Srividya Basawa

Srividya Basawa, honestly, she’s sort of a force of nature in the indie film scene out of Hyderabad. No fancy film school on her resume—she jumped in headfirst, self-taught and all that, back in 2009. Her first gig? A TV show called "Cute Companions" for HMTV. Not exactly the big leagues, but hey, everyone’s gotta start somewhere, right? After that, she just hustled—cranking out ad films and corporate stuff all over India. The woman knows her way around a camera, that’s for sure. But the real kicker is her directorial debut, "Madha." Now, this isn’t just your run-of-the-mill thriller. We’re talking a gritty, female-driven psychological rollercoaster. Basawa isn’t afraid to go dark, get strange, and really mess with your head. And trust me, people noticed. "Madha" snagged a wild 26 international awards before it even hit theaters—kind of unheard of, especially for a first-timer. Festivals from all over went nuts for it. You can tell Basawa pours her guts into her work; there’s this raw, unpolished energy in her movies that just hits different. She’s basically proof you don’t need connections or fancy degrees to make waves in film—just guts, grit, and a ton of talent. In a world full of cookie-cutter formula flicks, Basawa’s stuff actually has a pulse. If you’re into indie film, she’s one to watch.