My recent hour-long documentary film, Jamala: Songs of Freedom, received the Golden Dolphin Award at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards 2024 in Cannes, France. It has also been screened at prestigious forums such as the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., under the “Extraordinary Cinema” banner, and the Aspen Security Forum.

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Hell and Hope is a one-hour documentary I shot, wrote, co-reported, edited, and narrated, following five Yazidi girls who escaped ISIS captivity. It was featured at several international festivals, including the Venice TV Awards, the Peloponnisos International Doc Fest in Greece, the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Awards in Tokyo, and the Social World Film Festival in Italy.

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Biscut is a 35-minute short film and my first work of fictional storytelling. It was picked up by the Hotstar-Disney OTT platform, where it remained top-rated for two weeks, competing against full-length feature films in India. The film tells the story of Bhoora, a poor Dalit man facing daily struggles for survival, who transforms a collective curse into a powerful catalyst for change.

Women of India (Women India Ki)

I am directing and producing Women of India, a 12-part documentary series investigating women’s safety in India. The series was inspired by the tragic rape and murder of a young doctor in Kolkata. With an all-women crew, we journey through 23 cities across 10 states—capturing the lived experiences, daily challenges, and remarkable resilience of Indian women. At its core, the series poses a critical question: Are women truly safe in India today?

In 2010, I conceptualized and launched VOA’s Media Lab—a creative innovation hub that has grown into a thriving department now in its 15th year. Its original formats and storytelling approaches are now adopted by over 35 VOA language services across platforms. Notable programs developed under Media Lab include VOA-60, Red Carpet, Penalty BOX, Qubanaha, and Let’s Play Elections, among many others.

I developed a studio model designed to empower smaller VOA language services. This flexible, cost-effective setup enables teams to produce high-quality, innovative programming without the limitations of traditional broadcast infrastructure.

I edited the award-winning documentary Fire in the Land of Snow, a deep dive into the 118 self-immolations in Tibet since 2009. Using smuggled footage, firsthand testimonies, and expert interviews, the film explores Tibet’s recent history and the forces behind this unprecedented wave of political protest. It screened at eleven film festivals worldwide.

Reporting In India