a phenomenal reception upon its 2020 release. By The River was shortlisted for countless film festivals (not least including the United Nations International Film Festival) and picked up a slew of awards. 

“It became something so much bigger than what we had in mind at the outset of the project”, says Charu. “So for me, it was such a satisfying and affirming experience”. 

Outside of individual projects, Charu’s success in setting Heckler up in Southeast Asia is an achievement of which the filmmaker is understandably proud. “It’s been such a learning experience - moving from Australia to Singapore a few months before the pandemic and the wild ride that followed”, she says. “But today we genuinely feel that we’re the best post house in the region, with a growing headcount, winning awards, and attracting global talent. We’ll never get complacent, but it’s a great feeling to have achieved that”.

As Charu reflects on her time in the industry, and working across different countries and cultures, LBB asks the producer how far she has seen things evolve with respect to representation and diversity. 

“If you were to watch Mad Men now and think ‘okay, that was the 1970s’, there’s no denying that things have improved a great deal”, she says. “That being said, it’s still not enough. That’s why it’s so encouraging to see the many initiatives that are springing up and making a genuine difference. You look at ideas like Jasmin Bedir’s Fck The Cupcakes, which is aimed at bringing men into the conversation around misogyny, and you do feel that we’re watching progress happen in real-time”. 

By way of proof that these initiatives can have a meaningful impact, Charu holds up her own career as an example. “I was part of something called She Shoots in New South Wales, so I’m arguably sitting here and talking to you because of the progress that has genuinely happened”, she says. “But with all that being said, the fact is that only 2.9% of all VFX supervisors are women. And of that 2.9%, only 5% are women of colour. So, while I can’t deny the progress we’ve seen, we need to keep supporting new initiatives because there’s clearly much still to be done”. 

Looking ahead to the future, there’s an overwhelming positivity to Charu’s outlook. “In terms of Heckler, what I’m looking forward to is continuing to level up, putting out not just the best work in the region but anywhere in the world”, she says. “And I think we’re starting to move towards a more creatively enriching time in the industry. We could say that there were a few tired creative ideas during the Covid pandemic; but now I’m finding that there’s a certain lightness that’s returned”. 

As a way of measuring how deeply that renaissance of creative playfulness is being felt across the filmmaking landscape, Charu is eagerly awaiting the results of the Oscars on March 12th. “I’m really hoping that Everything Everywhere All At Once is going to bring home Best Picture”, she tells LBB. “It’s hard to overstate how much of a benchmark that movie feels like. It takes on such lofty philosophical themes, like transcending nihilism, with an amazing light-heartedness that makes them accessible and understandable in a whole new way”. 

For Charu, there’s another exciting byproduct of the film’s success that could have as-yet unforeseen knock-on effects. “It also represents a different kind of take on Asian - or Asian-influenced - cinema in the West”, she says. “When you think about Asian films which have been successful in the West, you might think of Slumdog Millionaire or Parasite. Phenomenal films, no doubt, but they share a kind of glamorisation of poverty or class warfare. EEAAO isn’t about that at all. It’s something totally unique and masterfully shot. Isn’t that exactly what the rest of us should be championing!?” 

Whatever happens on the 12th, it’s hard not to be won over by Charu’s infectious passion - for both filmmaking and the future. If the sound of an ‘enriching’ and ‘playful’ revolution in creative culture sounds too good to be true, a conversation with Charu is enough to make you believe it might just happen. 

An infectious belief in the goodness and power of human storytelling? More than anything else, perhaps that’s the most obvious legacy of Charu’s namesake. Maybe, just maybe, that 1994 edition of New Scientist might have been onto something…