New Delhi [India]: Lyricist and writer Varun Grover, along with eight other creatives from India, has been selected for the 2024 BAFTA Breakthrough cohort. The announcement was made on Thursday. This year, the cohort includes 43 emerging talents from the UK, USA, and India.
The programme, supported by Netflix, provides participants with mentorship, training, and access to global opportunities.
A jury of industry experts, including filmmaker Guneet Monga Kapoor, actor Ratna Pathak Shah, and Netflix India’s Monika Shergill, selected the Indian participants.
In a press release shared by Netflix, Guneet Monga shared, “A massive congratulations to this year’s nine India Breakthroughs, who demonstrate once again that there is no shortage of creative talent in India. It was extremely difficult to narrow down the pool of talented candidates. I can’t wait to see how this year’s cohort harnesses BAFTA Breakthrough’s opportunities to hone their craft!”
Monika Shergill, who is the Vice President of Content, Netflix India added, “India is brimming with storytellers and this collaboration allows us to support emerging voices as they make their mark across industries in the creative landscape. Congratulations to this year’s nine Breakthroughs–we’re excited to see where this journey takes them.”
The nine Indian creatives have been acknowledged for their work in different fields:
- Abhinav Chokhavatia – Game Producer, Down and Out
- Christo Tomy – Director, Curry and Cyanide: The Jolly Joseph Case
- Deepa Bhatia – Writer/Director/Producer, First Act
- Dhiman Karmakar – Sound Designer, Amar Singh Chamkila
- Jaydeep Sarkar – Showrunner/Series Director, Rainbow Rishta
- Monisha Thyagarajan – Series Producer, The Hunt For Veerappan
- Neeraj Kumar – Producer/Developer, Artifice: War Tactics
- Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy – Director/Writer/Performer, Aachar & Co
- Varun Grover – Writer/Director, All India Rank
This is the fourth year that Indian talent has been part of the BAFTA Breakthrough programme, which aims to support professionals in their creative journey. Participants will get access to BAFTA events, screenings, and global networking opportunities.
Since its launch in India in 2020, the programme has helped several Indian creators, including Taniya Maniktala and Sumukhi Suresh, to grow their careers.