AYESHA SOOD | DIRECTOR

A member of the film fraternity for over twenty years, Ayesha began her career by working under Aradhana Seth, production designer for the film Earth 1947. After this, she went on to work with directors including Pankaj Butalia, Mira Nair, Deepa Mehta, Rahul Bose, Daisy Von Mayer, and Farhan Akhtar. In 2005, Ayesha wrote, directed and produced The Cherry On Top which received critical acclaim and was screened at film festivals across the world including France, Brazil, Portugal, Spain, Italy, the United States and the United Kingdom.

In 2011 Ayesha co-founded Jamun, an independent film company in Delhi, which has been producing socially engaged content, commissioned commercial work, line production services and developing a slate of original fiction and non-fiction content. Ayesha was able to exercise her passions for both visuals and music when directing the second season of The Dewarists (2012 bronze Cannes winner), a documentary television series featuring some of the world’s finest musical artists. In 2016, Ayesha lead Jamun in producing India’s first true crime podcast on the Aarushi Talwar case - Trial by Error, delving into intense investigative research and non-fiction storytelling.

Since then she has directed and produced multiple documentary series for broadcast and streaming platforms. She is currently directing a 3 part gripping and suspenseful docu-series, 'Indian Predator' that decodes the minds of some of India's most dangerous killers and is soon to premiere on Netflix. Besides her love for film Ayesha is an obsessive tennis player, loves to play hide and seek with her cats, and enjoys cooking everyday.

UDAYAN BAIJAL | PRODUCER 

Udayan Baijal is a producer at Jamun with a background in international feature films, documentaries and commercials.  At Jamun, Udayan is working towards developing original cross-media content, tools and business models for filmmakers and digital artists. He has worked as first assistant director on international films including Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark 30, Christopher Nolan's Batman – The Dark Knight Rises, John Madden's The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Mira Nair's The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Udayan worked as the Visual Effects Assistant Director on the India leg of Ang Lee's Life of Pi. He has also worked in post production as an assistant editor on Slumdog Millionaire in London and in digital distribution at Emerging Pictures, New York. While at Emerging, Udayan developed a keen interest in alternative distribution and marketing strategies for independent content.

Udayan holds a Bachelors degree in History from St Stephen’s College, Delhi University and a Masters in Mass Communication from A.J.K. M.C.R.C, Jamia Millia Islamia University. In May 2007, Udayan was awarded the prestigious INLAKS Scholarship to train in digital film distribution and post production with leading film companies and filmmakers in New York and London.

For a peak into Udayans' film making journey, watch his Ted X talk here.

And for his feature film credits, click here.  

ISHA ASHTA | DIRECTOR

Isha began her career in Mumbai at Grey Worldwide as a copywriter, intending to eventually extend her vision to the medium of film as a director. Over the past decade she has worked with some of the stalwart directors of the advertising & film industry, garnering from each, a keen eye for cinematic storytelling.

 Isha’s work as a director includes commercials for brands such as Xiaomi, One Plus, Horlicks, Google, as well as profiles of people in sports, the outdoors, comedy, NGOs, and the arts. As a filmmaker, she is drawn to stories with distinct elements of human and social consciousness. Being an outdoors person, she is most inspired by the narratives of people in the outdoors, especially women.

 A mathematics graduate of St. Stephen’s College, she went on to study Film at Xavier’s, Mumbai. She was based in Mumbai for the early years of her career and now resides in her hometown, Delhi.

NEEL CHAUDHURI | RESIDENT WRITER

Neel's experience in full-length play writing brings essential skills to Jamun's Writers Room, notably a strong handle on long-form character development, the crafting of dramatic moments, and overall narrative structure. As a director of devised theatre, he is adept at overseeing ideation in the Writers Room, ensuring that everyone’s ideas are integrated in a way that best supports the story.

Neel is a Founder and Artistic Director of The Tadpole Repertory, a collective of writers, actors, directors and designers. He is also a member of the Lincoln Center Theater's Directors Lab in New York, and PLUTO, a coalition of international theatre writers and directors.

PRARTHNA SINGH | PHOTOGRAPHER

Prarthna's work is concerned with India’s transitional nature; that of contrast, fragility and abundance. Her images have a recognisable language, revealing the human condition and capturing design through minimal intervention. Observing the banality of everyday, she often photographs subjects in the context of modern India; people appear in their natural environment speaking certain truths and raising questions of a larger narrative. Light and its relationship to the subject play a central role in her portraiture, editorial and fashion imagery. Singh is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in photography. Working across digital, film and video, her images have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Sunday Guardian, FT Weekend, Monocle, Wallpaper City Guide, Vogue India, ELLE, Architectural Digest and CNN. Her clients include Nike, Airbnb, Tata, Old Spice, Indigo Airlines, Lakmé and Levis. She had her first book Sār: The Essence Of Indian Design published by Phaidon press in 2016. Previously based in New York, she currently resides in Mumbai, India. 

Prarthna is part of the Jamun family and we're honoured to have her on board!

To view her work, visit her website www.prarthnasingh.com

VANI TRIPATHI | DEVELOPMENT PRODUCER

Vani is a Modern Indian History postgraduate from Jawaharlal Nehru University with a background in digital advertising. Her role at Jamun is as Development Producer and writer. While on shoot she is also Jamun's Assistant Director. She's a music nerd and drinks way too much coffee.

MAYANKESH RANJAN | 3D Generalist & VFX Supervisor

Mayankesh Ranjan is a 3D generalist, motion design artist and VFX supervisor. He has a B. Tech in electronics and communication from Amity University, Noida and worked as a software engineer for 2 years until his love for VFX overtook him. He then pursued a masters in Visual Effects from Bournemouth University, UK and has worked on numerous projects with clients from all over the world. He’s also keenly interested in film, sketching, video games and is a self confessed tech geek. To check out his works, click here.

SEONATH WAKRAMBAM | CINEMATOGRAPHER and ART DIRECTOR

Born in Manipur, Seonath is an artist who likes to cover a lot of ground. After pursuing a P.G. Diploma in Photography and Visual Communication, he took up a keen interest in mix media and is now a big fan of it. Also a musician in a couple of bands back in Manipur, his passion for art is on the rise and not looking to wane anytime soon. To check out his works, click here.

PARAS GURUNG | EDITOR

Paras Gurung is a video artist (Videographer) who likes to create and experiment with different formats and genres of video. He studied history and likes mixing the old with new. On days he is not shooting, you will find him doing the tiki-taka, learning a new chord or listening to Arctic Monkeys.

ABHINEET KUMAR | Director’s assistant

Abhineet is an independent filmmaker. He graduated from Colby-Sawyer College with a B.A. in Media and Communications Studies, minors in Film Studies, Philosophy and Creative Writing and a Summa Cum Laude distinction. He has made several short films, three of which have screened at film festivals in India and the United States. Obsessed with film, he keeps a diary of everything he watches on his Letterboxd profile (abhineetk). To check out his films, click here.

rukmini roy | Production Assistant and Researcher

Rukmini recently graduated with a degree in Psychology and Visual Arts from O.P Jindal Global University. She has always been interested in the visual medium and enjoys creating short videos in her free time. She has been engaged in photography at school and college levels, as well as during internship experiences.

Rukmini is also passionate about music; she enjoys listening to different genres and has studied Hindustani vocal music. At Jamun, she is enjoying learning more about the filmmaking process from ideation to post-production.

AJAY KHANNA | PRODUCTION ACCOUNTANT

Ajay Khanna is a retired banker, now working with Jamun as an independent finance consultant. He has a natural inclination towards numbers, but when he is not working, he is cheering on India's cricket team or waiting for the Wimbledon games to begin. His favourite players are Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, but he believes that all players should get a fair chance at victory, He also believes that there are few things better than home cooked food. 

RAKESH KUMAR | BUILDING MANAGER

Rakesh is the building manager at Jamun and on set he works as a Production Manager. He is a father of two who loves to listen to old Bollywood songs and enjoys riding his bike. He likes to play badminton in his free time.

rahul kumar | office assistant

Rahul is a hard-working office assistant. Currently, he's undergoing I.T.I. vocational training to eventually become an electrician. He loves his family deeply, is an avid traveler and enjoys classic Hindi music. One day, he hopes to travel to Ooty, Kerala.