Surya Balakrishnan

Biography:

Surya Balakrishnan is one of the finest contemporary Indian film directors, screenwriter, and producer famous for her emotive and profound narrative. With her degrees in Graphic Arts from the College of Fine Arts, Bangalore, and New York Film Academy, she manages to make a seamless transition between aesthetic appeal and human perseverance. As the co-founder of Mumbai-based production house Footloose Films, Balakrishnan has been directing several high-profile commercials for companies like Apple, Amazon, Puma, and Tata Tea. In terms of long-form narratives, Balakrishnan has directed two episodes of Amazon Originals series Khauf, co-directed the global feature film Train Station, and has also been slated to direct the documentary Amarkatha.

The feature documentary by Balakrishnan named Right Forward narrates the story of a football team of girls from the Dharavi slums, showcasing her penchant for community-oriented stories. Alongside making films, she is also involved in various activities related to social advocacy. Some of the organizations which she runs in collaboration with others are the urban welfare organization H.O.P.E, the menstrual hygiene campaign Pads Squad, and also the Samovila Foundation which works for animal rescue.