Sejalshah
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Sejal Shah is a director, producer and the co-founder of Bombay Fables. Her debut film as a director titled “Costao” starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui is produced by her company. Her company Bombay Fables. has produced multiple projects for Netflix such as ‘Serious Men’, ‘Decoupled’, ‘Delhi Crime Season 2’ and are currently in the post production of a series titled ‘Saare Jahan Se Accha’. They have also produced ‘Asur 2’ for Jio, India’s biggest mythological thriller.
Sejal is a former-journalist and has worked with The Week magazine and The Sunday Times in London. She is a recipient of the British Chevening Award for Outstanding Young Indian Journalist and the Award of Excellence. She has also directed and produced two documentaries which have won several International awards.
Career
[edit]Sejal Shah is a Mumbai-based filmmaker, producer, and former journalist. She began her career in journalism with The Week magazine, where she gained recognition for her in-depth investigative reporting on social issues. Her work earned her multiple accolades, including the British Chevening Award for Outstanding Young Indian Journalist. Her journalism was known for breaking significant stories and spotlighting overlooked narratives.
Following her successful stint in journalism, Shah pursued filmmaking with formal training in Los Angeles. She went on to direct two critically acclaimed documentaries that achieved international recognition.
Her first documentary, Joginis – Servants of God, focused on the lives of women dedicated to a controversial religious practice in parts of India. The film was officially selected for the Locarno Film Festival, and won the Grand Prize at the Festival du Film sur les Droits Humains in Geneva for its direction, cinematography, and sensitive handling of complex human rights themes. Joginis was also featured in the competition section at FIPA (Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels) in Biarritz, France, often regarded as the “Cannes of TV productions.” Additional selections included the Anchorage Film Festival, Festival Résistances (France), and Tongues on Fire Festival (London).
Her second documentary, Mangala Tamasha Party, a 52-minute film written and directed by her, received wide acclaim. It won the Best Documentary Award at the IDPA Awards in India and the Award for Excellence in Direction at RAPA India. It was also showcased at the Tongues on Fire Festival in London.
Shah has also directed advertising films, including a notable campaign for The Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka’s leading national daily, owned by Mr. Ranjit Wijewardene. The films, commissioned by the Sri Lankan Prime Minister’s family, were nominated for several awards.
In 2018, she co-founded Bombay Fables, a boutique content studio based in Mumbai, focused on producing story-driven visual narratives. Under her leadership, the company has produced acclaimed works such as:
- Serious Men (Netflix) – Winner of Best Film; earned Nawazuddin Siddiqui an International Emmy nomination
- Decoupled (Netflix) – A satirical comedy series starring R. Madhavan and Surveen Chawla
- Delhi Crime Season 2 (Netflix) – Shah served as Creative Producer on this continuation of the Emmy-winning crime series
- Asur 2 (JioCinema) – India’s most anticipated mythological crime thriller
- Saare Jahan Se Accha (Netflix) – Currently in post-production
- Costao (Zee5) – Shah's feature film directorial debut starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Through her work as both a journalist and filmmaker, Sejal Shah has consistently focused on socially relevant themes, combining powerful storytelling with a deep commitment to human rights and cultural introspection.
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Platform/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Joginis | Director, Producer | Award-winning documentary (Human Rights Film Festival, Geneva) |
| 2010 | Mangala Tamasha Party | Director | RAPA Award-winning documentary |
| 2020 | Serious Men | Producer | Netflix; won Best Film; earned Nawazuddin Siddiqui an International Emmy nomination |
| 2021 | Decoupled | Producer | Netflix |
| 2022 | Delhi Crime (Season 2) | Creative Producer | Netflix; continuation of Emmy-winning series |
| 2023 | Asur (Season 2) | Producer | JioCinema; India’s most awaited mythological thriller |
| 2025 | Costao | Director, Producer | Zee5; debut feature film |
| TBA | Saare Jahaan Se Accha | Producer | Netflix; in post-production |
References
[edit]- Riddhi Parekh[1] (07 May 2025) : Anurag Kashyap, Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar: 5 Directors Who Made A Strong Impact With Their Debut Films.
- Lokmat English Desk[2] (06 May 2025): Nawazuddin Siddiqui Applauds Director Sejal Shah for Her Rare Ability To Cast Him in Unusual Characters.
- Shaheen Irani[3] (23 April 2025): Was Nawazuddin Siddiqui cast in Costao because of his resemblance to Customs officer? Director Sejal Shah spills the beans.
- Apeksha Juneja[4] (23 April 2025): Costao: Nawazuddin Siddiqui starrer’s director Sejal Shah reveals why she chose him; ‘Many have noted a striking physical...'.
- Ani [5] (01 May 2025): Sejal Shah talks about her directorial debut Costao
- Naman Ramachandran[6] (29 April 2025): Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sejal Shah on Challenges of Bringing True Heroism to Screen for ZEE5 Global’s ‘Costao’: ‘It’s About Bravery, Honesty, Discipline and Suffering’
- ^ "Riddhi Parekh - Instant Bollywood". 2025-05-09. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
- ^ "Lokmat English Desk (Lokmat English Desk): Latest News , Breaking New in English and Bloat News". Lokmat Times. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
- ^ "Shaheen Irani: Latest and Trending OTT News, Reviews, Photos and videos". OTTPlay. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
- ^ "Apeksha Juneja, Entertainment Editor at Pinkvilla". PINKVILLA. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
- ^ "Articles By ANI | The Tribune: Today's Latest News, Breaking News, Top Headlines from India & World". www.tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
- ^ "Naman Ramachandran". Variety. Retrieved 2025-05-09.