Board of Directors
Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Chairperson
Priyanka Chopra Jonas is a multi-faceted talent, and one of the most recognized personalities in the world.
She is the recipient of numerous awards as an actor and producer, with more than sixty international and Hollywood films to her credit, and in February 2021 became a New York Times Best Selling Author with her memoir “Unfinished.” Most recently, she starred in the Netflix features We Can Be Heroes, directed by Robert Rodriguez, and Academy Award Nominated The White Tiger, which she also executive produced.
Nita M. Ambani
Co-chair
Nita Ambani is an educationist, philanthropist, businesswoman and a noted proponent of sports. Nita is the Founder Chairperson of Reliance Foundation, which has impacted the lives of over seven million people. She provides leadership to 14 schools and is the Founder Chairperson of Dhirubhai Ambani International School, India’s No. 1 International School. She heads the Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital, a state-of-the-art multi-speciality hospital in Mumbai.
Read MoreAnupama Chopra
Festival Director
Anupama Chopra is a noted film critic, television anchor, and a National Award-winning book author. Her work has appeared in publications such as The New York Times and Los Angeles Times. She has hosted and scripted film shows on NDTV 24/7 and Star World. She is currently the Festival Director of the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival and the founder and editor of Film Companion.
Ajay Bijli
Chairman & MD, PVR Ltd.
AAjay Bijli’s passion for movies led him to set up India’s first multiplex in 1997. Today, PVR is the largest and the most premium film exhibition company in India. Since its inception, the brand has redefined the way entertainment is consumed in the country.
Read MoreAnand Mahindra
Chairman & MD, Mahindra Group
Anand G. Mahindra is Chairman of the Mahindra Group, one of India’s top industrial houses with a presence in varied sectors such as agri-business and aerospace. He secured an MBA degree from the Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts in 1981. In 1991, he took over as Deputy Managing Director of Mahindra & Mahindra and was later appointed as Chairman and Managing Director. He was listed in Fortune’s list of The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders in 2014. At last year ET’s awards, Mahindra & Mahindra was awarded corporate citizen of the year for its corporate social responsibility initiatives like Project Nanhi Kali, which aims to keep girls from poor families in school.
Anjali Menon
Filmmaker
Anjali Menon is an established writer and director who has won a place in the hearts of the Malayali audience with her films Manjadikiru, Ustad Hotel, Bangalore Days and Koode. An alumna of the London Film School, her work has received commercial success as well as critical acclaim among the youth as well as family audiences. A reverse migrant to India, Anjali’s works reflect themes of the migrant experience, family, gender equations and cross-cultural interactions. Anjali’s work straddles artistic cinema and popular genres.
Farhan Akhtar
Filmmaker
Born in 1974 to prolific Indian film writer and poet, Javed Akhtar and writer-director, Honey Irani, Farhan grew up in an environment where creativity and originality of thought were encouraged. Farhan teamed up with Ritesh Sidhwani in 1999, forming their company Excel Entertainment.
Read MoreIsha Ambani
Executive Director, Reliance Retail Ventures Limited, and Director, Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited
Isha Ambani is part of the executive leadership teams at Reliance Retail, Reliance Jio, Reliance Foundation, and Dhirubhai Ambani International School.
She played a pivotal role in conceptualising and launching Jio in India in 2016. A game-changer in the Indian telecom and digital landscape, Jio is the world’s largest mobile data network.
Kabir Khan
Filmmaker
Kabir won the prestigious National Award (2006) for his first feature, Kabul Express which was shot entirely in Afghanistan. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival 2006 and was later screened at the London, Busan, Dubai, Singapore, Casablanca and Cairo Film Festivals.
Read MoreKaustubh Dhavse
Independent Public Policy Advisor
Kaustubh Dhavse is an Independent Public Policy Advisor. He currently works as Policy Advisor to the Leader of Opposition, Government of Maharashtra. He also is an advisor for Technology and Infrastructure to the Chief Minister of Karnataka. In addition, he works with renowned bilateral, multilateral institutions and large Indian and multinational companies advising them on Public Policy and Strategy.
Read MoreRana Daggubati
Actor
Rana Daggubati is an actor and producer. He made his acting debut with the Telugu film, Leader (2010) which was a huge commercial success and garnered immense critical acclaim. He made his Bollywood debut with Dum Maaro Dum (2011) and has since appeared in movies like Department (2012) and ‘Baby’ (2015). Rana won many accolades for his performance as Bhallaladeva in the multilingual magnum opus Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion. The film won the National Award for Best Feature Film at the 63rd National Awards 2016. As a producer, he received the National Film Award for co-producing Bommalata – A Bellyful of Dreams in 2006.
Riteish Deshmukh
Actor & Producer
Riteish Deshmukh debuted as an actor in 2003 with Tujhe Meri Kasam and has since starred in a diverse array of films such as Bluffmaster (2005), Darna Zaroori Hai (2006), Rann (2010), Housefull (2010), and Ek Villain (2014). He has also ventured into film production with Ravi Jadhav’s Balak Palak (2013), Lai Bhaari (2014), and Mahesh Limaye’s Yellow (2014), which are among the most acclaimed films of recent times.
Shivendra Singh Dungarpur
Filmmaker and Archivist
Shivendra Singh Dungarpur is an award-winning filmmaker, producer, film archivist and restorer. He began his career as an assistant director to his mentor, writer-lyricist and director Gulzar on whose advice he subsequently studied film direction and scriptwriting at the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII).
Read MoreSiddharth Roy Kapur
Founder and MD, Roy Kapur Films
Siddharth Roy Kapur's filmography as a producer includes some of the biggest blockbusters as well as some of the most acclaimed and path-breaking films of Indian cinema. He is the Managing Director of Roy Kapur Films, President of the Producers Guild of India and the former Managing Director of The Walt Disney Company India. He has been featured in Variety’s Top 500 list of influential people in entertainment in 2017 globally and The Hollywood Reporter’s Next Generation Asia Inaugural Class of Young Leaders, among numerous other accolades for his leadership and achievements.
Vikramaditya Motwane
Filmmaker
Vikramaditya Motwane is a writer, director and producer, though unfortunately not always in that order. His directorial debut Udaan was selected to compete in the Un Certain Regard category at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. He has since directed Lootera, Trapped, and Bhavesh Joshi Superhero. He is the showrunner on Sacred Games, Netflix’s first Indian original series.
Vishal Bhardwaj
Filmmaker
Vishal Bhardwaj is an Indian film director, writer, composer and producer. He has directed ten feature films, produced five and composed music for more than forty. His directorial work includes Makdee, The Blue Umbrella, Kaminey, 7 Khoon Maaf, Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola, Rangoon, Pataakha as well as the internationally acclaimed Shakespeare Trilogy - Maqbool, Omkara and Haider (adapted from Macbeth, Othello and Hamlet, respectively)
Read MoreZoya Akhtar
Filmmaker
Zoya Akhtar studied filmmaking at New York University and later assisted directors such as Mira Nair and Dev Benegal. She worked as a casting director on Split Wide Open (1999) and Dil Chahta Hai (2001). She made her directorial debut with the critically acclaimed film Luck by Chance (2009). She followed it up with Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) and Dil Dhadakne Do (2015). In 2013, Zoya contributed the segment Sheila Ki Jawani to Bombay Talkies, an anthology of short films produced to mark the centenary of Indian cinema. Her recent work includes Lust Stories (2018), which released on Netflix to an overwhelming response. Her recent work includes the hugely popular and acclaimed Gully Boy.