CHARACTER STUDY — MUDASSIR MASHALKAR
The story
behind the stories
An award-winning writer, director and creative producer with over twelve years of experience — a distinctive voice rooted in emotional truth, cinematic authenticity and visual sophistication.
ACT I — INT. TRADING FLOOR — DAY
Passion over
predictability
What makes Mudassir’s journey exceptional is the road he chose to travel. Armed with a postgraduate degree in financial management, he began his professional life in investment banking with global institutions — J.P. Morgan Chase,Deutsche Bank and ABN Amro.
While the corporate world offered success and stability, storytelling offered purpose. Choosing passion over predictability, he walked away from finance to pursue filmmaking — a decision that would shape the storyteller he is today.
ACT II — EXT. FILM SET — DAY
Schooled
on set
His cinematic foundation was built on the sets of India’s most respected filmmakers: on Ashutosh Gowariker’s Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey (2010), and as Second Assistant Director on Ek Thi Daayan (2013), a Vishal Bhardwaj Films production — sets where he absorbed the discipline, scale and emotional depth required to create memorable cinema.
Over the years, he evolved into one of the industry’s most versatile creative voices: more than a hundred commercials and branded films for some of the world’s most recognizable brands, with collaborations spanning Grey Worldwide, Lowe Lintas, DDB Mudra, Publicis Groupe, Experience Commerce and WatConsult.
GOOGLE · SAMSUNG · McDONALD’S · UNICEF · AIRTEL · LENOVO · MRF · AXIS BANK · BRITANNIA · HERO · TATA SALT · FORTUNE FOODS
Press, honours & verified credits“I enjoyed working with him. He was very sorted… Even though he is a first-time director and writer, he thought of it really well.”
ACT III — INT. WRITER’S ROOM — NIGHT
The next
chapter
Beyond advertising, Mudassir’s deepest passion has always been long-form storytelling. His award-winning debut Justaju — The Longing (2018), starring Prakash Jha and Sarika, earned Best Actor wins and jury mentions on the festival circuit; with Not Just Her Story (2019) it reached audiences on Disney+ Hotstar — both blending powerful performances with emotionally layered narratives.
Today he is actively developing multiple original feature film screenplays, currently being pitched to producers and studios, while an original web series is in development. His growing body of work reflects a storyteller equally at home in intimate character studies, commercial entertainers, socially relevant dramas, psychological thrillers and family cinema.
Whether directing a thirty-second commercial or writing a two-hour feature, he approaches every project with the same commitment: to discover the emotional heartbeat beneath every story and bring it alive with honesty, precision and cinematic elegance.
HIS FILMS DON’T SEEK ATTENTION.
THEY SEEK CONNECTION.
APPENDIX — MISSION & VISION
MISSION
To champion storytelling that places humanity above spectacle and emotion above formula — discovering authentic voices, celebrating meaningful relationships, and revealing the extraordinary hidden within ordinary lives.
VISION
To become one of the most respected writer-directors of our generation — creating stories that transcend entertainment, travel across languages, generations and geographies, and remain deeply rooted in human truth.
CLOSING NOTE
Stories that are honestly lived on screen become stories audiencescarry with them long after the credits roll.