KASHISH 2025 Jury Bios

ABHISHEK CHAUBEY is a celebrated Indian filmmaker who began as co-writer and associate director to Vishal Bhardwaj on films like Makdee, Omkara, and Kaminey. His directorial debut Ishqiya (2010) and its sequel Dedh Ishqiya (2014) received critical acclaim. Udta Punjab (2016) was praised for tackling drug abuse, while Sonchiriya (2019) cemented his reputation for gritty, socially relevant cinema. He produced Konkona Sensharma’s A Death in the Gunj (2016), and more recently directed Killer Soup (Netflix, 2024) and produced Ullozhukku (2024). Known for his authenticity and bold themes, Chaubey remains a distinctive voice in Indian cinema.

GUNEET MONGA KAPOOR is a two-time Academy Award-winning Indian film producer and the first to win for an Indian production with The Elephant Whisperers (2023). She also executive produced Period. End of Sentence. (2019). Founder of Sikhya Entertainment, she has produced nearly 40 acclaimed films, including The Lunchbox and Masaan. A BAFTA nominee and Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, she champions representation and diversity in cinema. Her recent works include KILL (Lionsgate), Gyaarah Gyaarah, Gutar Gu, a Netflix documentary on Yo Yo Honey Singh, and Anuja, shortlisted for the 2025 Oscars.

VIKRAMADITYA MOTWANE is an Indian writer, director, and producer. His debut film Udaan (2010) premiered at Cannes and won seven Filmfare Awards. He has directed Lootera, Trapped, Bhavesh Joshi Superhero, and AK vs AK, and co-directed Netflix’s first Indian original, Sacred Games. A former partner at Phantom Films, he produced Queen, Masaan, NH10, and Udta Punjab. His recent works include Jubilee (Amazon Prime), which won nine Filmfare OTT Awards; CTRL, a cyber-thriller (Netflix, 2024); and Black Warrant, a crime series (Netflix, 2025). Motwane is known for bold storytelling and genre-defying, critically acclaimed work.

SHISHIR SHARMA is a seasoned Indian actor who began his journey in theatre in 1974-75 under the mentorship of Pt. Satyadev Dubey. He transitioned to television with the acclaimed show Swabhimaan and worked extensively in TV for 23 years. His film debut came in 2002 with Ram Gopal Verma’s Satya. He has since appeared in notable films such as Raazi, Dangal, Uri, Talvar, Mary Kom, Kuch Sapney Apne, and the international hit The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Shishir continues to perform in theatre and digital series like Bard of Blood and City of Dreams.

SHRUTI SETH is an Indian actress, television presenter, former VJ, and model with a career spanning over two decades. Best known for her iconic role in the beloved sitcom Shararat, she also gained acclaim for The Suite Life of Karan and Kabir. She has portrayed diverse characters in Bollywood films such as Fanaa, Ta Ra Rum Pum, Raajneeti, Kadakh, My Friend Pinto, and Aage Se Right. Recently, Shruti became a certified Arts-Based Therapy practitioner and mindfulness meditation teacher, conducting mental wellness workshops to support students, educators, and professionals alongside her continuing work in entertainment.

TANUJA CHANDRA is an Indian filmmaker and writer with an MFA in Film Direction from the U.S. She began her career directing TV shows and co-wrote acclaimed films like Zakhm, Tamanna, and Dil Toh Pagal Hai. Her directorial debut Dushman (1998) was followed by films like Sangharsh, Sur, and Hope and a Little Sugar. Her 2017 film Qarib Qarib Single and her book Bijnis Woman received wide recognition. She later directed short films and the documentary Aunty Sudha Aunty Radha. Her recent works include Hush Hush (2022) and Wedding.con (2023), both released on Amazon Prime.

BISHAKHA DATTA works on gender and sexuality in digital spaces, writes and films non-fiction, and leads the non-profit Point of View. Her documentaries include In the Flesh, on the lives of three sex workers, and Taza Khabar, about a unique women-run rural newspaper. Her books include Nine Degrees of Justice, an anthology on tackling gender-based violence, and And Who Will Make the Chapatis?, about rural women’s political participation. Bishakha co-founded the award-winning online imprint Deep Dives and is perennially interested in what’s not freely expressed.

PRATEEK VATS is an independent filmmaker based in Mumbai, India. Since graduating in Film Direction from the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), he has directed both fiction and non-fiction films. His debut feature,  Eeb Allay Ooo!, supported by the NFDC Film Bazaar and PJLF Arts Fund (Paris), was showcased at film festivals across the world, including the Panorama Section of the Berlin International Film Festival 2020, before being released theatrically in India and Singapore. The film was awarded the Best Film (Critics) at the Filmfare Awards 2021, and Best Film & Best Director at the Critics’ Choice Awards 2021. His feature documentary, A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, received the Special Jury Award at the 65th National Film Awards 2018.  Prateek is an alumnus of the BAFTA Breakthrough India program and is currently working on his next feature film.

SHUBHRA CHATTERJI is a filmmaker, writer, and theatre practitioner, whose work spans scripted and unscripted forms, often tracing the fault lines of memory, identity, and quiet resistance. She has directed Rainbow Rishta (Amazon), Lost Recipes, and Ekaant (Epic), and has written Ishq Mastana (Netflix) and New India Lodge, a theatrical dining experience. She works with Theatre of the Oppressed tools to foreground community storytelling—using the body, gesture, and space as instruments of reflection. Her latest initiative, Zabaan, Zubaan, mentors women in a Mumbai resettlement colony to create cooking videos that transform food into memory, power, and deeply personal acts of storytelling.

SIDDHARTH MENON is a versatile Indian actor whose work spans film and theatre. Raised in Pune, he co-founded the theatre troupe Natak Company in 2008, performing in acclaimed plays like Geli Ekvees Varsha and A Doubtful Gaze at Uber at Midnight. He made his film debut with Peddlers (2012) and appeared in Loev (2015), Rajwade and Sons (2015), Karwaan (2018), and June (2021), which earned him a National Award and Best Actor at New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF). He also starred in Disney’s Aladdin (2018) stage musical, showcasing his range as a performer.

SUDHANSHU SARIA is a filmmaker whose recent film Ulajh, starring Janhvi Kapoor, had a successful theatrical release before topping Netflix India’s charts. He served as showrunner, director, and writer on Big Girls Don’t Cry for Amazon Prime. His music video Sahiba, featuring Vijay Deverakonda and Radhikka Madan, is trending globally on YouTube with over 100 million views. His upcoming film Sanaa, starring Radhikka Madan and Pooja Bhatt, has received wide critical praise. His psychological thriller Knock Knock Knock won a National Award, and his debut feature Loev, a queer romance, released globally on Netflix.

SVETLANA NAUDIYAL is the Programming Director, APAC at MUBI, where she brings together her love for cinema and over a decade of curatorial experience. With a deep engagement in South Asian independent cinema, her career spans key roles including Deputy Director at NFDC’s Film Bazaar, Head of Year-Round Programme & Events at the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, and Cinema Programmer at Soho House Mumbai. Passionate about offbeat, indie, and arthouse cinema, she remains a sharp and curious observer of global film culture, with a special place in her heart for stories from the margins.

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.

ROY WADIA hails from the Wadia Movietone family. His brother was the late filmmaker and gay activist Riyad Wadia (Fearless: The Hunterwali Story, BOMgAY). Roy worked at CNN for 12 years, and then switched careers by joining the World Health Organization’s China office as its communications and advocacy officer. From 2010-2013, he was Executive Director of Heroes Project, the Bombay-based HIV NGO. Roy currently is with the World Health Organization, moving in June from the WHO European Regional Office in Denmark to the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office in the Philippines .”

ASHISH SAWHNY studied Film & Drama in the UK and has been directing, producing, acting & writing since 1992. Moving from Advertising to longer formats, Ashish’s focus is on gender & sexuality- on which he has produced/directed a range of documentary digital stories for various platforms. Over 2020-21, Ashish was ‘Series Director’ on The Big Day, Netflix India’s first documentary series, which was at #1 in India and trending in 8 other countries. Ashish has also been hosting “The Queer Podcast”, a queer themed podcast series, now in its 3rd season, as well as acting in films such as Luck by Chance, Zindagi Nahi Milegi Doobara, Gully Boy, The Archies, Made in Heaven & Kho Gaye Hum Kahan?  In 2023-24, Ashish was creative producer on an Indo-US queer short Holy Curse, that continues winning awards at international festivals. Additionally, Ashish is certified and has been practicing as a mental health counsellor, with a focus on queer affirmative practices, since 2022, as well as writing & developing a range of work for various platforms.

AKSHAY TYAGI (he/his) is the Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at The LaLiT Suri Hospitality Group and a Founding Member of the Keshav Suri Foundation. With a postgraduate degree from AJK MCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia, he champions inclusive workplaces through intersectional DEI initiatives. Akshay works with over 100 NGOs and has sensitized 200+ organizations on DEI. His efforts empower LGBTQIA+ individuals, people with disabilities, women, and other marginalized communities. A respected speaker and awardee—including the Trans Ally Award—Akshay is committed to fostering environments where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to thrive.