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.

Dibakar Banerjee is a celebrated filmmaker and screenwriter whose work blends social insight with bold formal experimentation. He won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film (Hindi)for Khosla Ka Ghosla (2006), which he followed with Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008) earning another National Award. Mr. Banerjee has continually pressed against the boundaries of mainstream filmmaking, from the found-footage innovation of Love Sex Aur Dhokha (2010) to the incisive political drama Shanghai (2012). His contributions to Bombay Talkies (2013) and the anthology format reaffirmed his interest in structural experimentation. In 2024, he returned to the screen-life space with Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2. He also serves on the jury of major creative platforms, underscoring his influence on India’s evolving cinematic landscape. Mr. Banerjee’s films stand out for their sociological sharpness, textured realism and willingness to defy conventional form.

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.

Sriram Raghavan is one of India’s eminent filmmakers, admired for his craft, moral complexity and precise control of tone. An FTII alumnus, he won early acclaim with his National Award–winning diploma short The Eight Column Affair. He made his feature debut with Ek Hasina Thi (2004) and cemented a cult following with Johnny Gaddaar (2007). After the darker psychological terrain of Badlapur (2015), Mr. Raghavan delivered the widely celebrated Andhadhun (2018), which went on to win the National Film Award for Best Hindi Film and several international honours. His upcoming biographical war drama Ikkis is slated for a December 2025 release. Mr. Raghavan remains distinguished for his lean storytelling, unpredictable narrative turns and classic cinema influences that he reworks with contemporary precision.

Widely regarded for his formal precision and meditative storytelling, Chaitanya Tamhane is one of the most defining artistic forces in contemporary Indian cinema. His debut feature Court (2014) won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film, theVenice Film Festival’s Luigi De Laurentiis Award, and numerous international critics’ prizes. His second feature, The Disciple 2020), premiered at Venice, where it won the FIPRESCI Award and the prize for Best Screenplay, a rare international feat for an Indian filmmaker. The film’s meditative exploration of Hindustani classical music was further supported by the illustrious filmmaker Mr. Alfonso Cuarón, who mentored Mr. Tamhane through the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. Reserved and exacting in his craft, Mr. Tamhane is celebrated for his patient pacing and contemplative exploration of ethical dilemmas.

Geetu Mohandas is an award-winning Indian filmmaker whose work blends social insight with striking visual authorship. She began her career as a National Award–winning child actor before establishing her production company, Unplugged, in 2009. Her short film Kelkkunnundo (Are You Listening?) travelled widely on the festival circuit, earning several international awards. Her debut feature Liar’s Dice (2013) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, received two National Film Awards and was selected as India’s official entry to the Academy Awards. Her second feature, Moothon (2019), a bilingual Malayalam-Hindi thriller, received the prestigious Sundance Institute–Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award and won Best Film at the Festival du Film d’Asie du Sud in Paris. Ms. Mohandas' most recent film, Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups, is a high-profile multilingual period drama slated to release in March 2026. Her work continues to be celebrated for its compassion, narrative boldness and commitment to underrepresented voices.