jury showcase

Over the years Onir has carved quite the niche for himself in both art film circuits and commercial cinema. While his deeply sensitive and authentically emotional films aren’t quite middle-of-the-road they do achieve a rare balance between artistic raves and commercial success. My Brother Nikhil, Sorry Bhai, Bas Ek Pal and I Am have won several international as well as Indian honours. Onir is also one of the pioneer filmmakers to turn to short film production.

A young and industrious filmmaker Shakun Batra has the pulse of the Indian youth. His family drama Kapoor & Sons was undoubtedly one of the best feature films of 2016. Even his first feature Ekk Main Aur Ek Tu was the perfect mix of modern values and classic romance. Shakun’s natural flair of real and authentic drama makes him one of the most promising filmmakers of the future. His finesse with storytelling makes him the right guy for the shorter version of filmmaking.

Nikkhil Advani had a dream start to his filmmaking career with Kal Ho Naa Ho. Over the years he’s compiled quite the eclectic list of films. While he’s found success in ensemble casts like that of Salaam-E-Ishq, he’s also tasted success with taut thrillers like D-Day. Chandni Chowk To China’s experimental comedy also added a new flavour to Nikkhil slick career. He’s one filmmaker who understands modern film sensibilities and knows how to tell a tall tale.

A director who dabbled with every form of cinema possible. Kabir Khan first burst on to the scene with documentaries. His first big foray into commercial cinema happened with Kabul Express. Ever since he teamed up with Salman Khan, his career’s catapulted into the higher echelons of stardom. Bajrangi Bhaijaan is considered a modern classic and Kabir is a filmmaking maestro.

After a successful career in the advertisement sector, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari decided to change tracks and became a filmmaker. Her debut film, Nil Battey Sannata (2016), which spoke about encouraging girls to take up schooling, went on to win laurels and her second venture, Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017), a lightweight comedy, was a successful film in its own right. Ashwiny is married to another powerhouse director, Nitesh Tiwari.

Nitesh Tiwari was an adman before he entered cinema. He made his directorial debut by co-directing Chillar Party (2011) which won the National Film Award for Best Children's Film for that year. He also directed another children's film Bhoothnath Returns in 2014. In 2016, he scripted, and directed Dangal starring Aamir Khan. The film is one of the highest-grossing Indian films, having collected over 2,000 crores.