Shrishti Behl from Netflix India, set her resume aside within two minutes. 35+ films commissioned at Netflix India (Hindi, Tamil, Telugu). Co-founder production house. 40+ films, 15 series. VP Producers Guild, International Emmy Awards junior member. She said – welcome to somebody who is not necessarily that smart but is very frank.
At Netflix, she looked for underserved emotional territory. Not what had worked. What was missing. The simplest approach: talk to universal emotions. Fear, Love, and Blockbusters work because they tap these without demanding nuance. The more nuanced, the smaller the audience. Both valid. The mistake: spending big-budget money on small-audience content.
On Phantom Films: India’s first real director studio. Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Vikas Bahl, and Madhu Mantena. Secure enough to fund each other. Named it Phantom for the unseen filmmakers. Their assistants – Neeraj Ghaywan (Masaan) – could pitch and get financed. Today, most Phantom films including Queen would probably be considered direct to digital.
She admitted: in 2018 she joined Netflix and spent 3 years telling everyone theatres are not important. Then joined Phantom and immediately had to say theatres are very important. Her actual belief: emotion takes people to theatres, not spectacle. Dunki had unprecedented numbers. She asked students: what would make you put on your pants and go to the theatre?
On viewing data: when a celebrity passed away, more people watched the controversial film than the beloved one. Your OTT history is the honest version of who you are. The posturing happens in public. At home, at midnight, that is where you find out what you actually want to watch. She pirated GoT every morning for the first 3 seasons (not available in India then). She said she really got it when students admitted to piracy.
On rereleases: Tumbbad made 30 crores on rerelease, which is unexpectedly good but would not be considered successful if it came out fresh at that budget. On Gujarati cinema: a student called it not robust. She pushed back: under-highlighted, not underdeveloped. Very different thing.
She mentioned Reed Hastings. Recommended The Pivot podcast for the confidence of its hosts. Her favourite film: one I have not made yet. On films ahead of their time: she does not believe in the concept. If a film does not communicate, that is a failure of communication, not of timing.
Student feedback: the reminder that emotional connection matters more than timing trends resonated. The emphasis on identity, both as artist and storyteller, was sharp and current. Pursue filmmaking and TV production by pursuing Bachelor of Science in Film and TV Production from Parul University!
Amit Rai: Earth on a Tulsi Leaf, the Tea Boy, and the Secret Scroll
Amit Rai from Ulhasnagar use to travel for 5-hour daily in train to reach Andheri. No screen to stare at. You sat with yourself. That commute taught him how to think. With the metro today, everyone is on their phones. Something that used to happen in those hours no longer happens.
Taught maths and science. One of the student has even topped district at 89-90%. Her group came back: teach us commerce. So he taught commerce 4 years. Then Marathi plays. Then NSD (National School of Drama) entrance. Guide redirected to Pune. Master’s degree. Then film.
The earth and tulsi leaf story: a great woman writer from UP, going through a difficult phase. Nothing in the house to eat. A sadhu knocked asking for something. The writer told her daughter: go outside, there is earth on the ground, take a little of it. The daughter put earth on a tulsi leaf, gave it to the sadhu. He accepted and left. Years later the daughter asked: why? The mother said: that was not for him. That was for you. So the practice of giving stays alive inside you. The sanskar of generosity.
The tea boy: on a film set, a cameraman set up his frame and said remove that flowerpot. A tea boy called from across the set: it is not in the frame. The cameraman was irritated. But the boy was right – the flowerpot was on the razor edge. The fundamental lesson: if I can see the lens, the lens can see me. That boy now had a career path.
On Kung Fu Panda: the secret scroll is a mirror. Po sees only his own face. The secret is you. Not motivation. Fact. Kishore Kumar never received formal training. He sang by listening. He absorbed.
The IPS exam story: a couple in love. He tried the IPS exam and failed. She could clear it in one attempt. She sat out attempt after attempt. He cleared on his fourth. She cleared in the very next round. The film positions him as the hero. But whose story is it really?
On Akshay Kumar: traffic jam, 280 crew stuck. Akshay cycled through, arrived on time. At 5 PM, work done, he left. Nobody else had done that. That is why he commands his fees.
He named his son Vimal after Bimal Roy (Devdas, Bandini, Do Bigha Zamin, Madhumati). Never met Roy. Met him through his work. The dignity Roy gave female characters, the music of Salil Chowdhry, the editing, the words of Gulzar as assistant. Absorbed all of it without meeting a single one.
A clapper boy from 13 years ago had come to one of his shoots. That boy just finished directing Gullak Season 4. Neither knew at the time that anything had been given or received.
“I am not a self-made man. I was made by everyone I ever watched carefully.”
On his stories: I did not write them. These stories already existed. They found me. Student feedback: it felt less like a lecture on filmmaking and more like a reflection on life, creativity, and rediscovering one’s authentic self. If you too wish to master the art of storytelling, you can explore courses to BA in Journalism & Communication program from Parul University.
Makarand Deshpande at Prithvi Theatre and Satish Narayana at NMIC/IICT
Makarand Deshpande at Prithvi Theatre: non-profit under Shri Prithviraj Kapoor Memorial Trust. Theatre as national service: Kala desh ki seva mein. Cafe, bookshop, creative spaces nurturing generations.
Makarand Deshpande’s core message:
- Playwriting begins with one intense truth; let its temperature grow
- Theatre needs barood (a strong pulse), not over-construction
- Naatak ka matlab hi hai bhavnaon ka tanaav (without emotional conflict, no real theatre)
- Do not rush to complete a play; let it find its own pulse
- Observe life deeply, study other art forms, let collaboration shape characters
Student feedback: the interaction moved beyond theory and focused on the emotional core. Theatre is not performance, it is a living, breathing experience.
Satish Narayana (IICT) at three venues:
- Bharat Pavilion (Gulshan Mahal): Shruti (oral), Kriti (written), Drishti (visual) traditions from cave paintings to cinema
- NMIC: Lumiere Brothers, Watson’s Hotel (1896), Dadasaheb Phalke, Raja Harishchandra (1913), studio systems, parallel cinema, poster art
- IICT: motion capture labs, green screen studio, Dolby sound rooms, 4K theatre, AR/VR production
On AI: an opportunity that expands creative possibilities, not a threat.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do films get selected for Netflix India?
Shrishti Behl: look for underserved emotional territory, not replicate what worked. Talk to universal emotions (fear, love). The more nuanced, the smaller the audience (both valid). The mistake is mismatching budget to audience. Your OTT history is the honest version of who you are.
How do I become a filmmaker in India?
Amit Rai: taught maths, commerce, Marathi plays, then master's, then film. Sustained attention over time becomes knowledge school cannot teach. The tea boy learned by being present for years. Kung Fu Panda's secret scroll is a mirror. Watch carefully. Absorb. Do not wait for right conditions. Adjust.
What is Prithvi Theatre?
Non-profit under Shri Prithviraj Kapoor Memorial Trust. Founded on art as national service (Kala desh ki seva mein). Mumbai's cultural hub. Makarand Deshpande: theatre needs barood. Without emotional conflict (bhavnaon ka tanaav), there is no real theatre. Do not rush a play. Let it find its pulse.
