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.

Konkona Sen Sharma is an acclaimed Indian filmmaker, actor, and writer, known for her versatile performances and crafting thought-provoking films, replete with nuanced storytelling, in both independent and mainstream cinema. Her works examine contemporary social mores and the subtextual exploration of personal conflicts inherent in human relationships.

Ms. Sen Sharma made her directorial debut with the drama ‘A Death in the Gunj’, which won her the Filmfare Award for Best Debut Director and subsequently directed ‘The Mirror’ segment in the ‘Lust Stories 2’. In 2003, Ms. Sen Sharma won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Iyer’. She delivered several other acclaimed performances in noteworthy films such as ‘Omkara’, ‘Life in a... Metro’, ‘15 Park Avenue’, ‘Dosar’, ‘Laaga Chunari Mein Daag’, ‘Luck By Chance’, ‘Wake Up Sid’ and ‘Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?’, ‘Goynar Baksho’, ‘Talvar’ and ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’.

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.

Vetri Maaran is an eminent Indian film director, producer and writer who primarily works in Tamil cinema. A five-time National Film Award winner, he is known for his distinctive films which are replete with both commercial success as well as critical acclaim, often addressing issues of justice, morality, and human resilience.

Mr. Vetri Maaran made his directorial debut in 2007 with ‘Polladhavan’ following it up with ‘Aadukalam’, which won six National Film Awards. His film ‘Visaranai’ premiered in the ‘Orrizonti’ section of the 72nd Venice Film Festival, where it won the Amnesty International Italia Award. It was also selected as India's official entry to the 89th Academy Awards. His film ‘Asuran’ received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. He is also the founder of International Institute of Film and Culture.

Vikramaditya Motwane is a renowned Indian writer, director and producer known for his diverse films spanning multiple genres in Hindi cinema. His directorial debut Udaan competed in the ‘Un Certain Regard’ category at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival and won 7 Filmfare Awards and the Screen Awards for Best Film and Best Director.

Mr. Motwane’s eclectic work includes acclaimed films such as ‘Lootera’, ‘Trapped’, ‘Bhavesh Joshi Superhero’, ‘AK vs AK’ and ‘Indi(r)a's Emergency’. He also served as the showrunner and co-director on Netflix’s first Indian original series, ‘Sacred Games’, and Amazon Prime’s epic period series, ‘Jubilee’, which he created and directed. As a former partner at Phantom Films, he produced acclaimed films such as ‘Queen’, ‘Ugly’, ‘NH10’, ‘Masaan’ and ‘Udta Punjab’. His most recent release, ‘CTRL’, is Hindi cinema's maiden screen-life thriller.

Lijo Jose Pellissery is an influential Indian filmmaker and actor who works primarily in Malayalam cinema. Characterised by non-linear narratives and ingenious storytelling techniques, his films include ‘Amen’, ‘Angamaly Diaries’, ‘Ee.Ma.Yau’., ‘Jallikattu’, ‘Churuli’, and ‘Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam’.

Mr. Pellissery was the recipient of the Silver Peacock Award for Best Director at 49th and 50th editions of the International Film Festival of India for his films ‘Ee. Ma. Yau’. and ‘Jallikkattu’ respectively; the latter also premiered at the 44th Toronto International Film Festival and was selected as India's official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards. He continues to experiment with form and content, challenging cinematic conventions while simultaneously resonating with contemporary audiences.