Ashuu Trikha's life took a significant turn when his father presented him with a choice at a young age: continue playing with friends or work in the film industry. With a passion for sports and spending time with friends, it was a challenging decision, but Ashuu ultimately chose to pursue a career in films. This led him to start working in the industry at the age of 16, in 1978.
Ashuu's educational background played a crucial role in his journey. He graduated as an Electronics Engineer from Bombay University in 1988, after completing his diploma in Electronics and Radio Engineering. His technical knowledge and skills allowed him to create educational films for engineering students, using animations to explain complex engineering theories.
The success of these films led to Ashuu's exposure to the world of animations, which was a costly affair to outsource. However, his educational background helped him to purchase animation systems, allowing him to support his educational films. This diversification into making technical films for corporate houses organically led him to creating advertising films, marking the beginning of his journey in television commercials.
Ashuu's innovative approach to promotional campaigns caught the attention of Bollywood, and he was approached by N R Pachisia to promote his film Ziddi. The campaign's success led to Ashuu being recognized as the "wiz kid" of Bollywood, and he went on to promote over 90 films, achieving a success ratio of more than 90%.
As a pioneer in the industry, Ashuu understood the importance of airtime and the value of spot rotation on television. He introduced the concept of 5-second, 10-second, and 20-second spots, as well as countdown to release dates and audience reactions to films. His educational films and TVCs also gave him a rich exposure to computer graphics and animations, leading him to pioneer digital titling and VFX in the industry.
Ashuu's creative journey extended beyond promotional campaigns, as he began directing films. His debut feature film, Deewaanapan, received critical acclaim, and he went on to direct several other films, earning nominations for breakthrough director and best visual effects. He has also produced a film based on the coal mafia, Koyelaanchal, and written scripts for several of his films.
Ashuu has been married to Samriti Trikha since 1990 and has two children, Anmol and Akshita. He has two siblings, Sonu and Rachita Mawani, and has shared his film-making experiences through his blog, Film Curry.
