CHALLENGING THE RULES OF ENTERTAINMENT
No matter where we were placed in the world, we all love entertainment. These women producers/directors have helmed challenging projects and succeeded against all odds, providing engagement to audiences through tough times!
Anushka Sharma
Anushka Sharma’s production company Clean Slate Filmz has truly redefined the meaning of pathbreaking storytelling in Bollywood with films like NH10, Phillauri and Pari. In 2020, her production company presented OTT hits like the widely acclaimed Paatal Lok and the intriguing film, Bulbbul. In May last year, her web series Paatal Lok, created a sensation. Written and created by Sudip Sharma, the gritty crime thriller was lauded for its brilliant writing and strong performances. At the inaugural Filmfare OTT Awards it was nominated in eight categories and won in five. Her most recent production Bulbbul starring Tripti Dimri was also acclaimed for its strong feminist narrative.
Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone’s superstardom has never come in the way of her constant exploration of new horizons. Padukone formed her own company Ka Productions in 2018. In 2020, Chhapaak, her first production in collaboration with Fox Star Studios, hit the screens. The film directed by Meghna Gulzar was based on the life of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal. Despite the controversy that dogged the film’s release, Padukone stood her ground showing her critics and supporters alike that she would always back causes and stories that she believes to be important..
Deepshikha Deshmukh
In 2020, producer Deepshikha Deshmukh who leads the strategy and production efforts at Pooja Entertainment, fought a global pandemic to complete a start-to-finish shoot for her production house’s film, Bellbottom. The multi-starrer espionage thriller was completed in two extended outdoor schedules. In 2021, she will be helming the production of Ganapath, an action thriller starring Tiger Shroff. Deshmukh started her career by assisting with costumes on the sets of 2001’s Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai and worked her way up. She debuted as a producer in 2016 with the critically acclaimed blockbuster Sarabjit, starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Randeep Hooda.
Rangita Nandy
Rangita Nandy is Creative Director at Pritish Nandy Communications (PNC) and the producer of the popular web series, Four More Shots Please! In 2020, the second season of the spunky show broke viewership records and Nandy became a force to reckon with in the industry. The third season of the show is in the works and she is busy developing new content that she promises will be youth-centric, will have a strong female voice and will be nothing like what has been done and dusted before.
Ashwini Yardi
After having a 20-year-long career in television, Ashwini Yardi formed a production company, Grazing Goat Pictures, with actor Akshay Kumar in December 2011. But in 2020, she truly broke free with the hit biographical series Masaba Masaba, which was produced by her own company, Viniyard Films. The series starring designer Masaba Gupta and veteran actor Neena Gupta blurred the line between fact and fiction and won praise for its contemporary take on issues like friendship, romance, marriage, and career conflicts.
