Such an honour directing NBAIndia x Skecher's Hoop Nation Season 2.
This season follows four inspiring ballers -- Ishrat, Isabel, Deepak, and Farooque --each driving change in their communities in their own powerful way.
Now out on NBAIndia's youtube channel!
Today, our docu-series for @nbaindia x @skechersindia drops- and with it, four stories that I hold close to my heart.
What I love most about documentary storytelling is the people whose stories we get to tell- these people who open their doors, their homes, their hearts, their memories, their truths to us and to the world..
To @ishrat_akther , @isabelliaooo , @straightoutofindia , and Farooque-- thank you for letting us in. Your lives, your courage, your fire-- I carry it with me. It was an honour to witness you and to bring your stories to the screen.
And to @straightouttasrinagar , @epr_svnslas_iyer , @thirumali_ , and @aarya.qk - thank you for weaving poetry into their stories.
I hope this series moves you like it moved us. 🏀❤️
I’ve always felt that the world teaches women to make themselves smaller. To take up less space. To downplay their successes.
When I read Swati Balani’s script for this campaign last year, something in me paused. I decided to try an experiment: I sat down and listed my own achievements. At first, the obvious ones came to mind-swimming 2.5k, completing a triathlon, writing my first feature-length script. But then… I got stuck. Three, maybe four things, and I couldn’t think of anything more.
It wasn’t until my husband walked into the room, sat me down, and gently reminded me of wins I hadn’t even considered- moments of strength, of resilience, that I realised how much we, as women, shrink ourselves. I had goosebumps.
I knew, right then, that this campaign was important. That it mattered.
I said yes to this script immediately. And I’m so, so glad I did.
Because every woman deserves to take up space. To own her achievements. To celebrate herself.
Beyond thrilled to share this piece of work with the world, on the eve of Women's Day, created alongside the most incredible collaborators who truly honored this script-
@bbh_india@swati.balani@nisheeth@doradigsfilms@the_bombay_poem@tushar_haware@gundoooo@tshrmhra@dptshrmhra@purtikhan@spellcastingofficial@_vardaan_@thearpeggiostudio@poojashukkla@vyshakshiva_colorist@chupchopped
A big thank you to the three women who graciously shared their stories with us- @gulkumaria@nehaiyerofficial@tarannum1976
Three weeks ago, we wrapped Sagar Sir in Goa - a story about childhood, language, and the sticky feeling of learning where you belong. Somewhere along the making of it, I realised parts of my own life had begun to mirror that search.
Our four days of shooting were some of the warmest, most generous days I’ve experienced on a set. I had an incredible crew here in Goa who showed up with so much care, patience, and love for our film- that it overwhelmed me. I’m not sure I’ll ever look at another set the same way again.
If I’m honest, it isn’t giving love that has always terrified me, it’s receiving it. And I feel beyond moved by what this team gave to the film.
As I step into the edit, I’m grateful to everyone who helped bring this to life.
Wish me luck :) 🌊
I dont know man... I spent most of my life trying very hard not to fall.
Turns out falling is part of the deal.
Learning how to do it properly in my 40s. While making it look dramatic. Hi @shalinitigga ;) 10/10 skill. Highly recommend it.
Happy Women’s Day to everyone figuring it out
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about perception and how we see the world.
Then yesterday, I had the chance to attend this workshop on reimagining maps at the @heritagefirstgoa festival with @cyanobacterhea - who btw, is incredibly grounded and passionate about what she does.
My intention initially was to spend a morning walking around my neighborhood and splashing colours in my notebook, maybe learn a few things.
What started as me wanting to go and colour between the lines, forced me to think outside of them. I realised maps aren’t what we imagine. They hold layers of meaning, purpose, intention, and, just as importantly, limits.
But perhaps the most important learning from yesterday was that map making is an art form. It was hard for me to digest initially. Obviously, because the last time I interacted with maps was to learn how to read a contour map to navigate our team of mountaineers in the middle of the gangotri valley. Precision meant safety. Never mind that we ended up going round and round in circles and had to be bailed out by our instructors!
Coming back to yesterday's workshop, I love how Rhea challenged my ingrained ideas, and while I'm not entirely convinced whether maps are art or science, I do feel there's a thoughtful middle ground. One where maps are indeed an art form, shaped by interpretation and bias, yet carried with responsibility, honesty, and care. A way of communicating reality as faithfully as possible.
Thank you for an incredibly immersive session rhea.
I'm reminded of a quote by anais nin- 'we see things not as they are, but as we are '
Here's an image of our area I was assigned to re imagine- from the perspective of a Brahminy kite. It felt like a giant relief to step out of my shoes for a hot minute!
I moved to Goa five years ago, chasing a slower life. I wanted a place where I could write, think, create. But what I didn’t expect was this feeling of not quite fitting in- a feeling that’s followed me my entire life, from city to city.
Here, they spoke of us ‘outsiders’- and I couldn’t help wonder what makes someone not belong? Is it the way we look, the colour of our skin? The language that rolls off our tongues? Over the years, I’ve constantly looked at my rootlessness, and wondered who is an outsider, really? And what makes a place home?
Inspired by @debjitbanerjee_ ’s short story by the same name, my debut short film ‘Sagar Sir’ explores the human desire for belonging- through the eyes of an immigrant Bengali boy named Deb, trying to find his place in a world that sees him as different.
Our film will be shot in Aldona-Moira, and our crew is largely from here as well. Together with my wonderful producers @ginwa11a and @ash_talks , we’re hoping to raise ₹16 lakhs to make this dream a reality & to pay everyone fairly.
I’m so proud to share that our crowdfunding campaign is now live 💛
Click on the link in bio and contribute by hitting 'BACK IT NOW' to help us bring Sagar Sir to life.
#SagarSir #GoanFilm #ShortFilm #Crowdfunding #CommunityFilm #GoaArtists #SupportLocalCinema
Excited to be moderating a panel on Women in Visual Art with four incredible voices who are shaping the creative landscape in diverse ways: Photographer @mariaphilipose , Filmmaker @ishaashta , Artist @oonasdmello and Curator & Founding Team of Goa Open Arts @sitarachowfla
Together, we’ll be exploring the intersections of art, identity, community, and the future of women in the visual arts. From photography to film, painting to curation, each brings a unique lens to how creativity informs culture and society today.
Join us at @club.solene Goa on 6 Sep at 11am.
#panel #women #visualart #talk #goa #experience #listen #art #photography #design #festival #film #indiawithinsia #insiagram
Meet @ishaashta .
She is a director and writer whose work blends intimate storytelling with layered cultural textures. Shaped by a multilingual, multicultural upbringing across India, her films often explore identity, belonging, and the fluid nature of culture, with each film drawing on a rich interplay of voices, perspectives, and lived experiences.
Her narratives are rooted in the female experience and the nuances of coming of age. In her recent branded documentary series Hoop Nation Season 2 for NBA India, she follows the journeys of four basketball players, capturing how the sport becomes a catalyst for personal transformation and community connection.
Equally at home in documentary and commercial work, Isha has brought her thoughtful, human-centred approach to films for Google, Hershey’s, and CaratLane. Guided by a fascination with people’s inner worlds, her storytelling seeks the meeting point between personal memory and collective history.
#Director #AdFilmDirector #WomenInFilm #FemaleGaze #HoopNation
