Last year, when the editorial team of Film Companion put their heads together to compile Disruptors 2020, we were already a few months into the pandemic and assumed that we had seen the worst. This year was even tougher. We’re looking at a period (September 2020-September 2021) during which movie theatres were, for the most part, non-functional and the brutal Second Wave shut down productions just when things were looking brighter. Disruptors 2021 is a compilation of Indian artists that broke through despite these limitations and kept us entertained through the darkness.
Created a stellar second season of their popular spy thriller show, The Family Man
Showed us that you don’t always need a big star to pull in crowds
Created a pathbreaking web-series that changed the game for Indian shows
Gave us back-to-back impeccable performances in 2021
Started a nation-wide debate by making an indie for an unknown OTT platform
Parlayed massive viral success into a steady career
Made her big national debut as Raji, a Sri Lankan Tamil freedom fighter in The Family Man 2
Created the insanely catchy and intricately produced ‘Enjoy Enjaami’
For foregrounding queer and Dalit aspects of identity in his short film
Garnered international festival acclaim with her debut feature
Among the first to see potential in the direct-to-OTT model
Amplified the voices of female directors by backing Soorarai Pottru and Bittu
Consistently created relatable, endearing youth-centric content across languages
Directed and co-wrote an emotionally intimate take on the underdog boxing film
His second feature was one of the year's best films and won big at the Venice Film Festival
For his incredible breakout portrayal of Harshad Mehta
Set new records with songs like 'Filhaal 2', 'Ranjha' and 'Mann Bharya 2.0'
For his brilliant performance in The White Tiger
For creating India’s first true hit theme music in the prestige TV tradition
