Kindness with Premila Puri
Premila is all about kindness, she truly understands the importance of it in every aspect of our lives. She is the founder of the Be Kind Movement, an award-winning charity that builds emotional intelligence skills in children and young people by showing them the transformative power of kindness. Her kindess work doesn’t stop there, as a film producer, she is passionate about producing entertaining and socially impactful content that celebrates the kindness, compassion, and grit of the human spirit. Kindness in Film is an initiative she set up in 2021 to promote a kinder approach to film-making, in front of and behind the camera, within the film & TV industry…which we all know that we could really do with a little more! As a Kindness consultant, Premila works with organisations to embed a kinder working culture that helps to fuel productivity and wellbeing. Born and raised in India, she schooled in the Netherlands and graduated from the UK, and resides in London.
What is the Be Kind Movement and how did it start?
Be Kind Movement (BKM) is a UK-based charity that uses the creative medium of films and the transformative power of kindness to develop emotional intelligence (EQ) skills in children and young people. My cumulative experiences through childhood, corporate and social life led me to set up a movement that focuses on amplifying the importance of kindness in our daily lives. The commissioning of the award-winning short film ITSY, based on my husband’s experience with a spider in a car, in 2017 was the catalyst for the charity’s flagship Kindness in School Programme™ (KISP™).
The values of compassion, resilience, and mindfulness are at the heart of the work. How important is it to bring these into our everyday life?
Actually, it’s critical that values of compassion and integrity find a place in our lives, whether at work, in politics, or in a social context. We are living in dangerous times when we look at Europe, or when we consider the steep rise in mental health issues closer to home. Whether striving for peace or productivity, human beings respond to kindness and showing empathy and respect can fundamentally change the DNA of any conversation, and create a more fruitful outcome.
Resilience and mindfulness are two sides of the coin that is self-management which means being aware of and managing our emotions and thoughts in a way that is aligned to our core values. But we only have to look within or around us to know being kind to ourselves can often be a challenge. Yet building internal strength and resolve helps us to deal with trials and tribulations in our everyday lives. So we need to make that naughty voice in our head our best friend!
How important is it to teach children about kindness from a young age? And can you tell us about Kindness in schools?
As a child, I experienced the effects that a culture lacking in kindness can have on children. Having been severely bullied at secondary school, I lacked confidence, self-esteem, struggled with body issues and fear of speaking up - a burden I carried into my early adult life. If kindness and EQ skills are taught more widely in schools, children’s social, emotional, and mental experiences would be more positive and enriching. And that is what we do through KISP™ - we Entertain (through films), Educate (on the transformative power of kindness), and empower young minds (with tools) to consider how kindness (or lack of it) can impact the world including their peers, families and wider community. We help them to realise their full potential and help to create a future generation of emotionally intelligent children who can influence their workplaces, family lives, and communities in the principles of compassion, inclusion, and empathy which helps to create a kinder and fairer world.
Can you tell us a little more about the Random Act of Kindness campaign?
To celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Day on the 17th February, Kindness in Film (KIF) ran a week-long campaign which consisted of 7 kindness challenges. Each challenge was focused on a particular value of kindness such as Respect, Gratitude, Compassion, Self-care etc and we asked those working in the film & tv industry to perform small acts of kindness for their colleagues, or for themselves. After the successful Summit we held in 2021, we thought this was a perfect opportunity to get people thinking about kindness at work, in a fun and playful way.
You held the first Kindness in Film summit last year, what is the connection with the film industry?
My work for Be Kind Movement led to my work as a Kindness Consultant for companies, and around the time of Black Lives Matter and George Floyd, it dawned on me that if there was one industry that needed a re-calibration then that would have to be the entertainment industry! With the pandemic, we have seen an inordinate display of kindness in our society, a shift in our priorities, and changes in how & where we work, so when the Summit was announced, there seemed to be an overall sense of…well it’s about time we start talking about kindness in the industry!
As producer and founder, what are your ambitions for Kindness in Film, and are there plans to hold another summit this year?
Everyone’s focus currently is on mental health, and rightly so. But the absence of mental health issues does not mean the presence of positive, productive, and happy people. Fixing what is wrong does not automatically lead to wellbeing. The top-performing companies have integrated high-performing values and purpose into the DNA of their organisation which in turn informs their goals and behaviours, and this trickles down to implementing processes, procedures, and systems that support those values and purpose. I feel our industry is scratching the surface by implementing processes and initiatives but has yet to explore the cultural transformation of their organisations which will bring the true mindset change that is needed the most in our industry.
So KIF’s ambition is twofold: One, for companies and leaders to lead with the principles of kindness, which research proves fuels both productivity and wellbeing. Second, prevention is better than cure, so working with young filmmakers as early as possible in their careers and getting them to tune into a kinder mindset whilst empowering them with the tools to be the kind leaders of tomorrow.
We’d love to hold another summit as the feedback from participants was very encouraging, however in 2022 we are excited to be hosting smaller curated events with industry partners. So watch this space!
What are some practical and easy ways that we can bring more kindness into our work and our personal lives?
Dalai Lama said: ‘If you want others to be happy, practice Compassion. If you want to be happy, practice Compassion’. The key to wellbeing is the way we look at ourselves, in our personal and professional lives…so let’s show up with self-compassion. Give yourself the attention (you’d so naturally give to a friend who’s in need), practice the right attitude (let’s stop being so hard on ourselves), and most importantly forgive yourself, draw a line and move on.
Bringing kindness to work is about our social awareness towards others, and if we can be respectful, show gratitude and empathy towards others, we are leading with kindness. Here are some fun and easy ways to bring kindness into our work lives from our Random Acts of Kindness campaign.
What is the kindest thing anyone has done for you?
Most recently, a dear friend went out of her way, coordinating with hotel staff and my husband in St Lucia, to deliver a stunning cake to my hotel room for my milestone birthday, along with a piano rendition of Happy Birthday by her 8-year-old daughter. I was so deeply touched. Priceless!
If you’d like to hear more about Kindness in Film, head to their website or get in touch through her social channels: