Niharika Singh

Niharika Singh is an accomplished theater and film personality. She is visiting expert faculty for acting with the National School of Drama (NSD) and has been head of acting faculty with Barry John Acting Studio. She has acted in and mentored a number of internationally acclaimed and award-winning films. She has her own film production house and has produced and directed a number of documentary films. As a psychologist, she brings a unique and valuable perspective to the performing arts. She is the founder member of the Society for Culture & Environment which organizes The Bhopal Literature and Art Festival every year in Bhopal.

Surendra S. Verma

Surendra S. Verma has an extensive and illustrious career spanning over 40 years in the Indian film industry, marked by collaborations with some of Bollywood’s most renowned directors and actors. He has independently directed several advertising films for brands such as Bajaj Industries, Nalini Saree, and Adrika Tea. His regional work includes successful Marathi films like “Majhya Navryachi Bayko,” which garnered multiple awards, and “Bhavisya Chi Aisi Taisi.” “Hume Toh Loot Liya” is his latest Hindi film starring Rajpal Yadav, Manoj Joshi, Upasana Singh, and others.

He has worked as an Associate Director with the esteemed J.P. Dutta on acclaimed films such as “Umrao Jaan,” “L.O.C. Kargil,” “Refugee,” “Border,” “Kshatriya,” “Batwara,” “Yateem,” “Hathyar,” and “Ghulami.” He also collaborated as an Associate Director with N. Chandra on “Wajood” and “Shikari.” Throughout his career, he has worked with Bollywood icons including Hema Malini, Madhuri Dixit, Aishwarya Rai, Shabana Azmi, Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgan, Sunil Shetty, Rani Mukherjee, Jackie Shroff, Kareena Kapoor, Dharmendra, Mithun Chakraborty, Nana Patekar, Govinda, Tabu, and many others. Known for his creativity, technical prowess, and strong public relations skills, Surendra values hard work, honesty, and the acceptance of new ideas.

Dr. Sonu Shiva

She is a Professor of English at Dungar College, Bikaner, India, with over 25 years of experience in teaching and research. A noted film critic, she has traveled across Europe and Southeast Asia to deliver lectures. Her research publications in international journals explore cinematic works such as Kamal Amrohi’s Pakeezah, Muzaffar Ali’s Umrao Jaan, and film adaptations by Deepa Mehta (Earth, Water, Fire) and Vishal Bhardwaj (Haider, Maqbool, Omkara). Under her guidance, eleven scholars have successfully completed their PhDs. Her research interests include diasporic and world literature, film studies, and gender studies.

MADHUMITA BARIK

A film actress and theater artiste from the National School of Drama (NSD) Repertory and Sri Ram Center for Performing Arts (SRC) Repertory. She obtained an MA in Theatre from the Department of Indian Theatre Panjab University, Chandigarh, and a Five Years Graduation course in Classical Music from Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. She has worked in several films, serials, and web series like Kaun Kitna Paani Mein, I Didn’t Do It, Udta Punjab, Dongri ka Raja, The Tashkent Files, Shamshera, Manaska, Ao Chalo Gaon Mein, A Girl in the City, Bombay Begums, Serious Men, etc. for the past several years.

Keyuri Shah

Keyuri Shah is a renowned actress in Indian theater and commercial films, based in Mumbai. She began her career in theater and has since appeared in six Hindi commercial films and nearly 30 Gujarati, Rajasthani, and Marathi films, with many more currently in post-production. Her performances in a number of short films have earned her several awards. In addition to acting, Keyuri has worked as a model and has appeared in commercial advertisements for various brands and print media. Thanks to her sweet and versatile voice, she has hosted several radio shows on Fever 104 FM and has lent her voice to over 100 movies including animated films.

Sunita Rajvanshi

A Mathematician with a degree from IIT, Roorkee, India and a Mixed Media Artist. With a passion for art, she attained a diploma in Fine Arts from Raja Mansingh Tomar Music & Arts University, India and has participated in various art exhibitions across India, Middle East and Europe for charity purposes. She loves to watch all types of films and is a passionate critique. She also believes that movies shape our lives.

Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube : @SunRajArts

Irfan Jami

An award winning independent filmmaker from India, is known for his outstanding contributions to the world of cinema. His latest narrative short film, “LEMME TELL U,” was screened at various international film festivals across the USA, UK, Australia, and Canada. With a career spanning two decades, he has showcased his multifaceted talents as a director, screenwriter, lyricist, and editor with over 200 projects to his credit spanning various genres, including TV commercials, short films, telefilms, tele-series, video spots, corporate films, documentaries, and docudramas. He has also served as a visiting director for Ramoji Group’s Eenadu TV channel, and as the head of the audio-visual divisions for both Virgo TV and Mountain River Films, based in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Khyati Rajvanshi

An alumna of Oxford Brookes, Oxford and Westminster, London, UK, Khyati Rajvanshi is Journalist, columnist, and producer with a deep passion for films and art.

Pooja Singh

Pooja Singh is an Indian journalist who has been active in the field of journalism for 24 years. She started her career in 2001 with Zee News’ program ‘India’s Most Wanted’. After starting her anchoring career with DD News, Pooja Singh has been associated with many media organizations, including DD National, Janmat Channel, MH One News, Aaj Tak, Sudarshan News and India News. Along with serving as an RJ on All India Radio, Pooja Singh has also lent her voice to the BBC, History Channel, National Geographic Channels. She has also acted in the film ‘Khalish’ and has anchored docudrama ‘The Kingmaker of The Mughal Empire’. These days her podcast ‘The Pooja Singh Podcast’ aka ‘PSP’ is in discussion in which she talks to celebrities from different fields.

Harish Maharishi

“Harish Maharshi is a prominent artist who played a lead role in the Rajasthani film ‘Chimpudo’ and won the title of Mr. Talented in the 2023 Mr. Rajasthan competition. He is also a national-level dance performer and a theater artist. Harish Maharshi runs the ‘Deepa Music Factory’ YouTube channel. His Bollywood debut is happening in ‘Crazy for Dance 2’.”

Aniruddha Sharma

“Aniruddha Sharma is an author, screenwriter, musician, and filmmaker. He has worked as a writer, director, and lyricist across various film projects. His book Cinema Saptak, an extensive study of Hindi film music from 1931 to 1999, was recently honored with the prestigious “Vageeshwari Samman” by the Madhya Pradesh Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, and he is regarded as a respected name in Indian literary circles. As a filmmaker, he has written and directed films ranging from short to feature length, with ongoing creative work across multiple formats. With his multidisciplinary experience in literature, music, and cinema, he brings a rich and nuanced perspective to the world of filmmaking.”

Farhana Ahmed

Accomplished journalist with over a decade of experience reporting for The Assam Tribune. Nationally and internationally recognized for impactful work in gender-sensitive journalism, film criticism, climate communication, and antitrafficking advocacy. A published author and award-winning filmmaker with a strong presence in public discourse, fellowships, and cross-border collaborations.

Brenda Malley

Brenda Malley, an alumna of the University of New Brunswick (BA’82) and University of Ottawa (MCA ’84), has been writing, directing and producing screenplays since 2016. Having retired in 2017 from the New Brunswick Department of Justice and Public Safety as a Policy and Program Advisor for 33 years, her background in human behaviour and Justice afforded her the fodder she needed to portray on-screen many issues facing society. These issues include sexism in the military, unrequited love based on religious differences, dating digitally by baby boomers, male misogyny in the workforce, and undiagnosed Adult Autism. In addition, she co-produced and directed a music video for Robert Thomas and the Session Men (The Way We Roll, 2024). All these short narratives, one feature film, and a music video have been selected and garnered awards at numerous film festivals in Canada and abroad. Brenda has been a member of the jury at the International Film Festival The Hague since 2023, and in 2025 joined the jury for the Aravali International Film Festival.

Brenda is currently in pre-production for a short period piece that she is co-producing and directing. It goes to principal photography in February 2026. Her documentary, The Escuminac Disaster: Beneath the Surface is presently in postproduction. This documentary focuses on post-war New Brunswick as understood through the 1959 Escuminac Disaster. Thirty-five fishermen from a small region of New Brunswick, Canada, perished in the worst storm at sea in the province for more than a century.

Avnish Rajvanshi

“An Oil/Gas Producer by Profession and A Filmmaker by Passion”

From the oil production fields of Middle East and Europe, Avnish Rajvanshi ventured into the field of filmmaking with his first film ‘The Kingmaker of the Mughal Empire’ which won international awards and accolades. With three more film production projects in the pipeline, he is also organising film festivals in The Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States, Malaysia and India. As the Festival Director of this event, his vision is to encourage, identify and showcase talent from the crowd and to support production value over budget.

Additional Background: With a distinguished career behind with majors like Shell International, he holds a Ph.D. from Indian Institute of Technology IIT(ISM), India, with management certification from Queensland University of Technology, Australia; Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands; Cranfield School of Management, United Kingdom; University of Texas at Austin, United States and Shell Project Academy, The Netherlands.

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