Director

Amit V. Masurkar

Amit V. Masurkar is one of those rare Bollywood directors who actually takes risks and makes you think while you're laughing. He burst onto the scene with *Sulemani Keeda*, an indie comedy that announced his arrival as a filmmaker with something different to say. But it was his second feature, *Newton*, that really put him on the map—literally getting selected as India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards. That kind of recognition doesn't come easy in Indian cinema, and Masurkar earned it fair and square, even snagging the Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Screenplay for the film. He's not your typical Bollywood director, and honestly, that's his superpower. What makes Masurkar's work stand out is his knack for blending sharp social commentary with genuinely funny storytelling. He doesn't make movies that shout at you about issues—instead, he weaves them naturally into narratives that are both entertaining and thought-provoking. *Newton*, about a naive poll worker navigating India's elections in a Maoist-affected region, is a masterclass in this approach: it's funny, it's intimate, and it says something real about Indian democracy without ever feeling preachy. In a Bollywood landscape often dominated by spectacle and formula, Masurkar represents a quieter, smarter kind of cinema that trusts audiences to get the joke and the message at the same time.