ASHWINY IYER TIWARI is an Indian filmmaker, writer, and producer known for her emotionally rich storytelling and nuanced understanding of human relationships. After over a decade in advertising, she transitioned to filmmaking with acclaimed works such as Nil Battey Sannata, Bareilly Ki Barfi, Panga, Faadu, and Ankahi Kahaniya, earning national and international recognition. Her latest social drama, System, releases on Amazon Prime Video in May. She is also the author of Mapping Love and co-founder of Earthsky Pictures, which develops meaningful stories across film and streaming platforms. Ashwiny was featured in Forbes India’s “Self-Made Women” list in 2020 and 2024.

NIKKHIL ADVANI is a National Award-winning Indian filmmaker, producer, screenwriter, and co-founder of Emmay Entertainment and Motion Pictures. Known for films such as Kal Ho Naa Ho, D-Day, Batla House, Patiala House, and Delhi Safari, he has also created acclaimed digital series including Mumbai Diaries, Rocket Boys, and Freedom at Midnight. Over the years, his work has spanned mainstream cinema and streaming platforms, earning critical and popular recognition. Beyond filmmaking, Advani actively supports the arts and social causes through organizations such as the G5A Foundation, Sanctuary Nature Foundation, Women in Film–India, and the Sumitra Gupta Foundation for the Arts.

PARVATHY THIRUVOTHU is an award-winning Indian actor celebrated for her remarkable performances across Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, and Telugu cinema. She began her acting journey with Out of Syllabus (2006) and gained recognition through films like Bangalore Days, Maryan, Ennu Ninte Moideen, Charlie, Take Off, Qarib Qarib Singlle, and Uyare. A National Film Award recipient and multiple-time Kerala State Film Award winner, she is also known for her advocacy for women’s rights in cinema as a founding member of the Women in Cinema Collective.

SHONALI BOSE is an award-winning filmmaker known for her emotionally powerful storytelling and cinematic craft. A graduate of Columbia University and UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, her acclaimed films include Amu, Margarita with a Straw, The Sky Is Pink, and A Fly on the Wall, all screened at major international festivals. Margarita with a Straw is regarded as a landmark queer film and has won over 30 international honours. Shonali was the first Indian filmmaker to receive the Sundance-Mahindra Global Filmmaker Award. Her work has earned five National Film Awards and over 60 international accolades. She is currently completing The Song of Ka Shara. Above all, she is most proud of being the mother of her two sons, Ishan and Vivan.

MONISHA THYAGARAJAN is an award-winning creative producer, founding partner at Awedacious Originals, and a BAFTA Breakthrough honoree. Her work spans acclaimed fiction and nonfiction storytelling from South Asia, including Netflix’s The Hunt for Veerappan, the International Emmy-winning Delhi Crime Season 1, What Are The Odds, and documentaries such as WOMB and Bhangaar / Obsolete. Her writing credits include Rainbow Rishta, a landmark Indian series on queer love stories, and Clowning with Shakespeare. Monisha has also served as an Editing Mentor at the NFDC WIP Lab and as a jury member for the TFA Awards. She is passionate about socially conscious, gender-driven, and politically engaged storytelling.

MAANVI GAGROO is an Indian actress known for her work in Hindi films and web series. She has appeared in popular shows like TVF Pitchers, TVF Tripling, Made in Heaven, and Four More Shots Please! She has also garnered great reviews for her performances in films like Ujda Chaman, Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhaan and 377 Ab Normal, among others. Her most recent release Heer Sara also earned her praise from industry peers and the audience. At the 2023 Filmfare OTT Awards, she won Best Actress in a Comedy Series for TVF Tripling Season 3. Maanvi continues to lead the way with portrayals of relatable and socially responsible characters.

SHAZIA IQBAL is a Mumbai-based writer and director known for her bold, socially conscious storytelling. Her acclaimed short film Bebaak won Best Debut Director at the São Paulo International Short Film Festival and screened internationally, including at MOCA Grand, Los Angeles. Her debut feature Dhadak 2 has sparked significant conversations for its unapologetic engagement with caste and Dalit politics in mainstream Hindi cinema, including discussions at Harvard, Yale, and Columbia universities. She also directed Homecoming for Amazon Prime Video’s Love Storiyaan. Before moving into direction, Shazia spent over fifteen years as a production designer, working on projects such as Sacred Games, Lust Stories, and over 100 television commercials.

SHALS MAHAJAN is a writer, a trans-queer-feminist activist, a layabout, part feline, somewhat hooman genderqueer fellow who lives in Bombay, but mainly in their head. They have worked on issues of gender, sexuality, caste and communalism as a trainer, teacher and activist, and enjoy conducting workshops on writing with university students, folx working on social justice issues, women returning to literacy, and queer and trans persons. They are part of the Bombay based queer & trans collective Hasrat-e-Zindagi Mamuli. Their published works for children include Timmi in Tangles, Timmi and Rizu, and Reva and Prisha. They’ve also co-authored No Outlaws in the Gender Galaxy.

NARGIS WADIA was the first woman to launch a full–service Advertising Agency in India – Interpub, and was also a Founder Member & Chairperson of Media Monitoring Services which preceded the establishment of Media Research Users Council. In 1991, she became the first woman President of the Advertising Agency Association of India. Nargis Wadia is the mother of late filmmaker Riyad Wadia in whose memory the Riyad Wadia Award for Emerging Indian Filmmaker has been instituted at KASHISH by Wadia Movietone.

Ismat Chughtai Award Jury

ASHISH SAWHNY studied Film & Drama in the UK and has since worked across directing, producing, acting, and writing. Moving from advertising into long-format storytelling, his work often focuses on gender and sexuality. He was the Series Director of Netflix India’s first documentary series The Big Day, and hosts The Queer Podcast, now in its third season. As an actor, he has appeared in films and series including Luck By Chance, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Gully Boy, Made in Heaven, and Kho Gaye Hum Kahan. Ashish was also creative producer of the queer short Holy Curse, longlisted for the Academy Awards, and practices as a queer-affirmative mental health counsellor.