A debutante director of Indian origin, Radhika Chaudhari from Los Angeles, has bagged the prestigious Silver Ace Award for Best Short Film at the Las Vegas Film Festival, for her critically acclaimed short film Orange Blossom.

Shot in L.A. in a span of four days , the 17-minute film is the story of a single mother going through the pangs of separation from her husband; while making the folly of passing on too much information about herself and her family to a few strangers.

While an American-Indian Usha Kokotay plays the protagonist, other key roles are deftly portrayed by seasoned Hollywood actors such as Jeff Doucette (of Bedazzled and Desperate Housewives fame) and John Paul Ouvrier.

“The award is a big high for me, especially as I am a first-time director,” says Radhika Chaudhari. “Its put me on this pedestal from where the whole world looks like an unconquered challenge about to be discovered,” she adds with a resolute glint in her eye.

With her next strep being towards directing feature films, it would be interesting to see where this new-found acclaim takes Radhika. Could it be Bollywood calling?