New Delhi: One of India’s most talented filmmakers, writers and producers, Zoya Akhtar has time and again proven her prowess as a producer and creative maker whose content is widely acclaimed and appreciated by the urban elite. Serving Indian cinema with content-rich movies with international appeal, Zoya Akhtar is undoubtedly the best creative mind we have in the country.
The filmmaker has now been recognized by one of the highly proclaimed series given by Edinburgh University Press – ReFocus: The International Directors Series. The university created insight into Akhtar’s work by examining his position within the popular film setting. The study aims to provide a contemporary study of the change in the Hindi film industry, examining Zoya’s work and learning about her role in bringing about change in the popular and mainstream film industries.
Through Akhtar’s work, the series also explores broader trends in the Hindi film industry, i.e. Bollywood. From his relatively small-scale debut feature Luck By Chance (2009) to his recent premieres of Gully Boy (2019) and Made in Heaven (2019) to local and global audiences via the Berlin Film Festival and Amazon streaming services Prime news headlines Zoya Akhtar becomes a prominent figure representing change in Bollywood. From the changing form and distribution of mainstream films to gender politics, it highlights Akhtar’s unique position in Indian cinema and illustrates the contradictions and possibilities of the present moment in Bollywood.
This series from Edinburgh University Press also highlights the work of some of the important minds in cinema such as The Films of French Director François Ozon and The Films of Iranian Director Rakhshan Banietemad among many others.
Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti recently announced “The Archies,” which is the first independent venture under their joint banner, Tiger Baby. Their previous titles – Gully Boy and Made in Heaven – were co-produced with Excel Entertainment, which received critical and international acclaim.
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