The New Bollywood: The Rise of Independents

India’s film industry may take at least two years to recover financially from the coronavirus pandemic if not more, which is threatening major productions. Industry figures show India makes 1,200 films in a typical year, but big-budget movies will most likely get pushed into the next fiscal year, as production houses battle a liquidity crunch amid falling box-office revenues.

Could this be the dawn of a new era for Indian entertainment, giving independent voices and streamers a chance at the spotlight? Join Winston Baker’s webcast to explore the possibilities with Jyoti Kapur Das, Divya Dutta and Manish Mundra.

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ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS:

Divya Dutta is an actor, author and now a poet too. The talented actor won a National Award for best actor (female) in a supporting role in 2018. She has acted in more than 100 feature films in Hindi and Punjabi language, few notable films being Veer- Zara, Bhaag Milkha Bhag, My Friend Pinto, Stanley ka Dabba to name a few. Her first poem that she wrote recently titled ‘Jab Sab Theek Hoga Na’, about going on lockdown in the country has been much appreciated. Her memoir, Me and Ma, published in 2017 was one of the most talked about books that year. With an interesting line up of feature films, web shows and short films, Divya continues to work in films while she is writing two books, one being collection of short stories and another one about memories related to work and people she has worked with, in the industry.

Jyoti Kapur Das is an alumna of the prestigious Film & Television Institute of India, Pune. She has been an active producer, director and writer in the Hindi film industry. Starting off an an Assistant Director in Bollywood feature films, Das set up her own production company to write, direct and produce, primarily Public Service films. From late 2011 to late 2014, Das brought her industry experience to her stint as Creative Director of Development & Production at Viacom18 Motion Pictures. This profile gave Das a comprehensive insight into the real working of the motion picture business- from creative collaborations and actual film production, to negotiating commercial terms and legal agreements with co-producers, and distribution and marketing calls. As director, Das has won awards for her short films, that also have some record-breaking views. She is currently in pre-production to direct her first feature-length film.

Manish Mundra is a producer, filmmaker and the founder of Drishyam Films. After a chance interaction with Rajat Kapoor on Twitter in 2013, he agreed to finance Ankhon Dekhi (2014). The film went on to win three Filmfare Awards and three Screen Awards. Since then, there has been no looking back for the corporate leader-turned-film producer. His Drishyam Films is a global motion-picture studio that has produced international award-winning films such as Masaan (2015), Umrika (2015), Waiting (2015), Dhanak (2016), Newton (2017), Rukh (2017), and Kadvi Hawa (2017). Newton won the National Award for Best Hindi Film, and was also selected as India’s official entry to the Academy Awards in 2018. Their most recent release, Kaamyaab starring Sanjay Mishra directed by the National Award winning filmmaker Hardik Mehta was presented by Shahrukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment and released in India to critical acclaim on March 6th 2020.

Their upcoming releases include National Award-winning Bengali director Suman Ghosh’s Hindi debut Aadhar starring Mukkabaaz actor Vineet Singh, veteran actor Seema Pahwa’s directorial debut Ram Prasad ki Tehrvi starring Konkana Sensharma and Vikrant Massey among others, and Umrika director Prashant Nair’s anthology feature Tryst with Destiny. Along with these, they have also produced their first regional feature, a Marathi film titled Ghaath directed by Chhatrapal Ninawe and starring acclaimed actor Jitendra Joshi.

Manish is also known for establishing the Drishyam–Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab for aspiring Indian screenwriters. He was named as one of Variety magazine’s Top 10 Producers to Watch Out For in 2017. He is currently working on his directorial debut project, a yet-to-be titled social drama feature film inspired by true events and set in Uttar Pradesh, India.

MODERATOR: Katherine Winston
Co-Founder and Managing Partner
WINSTON | BAKER

Katherine Winston has been at the forefront of event production, marketing and emerging trends for nearly twenty years. As co-founder and managing partner of WINSTON | BAKER, she oversees business operations, event production, marketing strategies, and new initiatives. In her previous role as Director of Marketing for RealD, she was in charge of creative advertising, supervised public relations, and organized event participation, product launches, and screenings. Prior to RealD, Winston was Senior Marketing Manager for GoTV Networks, where she was responsible for all aspects of marketing strategy and execution, including corporate and consumer marketing, web-to-mobile advertising, print, online, and experiential marketing, public relations, and managing brand partnership deals. Before GoTV, Winston was Conference Producer for Strategic Research Institute where she was responsible for producing high profile investment conferences for various sectors, including e-commerce, nanotech, defense & aerospace, biotech, law, real estate, and entertainment, among others. Winston earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with honors from the University of Washington and is a Phi Beta Kappa and National Association of Professional Women member. As a fervent advocate of entrepreneurialism, Winston is dedicated to connecting innovators with seasoned professionals who can fuel development and growth.

In support of the independent entertainment community, Winston Baker will be offering webinars for free or at highly discounted rates so that you can continue to acquire strategic knowledge and connect with industry leaders through these challenging times. Space will be limited so we can allow our attendees time for questions after each webinar.