Biography

Batul Mukhtiar studied Film Direction & Screenplay Writing from Film & Television Institute of India, Pune. She did her B.A. in History from Nowrosjee Wadia College, Pune.

She works as an independent writer, director and producer in Mumbai since 1995.

Her recent films 'My Sona' (2024), 'Kitty Kelly Ki Diwali' (2024) and 'Mumu Shelley' (2021) are female-oriented black comedies. Her feature 'Chalti Kya Khandala' is under post-production. 'Mumu Shelley' won the Audience Award at the Out & Loud Pune International Queer Film Festival.

Her children's film 'Kaphal' shot in a remote village of Garhwal with local children, won the Golden Lotus National Award for Best Children's Film 2014 and the Golden Elephant for Best Director Live Action at International Children's Film Festival India 2013. The film was also nominated at the Zlin Film Festival 2014 for Best Children's Film under Children's Jury Main Prize and Golden Slippers.

Her documentary '150 Seconds Ago', shot in earthquake-devastated Bhuj in 2001, was nominated for the Ogawa Shinsuke Prize for the most promising work at the Yamagata Documentary Film Festival.

Her children's film 'Lilkee' (2006) also continues to be shown in schools, television and children's festivals.

Batul also works as a producer on international documentaries for BBC, Channel 4, Netflix, Al Jazeera, Arte, CBC, NatGeo, YLE & VPRO. Some of her notable work is as lead producer on the BAFTA- nominated documentary 'Real Slumdog Children of Mumbai' and Dan Reed's 'Terror in Mumbai', her work as creative producer on Netflix's 'Bad Boy Billionaires' and 'Mumbai Mafia' (2018-2023).

Batul served on the National Awards Jury 2015 and serves on script and film juries at Films and Television Institute of India, National Institute of Design, Films Division, Children's Film Society India, Indian Documentary Producers Association, KASHISH Pride Film Festival, Toto Funds for Arts and MAMI Half-Ticket.

She conducts workshops in screenplay writing and documentary under the SKIFT program at Films and Television Institute of India, National Institute of Design and Shristi Manipal School of Design. She has also mentored filmmakers through a voluntary program 'Conversations on Documentary' and through the Pomegranate Workshop.

She writes short stories, film and book reviews and blogs on life on her blog 'Banno, Dhanno and Teja in Bumm-Bumm Bhole Land'.
- IMDb mini biography by: Batul Mukhtiar