Adesh Prasad
Adesh Prasad is that rare breed in Indian cinema who doesn’t just stick to the beaten path. The guy’s got his fingerprints all over some of the most inventive films to come out of the country in the last decade. At Sohum Shah Films, he’s not just the director—he’s the whole package: producer, writer, you name it. People mostly know him for Tumbbad (2018), which, honestly, is a wild ride—a fantasy horror/thriller that’s nothing like your usual Bollywood fare. Co-director, co-writer, co-producer—yeah, he wore all those hats for Tumbbad, and the critics ate it up. The film didn’t just stay in India; it busted out and became the first Indian movie to open the Venice Critics Week at the 75th Venice International Film Festival. That’s no small potatoes.
It scooped up the Best Film award at CinemaAsia 2019 and Screamfest in the States, plus Adesh grabbed Best Director (Focus Asia Section) at Sitges Film Festival 2018. The guy was even up for Best Director at Filmfare and Critics Choice in 2019. Before all that, he worked on Ship of Theseus (2013), which snagged a National Award—so it’s not like Tumbbad was just a fluke. In 2019, Adesh got picked as one of 25 prime innovators in entertainment, basically people who’ve shaken things up and got everyone talking. To top it off, Tumbbad made it into Film Companion’s list of “25 Greatest Hindi Films of the Decade.” That’s a pretty solid resume, right?