MAMI Year Round Programme

Kausar is a contemporary award-winning lyric, dialogue and screen-writer for the Indian film and television industry

An English Honours and Film Studies graduate from Mumbai’s St. Xavier’s College and Bombay University, Kausar grew up in Mumbai and her career in the media began early.

She earned her television stripes as ‘screen writer’ for the popular TV show Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin. Her TV writing credits include fiction and nonfiction shows for all the leading channels.

Her scripting credits range from film events like IIFA, to knowledge based shows like Ted Talks India, and grand Bollywood musicals for the international stage such as ‘Jaan E Jigar’ at the Bollywood Parks and Resorts, Dubai.

Kausar first made an impression as a lyricist with the song Falak Tak in Tashan, produced by YashRaj Films. Her film list as lyricist include hits like Ishqzaade, Ek Tha Tiger, Dhoom 3, Main Tera Hero, Dear Zindagi, Meri Pyaari Bindu, Secret Superstar, Padman, Gehraaiyaan, 83, Qala and many more songs in over 100 films.

She has won every major award, and in 2022 she became the ‘first woman’ to win the Filmfare Award for Lyrics.

As script and dialogue writer, some of her are Phantom, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Begum Jaan, Salaam Venky and OTT shows like Rocket Boys.

Her 2023 releases are-

• 'Rocket Boys' on Sony Liv (Dialogue Writer)
• 'Mrs Chatterjee v/s Norway' (Lyricist),
• 'Jubilee' on Amazon (Lyricist of 12 original songs)
• 'Neeyat' on Amazon (Lyricist and Dialogue Writer)
• 'Goldfish' (Lyricist)
• 'Coke Studio Bharat' (Think Tank Consultant).

Her forthcoming projects include feature films and OTT shows with well-known producers like Yashraj Films, Dharma Productions, Amazon & Netflix.

Bhaskar Hazarika is a writer and filmmaker from Assam. His debut feature Kothanodi (The River of Fables) premiered at Busan International Film Festival 2015. Kothanodi received the “Silver Lotus” award conferred by the National Film Awards of India for Best Assamese Film, 2016. His next feature, Aamis, premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival in the International Narrative Competition section. Aamis subsequently had a successful box office run in Assam and select cities of India. Both films are now available on the streaming platform SonyLiv.

Bhaskar is the co-writer and Creative Producer of Assamese comedy film Emuthi Puthi, which was released across cinemas of Assam in June, 2022. He has also co-written the story and screenplay for Abbas Mastan’s 2012 Hindi action film Players. Bhaskar has written screenplays for several TV and web series, the latest being Netflix’s teen drama Class. Bhaskar is a two-time recipient of the Dr. Bhabendra Nath Saikia Award for Best Screenplay (Kothanodi and Aamis) and recipient of the Brajen Borua Award for Best Direction (Aamis), conferred by the Assam State Film Awards.

Bhaskar graduated from St Stephen's College, University of Delhi with a BA (Hons) History degree, and completed his MA (Film & Drama) at the University of Reading, UK.

Varun Grover is a screen-writer (Masaan, Sacred Games), National Award winning lyricist (Gangs of Wasseypur, Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Ankhon Dekhi), stand-up comedian, and short-fiction writer (short story collection Paper Chor and graphic novel Biksu) based in Mumbai.

His first film as a director, ALL INDIA RANK, premiered at IFFR as the first ever Indian film to be the closing film of the festival's 2023 edition.

Sudip is among India's leading contemporary screenwriters and showrunners. He is the co-creator and showrunner of Kohrra, the acclaimed Netflix murder mystery series, as well as the creator and showrunner of Paatal Lok, the groundbreaking Amazon crime drama series. In addition to writing for television, Sudip wrote Abhishek Chaubey's critically acclaimed 2019 bandit Western, Sonchiriya, which went on to win the Best Film (Critics) at the prestigious Filmfare Awards in India. Sudip had previously written the screenplay for Chaubey's award-winning 2016 crime drama Udta Punjab as well as the screenplay for Navdeep Singh's critical and commercial hit thriller, NH10, starring top Indian star Anushka Sharma. He was also the Creative Producer on the 2018 horror film Pari and FoxStar Studio's 2017 fantasy comedy Phillauri.

Saumyananda Sahi studied philosophy at St Stephen's College, Delhi before attending the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). He has worked as a cinematographer on factual and fiction projects, which have gone on to screen and won awards at festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Sundance, Locarno and Rotterdam. He has been nominated for an Asia Pacific Award, and Filmfare Award and was selected for the BAFTA Breakthrough India programme in 2022. His recent work includes ‘All That Breathes’ (2022) which was nominated at the Academy Awards, and the 2023 Netflix series ‘Trial By Fire’.

Shreya Dev Dube is an award-winning cinematographer born in Kolkata and now lives and works in Mumbai. She studied photography in Melbourne and later went on to specialise in cinematography in Paris. Her first feature film was a Bengali black and white film called Catsticks, directed by Ronny Sen, which premiered at Slamdance. Since then she has produced and shot her sister Karishma Dev Dube’s celebrated short film called Bittu, which won the Student Academy Award in 2020. Shreya worked with Mira Nair on A Suitable Boy as one of her cinematographers. She recently won the Asian Creative Academy awards for best cinematographer 2022 and best DOP-OTT at the ITA awards for her work in a neon-western film called Thar, produced by Anil Kapoor.

Sid is an entrepreneur and M&E veteran with over two decades of experience in film. Notorious as a disruptor, his education and expertise in cinematography, visual effects, digital workflows, and colour have made him one of the most sought-after collaborators in the country. Sid likes to explore new and efficient ways of telling a story with ambitious filmmakers. He likes taking on new challenges with directors and cinematographers to push the boundaries of cinema, both technically and aesthetically.

His vision is to create an ecosystem that accommodates the needs of the best independent filmmaking talent in the country and to hopefully leave behind a legacy of the most unique films that will be studied in film schools in the years to come. An eternal student, he aims to always maintain Bridge PostWorks’ cutting-edge DNA in every project undertaken. When Sid isn’t at work, he’s on a quest to find inspiration through good food.

Vikramaditya Motwane is an award-winning writer, director, and producer. His debut film, ‘Udaan’, premiered at the 63rd Festival de Cannes in the Un Certain Regard section. His feature film credits include 'Udaan,' 'Lootera,' 'Trapped,' 'Bhavesh Joshi Superhero,' and 'AK vs AK.’ Motwane is the showrunner and co-director of 'Sacred Games,' Netflix’s first Indian original series. He is an ex-partner at Phantom Films and has produced films like 'Queen,' 'Ugly,' 'NH10,' 'Masaan,' and 'Udta Punjab.' His film, ‘Indi(r)a's Emergency’ premiered at Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2023. Motwane's most recent work, 'Jubilee,' is an epic period series for Amazon Prime Video.

National Film Award winner Archana Atul Phadke is an alumnus of the Berlinale Talent campus. Her directorial debut ‘About Love’ (2019) premiered at the Sheffield DocFest, where it won the New Talent Award. The film also won the Best Film Asian Perspective Award at DMZ Docs, and Best Film at the Hainan Island International Film Festival. Archana has produced and edited the documentary film ‘Placebo’ (2014), and co-edited the film ‘Raghu Rai, An Unframed Portrait’ (2017). Along with Vikramaditya Motwane, she co-directed the documentary series, ‘Indi(r)a's Emergency’ (2023).

Archana has directed an episode of ‘Love Storiyaan’ (2024), produced by Dharmatic Entertainment with Amazon Prime, and is currently in development for a documentary feature as director with Shaunak Sen.

Faraz Ali is a writer-director with a background in advertising. He fostered an ardent love for cinema through film appreciation at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), and mentorship from Werner Herzog at the Rogue Film School in Munich. His debut feature film, ‘Shoebox’ (2021), explores the fading essence of a city and its single-screen cinemas. It earned critical acclaim, including Best Feature at the New York Indian Film Festival and the Tasveer South Asian Film Festival. The film was also nominated for the Film Light Colour Award at Camerimage, Toruń.

A graduate in Film Direction from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Prateek has directed both fiction and non-fiction films. His debut feature documentary, ‘A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings’ (2017), was awarded the Special Jury Award at the National Film Awards in 2018. His first fiction feature ‘Eeb Allay Ooo!’ (2019), supported by the NFDC Film Bazaar and the PJLF Arts Fund (Paris), was showcased at film festivals across the world, including the Panorama Section of the Berlin International Film Festival. The film was awarded the Best Film (Critics) at the Filmfare Awards, and Best Film & Best Director at the Critics’ Choice Awards in 2021. Prateek was selected for the BAFTA Breakthrough India programme in 2022.

Saurav Rai is an alumnus of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), with a specialisation in Film Direction and Screenplay Writing. His diploma film 'Gudh’ (Nest, 2016) was part of the official selection at the 69th Cannes Film Festival. ‘Nimtoh’ (2019), his debut feature film, had its international premiere at the International Film Festival of Rotterdam. It also won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2019 Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival for Screenwriting. ‘Guras’ (2023), his sophomore feature world premiere in the Proxima Competition at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Czech Republic where it won the coveted Special Jury Prize. It was also screened at the 27th Busan International Film Festival.

Rohan Sippy is a director and producer based in Mumbai. He is best known for directing Bluffmaster (2005), Dum Maaro Dum (2011), and Nautanki Saala (2013). As a producer, his credits include Taxi No. 9211 (2006) and The President Is Coming (2009). Most recently, he was a creator and the showrunner of the highly acclaimed Netflix series, Aranyak (2021).

Vishal Bhardwaj is an Indian film director, writer, composer, and producer.

His directorial work includes the internationally acclaimed Shakespeare Trilogy - 'Maqbool,' 'Omkara,' and 'Haider' (adapted from Macbeth, Othello, and Hamlet respectively) as well as 'Makdee,' 'The Blue Umbrella,' 'Kaminey,' '7 Khoon Maaf,' 'Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola,' 'Rangoon,' 'Pataakha'.

In 2021, he directed an episode of the Indian adaptation of the critically acclaimed show, ‘Modern Love’. In 2023, Bhardwaj directed the SonyLIV series ‘Charlie Chopra & The Mystery of Solang Valley’ based on the Agatha Christie novel, ‘The Sittaford Mystery’. He also directed the Netflix film ‘Khufiya’, and the short film, 'Fursat', shot entirely on iPhone.

Bhardwaj debuted his stage career in 2014 by directing 'A Flowering Tree' in the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris, and composing music for the 'Monsoon Wedding' musical in Berkeley, California. In 2018, he published his first book of poems, 'Nude,' a collection of 50 poems written over the past two decades.

Bhardwaj has received eight National Film Awards and three international awards at Cairo, Chicago and Rome film festivals.

Deepanjana Pal is a journalist and author. She writes about culture and society. Her film writing has appeared in a range of publications and she is a columnist with Hindustan Times. She runs a popular books newsletter titled Dear Reader and is the co-host of the books podcast The Lit Pickers, with Supriya Nair. Deepanjana has also written the award-winning Puchku series of children's books as well as the feminist thriller, Hush A Bye Baby, and The Painter, a biography of the pioneering artist Raja Ravi Varma.

Girish Shahane is an independent writer and curator based in Mumbai. He has degrees in English literature from Elphinstone College, Bombay University, and Oxford University, which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar. He began his journalistic career as foreign film critic for The Independent and the Pioneer in Bombay before turning his focus to contemporary visual art. He was editor and later consulting editor of Art India magazine and has been a columnist for Time Out magazine, DNA newspaper Yahoo India, Scroll.in and Mint Lounge. He was Artistic Director of Art Chennai 2014, and Artistic Director of the India Art Fair 2015. The first show he curated was The Presence of the Past (NCPA, Bombay, 1998) and the most recent was A Bold Step Sideways (Bikaner House, 2024).

Jerry Pinto is a well known poet, writer, editor and translator. He has won the National Award for the Best Writing in Cinema for Helen, the Life and Times of a Bollywood H-Bomb. He has written Em and the Big Hoom, a novel that won him The Crossword Prize, the Hindu Lit for Life Award and the Sahitya Akademi Award. In 2016, he was awarded the Windham-Campbell Award for Fiction from Yale. His next novel Murder in Mahim won the Valley of Words Award for Fiction. His third novel The Education of Yuri has been published to near universal acclaim. He has edited several anthologies including Bombay Meri Jaan: Writings on Mumbai; Reflected in Water: Writings on Goa; The Greatest Show on Earth: Writing on Bollywood and with Shanta Gokhale, a collection of stories on Bombay-Mumbai, Maya Nagari. He has taught journalism at the postgraduate Social Communications Media course of the Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai for more than thirty years.