Selection Committee
Ajit Rai
Ajit Rai is a prominent film & theatre critic and cultural journalist in India, boasting over 35 years of extensive experience in major national newspapers, reputable journals, and electronic media. His expertise covers cinema, theatre, literature, and cultural discourses. Rai has served as the editor of Rang Prasang, an international journal focusing on cinema & theatre, affiliated with the National School of Drama. For the past 15 years, he has been a valued member of the jury for the Bharat Rang Mahotsav. He is also the Founder-Editor of Drishyantar, a monthly magazine covering cinema, TV, culture, and media, published by Doordarshan. He is the author of the best-selling book Hindujas and Bollywood.
Amitabh Srivastav
Amitabh Srivastav has been on the stage since 1971 and has performed in over 100 plays directed by a range of eminent theatre personalities. He's a Founder Member of Delhi’s ‘Sambhav’ theatre group. Beyond theatre, he's worked in many feature films and television serials under the direction of reputed directors like Basu Chatterjee, Richard Attenborough, Govind Nihlani, Dev Benegal, and Priyadarshan. He received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2011 and was nominated in the Best Actor category at the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards 2007. A versatile talent, he's adapted major world classics and has also written original scripts for televisions and dialogues for feature films.
A stalwart in the world of theatre since 1971, having performed in over 100 plays. Actor in various films and television serials. Recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2011. Acclaimed scriptwriter.
Deepika Deshpande-Amin
Deepika Deshpande-Amin is a well-known actress in film, theatre, TV, and web series. Her notable plays include the groundbreaking show Every Good Boy Deserves Favour directed by Bruce Guthrie; Girish Karnad’s Wedding Album & Boiled Beans on Toast; Kanyadaan by Vijay Tendulkar; and August Osage County directed by Lillette Dubey. She has also directed 3 plays in Jakarta. She is known for her roles in films such as Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweet, Ram Prasad Ki Tehrvi, FAN, among others, and popular web-series, such as Siyaasat and Farmaan. She plays the guitar, sings in a choir and trains in Indian classical vocal.
Saraswathy Nagarajan
Saraswathy Nagarajan is an award-winning journalist with The Hindu who has been covering lifestyle, art and culture for more than 25 years.
Swaroopa Ghosh
Swaroopa Ghosh, an actor and trainer by profession, has been performing and training aspiring actors for nearly 45 years. She was trained by the late Shri Ebrahim Alkazi and worked with various eminent directors. She taught theatre at The British School and actively participated in children's theatre. In the past few years, alongside theatre, she started working in films and web series to expand her repertoire as an actor. Besides India, she has performed in various international festivals too.