MADHUREETA ANAND
FILM DIRECTOR/WRITER/ACTIVIST
FOUNDER
She is an independent filmmaker. Extremely prolific, she has directed two feature films/,
written five feature films, directed many documentary films and series, spanning an array of
genres. Many of her films have won national and international awards. She also writes for
various websites and magazines and has been featured in various books and other
publications.
She is an activist for women’s rights and rights of other minorities. She has consistently
used her films and influence to support the causes of ending violence against women and
children.
Activism
Madhureeta Anand has consistently used her influence and films to advocate causes related to
gender, sexuality and child rights.
Her film Kajarya collaborated with 21 NGOs in India and abroad including Eve Ensler’s - One
Billion Rising. The film has become a tool for activism and to provoke discussion. The film
is being screened across India’s villages and small towns by the partner NGOs.
Madhureeta has launched her Digital Channel, ma films, along with Culture Machine to create
a space for films that address an issue. Each of these films will be surrounded by a
campaign to help to bring to light the issue being addressed by the films. The Channel
launched on the 27th of July 2016.
She is also launching an app called “Phree” for the safety of women.
Madhureeta has a column “The Big M” on India Today’s website DailyO.
Madhureeta has twice been awarded the Karamveer award for her work that combines filmmaking
with activism.
FILMMAKING PROFILE
Madhureeeta Anand’s third feature film tentatively titled “O Mere Piya” is an unconventional
love story and is slated to go on the floors in September 2019.
Her fourth feature film titled “Decorate The Earth” is an English language co-production
between India and the United States is slated to go on the floors at the end of the year.
Madhureeta Anand’s second feature film is titled “Kajarya”, had a successful theatrical
release in India on the 4th of December 2015. premiered at The Dubai International Film
Festival. The Film’s Swiss Premier took place in Geneva at The International Human Rights
Film Festival where Kajarya is one of the 8 films in competition. The film was also selected
to The Montreal World Film Festival and Eless Tournet Brussels where it is the opening film
of t he festival. Kajarya was also chosen as one of the top five films to see in 2014 by
Forbes India Magazine. Kajarya won the best foreign film award at The Silk Route Film
Festival and China. The film has an all‐new star cast of trained actors and explores the
issue of female feoticide and related women’s issues.
Madhureeta founded and is the festival director of the only Digital Film Festival in the
country; the 0110 Digital Film Festival. The festival, started as collaboration with the
British Council, Fame Cinemas and PVR Pictures, has well known filmmakers and actors on its
jury.
She has written, directed and executive produced with PVR Pictures, her first full‐length
commercial feature film ‘Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye’, starring Randeep Hooda, Arbaaz Khan and
Raima Sen, which released on February 6, 2009.
In 2007, she directed, produced and wrote ‘Laying Janaki to Rest’, a documentary film on
Sita the Goddess; ‘The Magic Tent’, which she co‐wrote and produced.
In 2006, she was awarded the Silver Conch at the Mumbai International Film Festival, for her
film ‘Walking on a Moonbeam’.
Her documentary ‘Education – A reality or a myth’ was nominated at the Zanzibar
International Film Festival in 2002. Her film titled ‘Sin’ was nominated in the Short Film
section at The Damah Film Festival at Seattle (USA) in October 2002.
Furthermore, she was the only woman camera director on a crew of directors on Channel
4(UK)’s award winning series ‘The Greatest Show on Earth – The Kumbh Mela’ (2001). She has
also won the Royal Television Society Craft Award for it.
In 2001, Madhureeta produced and directed a thirty‐minute documentary feature on the Kumbh
Mela‐ ‘In Search of Salvation’ for the German Telecast Footprint
(Austria/Switzerland/Germany). The Damah Film Festival at Seattle (USA) invited this film on
October 11, 2001, where it fetched her award for Excellence in Film Making. It was also
nominated at the Commonwealth Film Festival (Manchester, U.K. June 30, 2002).
Further Details of her work are available on www.ekaafilms.com, HYPERLINK " www.0110idff.com and HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madhureeta_Anand
Pradeep Bakshi
Co-Founder
Pradeep Bakshi, our Co-Founder and Partner, Managing Partner at Trantor. He works tirelessly to enable companies to build centres of excellence to improve processes and to reduce cost.
Shilpa Ajwani
Founder & CEO
Unomantra
Shilpa Ajwani is the Founder & CEO of Unomantra, a Business Strategy Consulting & Leadership Advisory Firm that enables Leaders & Businesses to thrive by aligning strategy with purpose. Unomantra also curates custom interventions on Strategic Thinking and Leadership to enhance the pool of purpose-driven, effective leaders who add tremendous value to organisations across the world. She uses her rich professional experience of 3 decades to enable growth for brands, leaders, communities and organisations using her unique “purpositioning” approach. She has also founded SHEmantra, a global community of women entrepreneurs in service- based businesses such as coaching and consulting. Shilpa has had an illustrious career with reputed MNCs and has earned a rock-solid reputation as a transformative leader. Among the many accolades that she has won was CEO of the year 2017 confered by the Economic Times Polymer Awards while she was leading Tupperware India as the Managing Director. She’s a much sought after Speaker, Panelist, Mentor and Advisory Board Member.
Pia Singh
Director
DLF
Pia Singh is a Director on the board of DLF, India’s largest real estate company and Chairperson of DLF Foundation which is the philanthropic arm of the group. Prior to that she has been the Chairperson of DLF Retail Developers and Director of DT Cinemas. In that position she has pioneered the creation of malls in India and spearheaded the creation of numerous DLF Retail Malls across India including building the countries first luxury retail mall. She conceptualized, created and built DT Cinemas into a well-known multiplex brand. Pia is a director on the board of PI Industries, one of India’s largest Agrochemical companies. She began her career at GE Capital, an investment division of General Electric. Her area of expertise includes business management, strategic planning and implementation. Pia serves as a trustee of Ananda Sangha India which is the spiritual organization that works to spread the great Indian Guru Paramhansa Yogananda’s teachings in India and in this capacity operates many teaching centers across India offline and online. Pia founded the Paramhansa Yogananda Public Charitable Trust to undertake spiritually driven charitable work in India. The trust works with the most disadvantaged sections of society, with a focus on elderly widows, and provides need-based care including shelter, food and medical help. Pia has also founded Yogananda Films which produces spiritual educational and entertaining content. Pia is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. She is the President of the University of Pennsylvania Institute for Advanced Study of India and a member of the University of Pennsylvania Asia Campaign Leadership Committee.
Tejpreet Chopra
Advisor
Tejpreet Chopra, President and CEO of Bharat Light & Power. He has a demonstrated history of working in the renewables and environment industry and is a strong business development professional. His last assignment up to year 2009 was of President & CEO of General Electric in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and was responsible for GE’s growth strategies in these countries. Mr. Chopra is a graduate with Economics (Hons.) from St. Stephen’s College in Delhi and MBA from Cornell University.
Ipsita Kathuria
Founder & CEO
TalentNomics India
Ipsita is a seasoned HR and Talent Management professional with more than 30 years of work experience. She founded TalentNomics India in 2015 with a vision to reimagine the leadership canvas of South Asia with equal representation of women. She has spent a decade in various Senior Management Roles within the Human Resources Department at the International Monetary Fund Headquarters in Washington D.C. Earlier, she held leadership positions in both the public and private sector in India. She has extensive experience in performance management, talent management, succession management, leadership development, change management and diversity and inclusion.
Shireen Vakil Miller
Advisor
Shireen has two decades of experience in social development and, in particular, child development and child rights in India, the UK, and globally. Also and expert in strategy, programme management, advocacy, campaigns, and media she built the Advocacy, Campaigns, and Communication function for Save the Children India; and the Policy and Advocacy capabilities for the Tata Trusts. She also has the strong ability to build strong networks amongst diverse stakeholders - including government, donors, civil society, private sector, and media. She is currently the Safety Policy Manager – South Asia at Facebook
Sehjo Singh
Advisor
Sehjo Singh, an International Handloom Specialist at the International Trade Centre. She has served as the Director of Programmes and Policy at Action Aid India for six years. She has also served as the Executive Director of National Centre for Advocacy Studies, and has further worked as an award-winning independent filmmaker. She currently works on a project of setting up small scalable enterprises in the handloom and allied sectors in Ethiopia.
