OUR JURY

PRANAY LAL

Pranay Lal is a natural history writer and the award winning author of Indica: A Deep Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent and Invisible Empire: The Natural History of Viruses. He serves on several Government of India committees, and regularly writes and speaks about the natural world through leading newspapers and podcasts.

Dilip Shankar is a theatre maker, actor, casting director, and educator based at the Karmic Research Centre. He writes, directs, performs, and teaches theatre and poetry, while working closely with young people across Delhi. As a casting director, he has helped shape acclaimed films including Monsoon Wedding, The Darjeeling Limited, Life of Pi, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Angry Indian Goddesses, Girls Will Be Girls, and Last Film Show.

DILIP SHANKAR

PRIYA THUVASSERY

Priya Thuvassery is an independent documentary filmmaker, television producer, TEDx speaker, and Co CEO of Chambal Media. With over 16 years of experience, she has collaborated with Public Service Broadcasting Trust, NDTV, Channel NewsAsia, and Films Division of India. Her films include Coral Woman, Survey Number Zero, City Girls, and My Sacred Glass Bowl, and have screened internationally.

SUMIT ROY

Sumit Roy is an award winning screenwriter and filmmaker whose work brings emotional depth and social insight to contemporary Indian cinema. His writing credits include Gehraiyaan, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, and Homebound, reflecting a storytelling practice that bridges intimate human relationships with larger social questions.

ARATI KUMAR RAO

Working across South Asia, Arati Kumar Rao documents the accelerating impacts of environmental degradation through images, words, sound, and art. A National Geographic Explorer, her work has appeared in National Geographic, BBC, The Guardian, and Emergence. Her award winning book Marginlands chronicles the human and ecological cost of a rapidly changing world.

RAJSHRI DESPANDE

Rajshri Deshpande is an award-winning actor celebrated for her powerful performances in acclaimed Indian and international cinema, including Angry Indian Goddesses, Sexy Durga, Sacred Games, Trial by Fire, The Fame Game, Black Warrant, and Satyashodhak. Beyond her acting career, Rajshri is the founder of Nabhangaan Foundation, which has been instrumental in reviving river systems and fostering sustainable development in drought-prone villages across Marathwada. Her work bridges storytelling and social impact, bringing depth to both her art and advocacy.

OUR AMBASSADORS AND ADVOCATES

  • Eternal Sunshine Productions

    PRODUCTION HOUSE

  • Richie Mehta

    WRITER AND DIRECTOR

  • Sayani Gupta

    ACTOR

  • Ahilya Bamroo

    ACTOR, CONTENT CREATOR

  • Jackie Shroff

    ACTOR AND ENVIRONMENTALIST

  • Mrunmayee Deshpande Rao

    ACTOR, FILM WRITER AND DIRECTOR

  • Padma Shri Suresh Wadkar

    CLASSICAL PLAYBACK SINGER

  • Gautam Pandey

    WILDLIFE FILMMAKER

  • Rohan Chakravarty

    CARTOONIST, CREATOR OF GREEN HUMOUR

  • Svabhu Kohli

    VISUAL STORYTELLER

  • Pooja Gupta

    ARTIST, STORYTELLER

  • Achili Mihu

    AUTHOR, COMMUNITY HEALTH MOBILIZER

ADVISORY BOARD

DR MIKE PANDAY

Dr. Pandey is an environmentalist, naturalist, wildlife conservationist and filmmaker. For 18 years, he presented India’s national programme ‘Earth Matters’.
He was named ‘Hero of the Environment’ by Times Magazine and ‘Son of the Earth’ by the UN. Amongst his awards he counts 3 Green Oscars.

SOPHY VISVARAMAN

Sophy is the co-founder and chief executive of the Indian Documentary Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that was founded with the aim to promote and develop documentaries in India and about India. Sophy strategizes impact campaigns for documentary filmmakers and helps raise funding for outreach activities. Sophy is currently on the advisory board of Dhai Akshar – a non-profit that uses art, and culture-based curriculum to educate street kids and an Advisory Board Member with SOBA at NMIMS ( School of Branding & Advertising ).

POOJA JAUHARI

Pooja is the CEO of The Glitch, one of India's top 5 creative agencies. Her mission is to run a high performance gender inclusive workplace. Pooja has been featured as IMPACT’s top 50 influential women of 2018, 2019 and 2020, IMPACT 40 under 40 and on the Campaign Asia A List.

DATTA DAVE

Datta Dave is the co-founder of Tulsea, a strategic talent and content management company which represents and advises India's leading content creators. Tulsea's clients work across platforms including motion pictures, television, new media, and publishing. The company is dedicated to identifying emerging creative talent that will be tomorrow's premier storytellers.