Biography

Born in Kolkata, Shonali is a writer, director and producer - she has an MA in Political Science from Columbia University and an MFA in Directing from UCLA Film School. She has written and directed three feature narrative films - Amu, Margarita with a Straw and The Sky is Pink. Amu, which was based on her own novel of the same name, explores the suppressed history of the genocidal attacks on Sikhs in Delhi in 1984; it had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival. Her next film, Margarita with a Straw, made waves for its unconventional portrayal of the self-discovery that uplifts the spirit of a rebellious young woman with cerebral palsy. Shonali's next feature, The Sky is Pink, starring Priyanka Chopra and Farhan Akhtar, is an adaptation of a best-selling novel. All three films had critically acclaimed theatrical releases in India and North America amongst many other countries and won major international awards (including at Sundance and TIFF where they premiered). The Sky is Pink was the only Asian film in the Gala section at TIFF. She has also previously been commissioned by Anonymous Content and Paramount Pictures to write the pilot and bible for a global series based on Diksha Basu's book 'The Windfall'. Shonali has directed one of the six films featuring Fatima Sana Shaikh in Amazon Prime's anthology series Modern Love: Mumbai. She has currently co-directed (along with Vasant Nath) an Amazon Original series Ziddi Girls, produced by Pritish Nandy Communications. This is a riveting YA drama set in the world of Delhi University.

Shonali lives between Los Angeles and Mumbai and is most proud of being the mother of her two sons - Ishan and Vivan.
- IMDb mini biography by: Tulsea