Monisha Thyagarajan

Monisha’s breakthrough project is the documentary series The Hunt for Veerappan.

In a short span of time, Monisha Thyagarajan has quickly made a name for herself as a producer making bold, boundary-pushing stories that are provocative and emotionally engaging. Her recent Netflix production, the four-part docuseries The Hunt for Veerappan (2023) is a retelling of the biggest manhunt in Indian history for the notorious bandit.

It was produced by Awedacious Originals, the company co-founded by Apoorva Bakshi and Monisha in 2020, which was born out of a shared dream to produce awe-inspiring and audacious stories through collaborative partnerships with fearless filmmakers. Its compelling slate of originals is diverse, starting with WOMB: Women of My Billion (2021, Amazon Prime), chronicling the fight against violence towards women in India, with Monisha serving as executive producer.

More recent additions to this slate include co-productions like the Oscar selection The Glassworker (2024), a hand-drawn animation feature by Usman Riaz; Bhangaar/ Obsolete (2023), a comedy animation series; and a climate action documentary with Sarvnik Kaur – director of Sundance award winner, Against the Tide.

Previously, Monisha was known for leading and managing the end-to-end production of season one of the International Emmy-winning police procedural drama Delhi Crime (2019, Netflix). She also writes, most recently co-penning queer docuseries Rainbow Rishta (2023, Amazon Prime), which was nominated for a GLAAD Media award.

In their own words…

“It’s an honour to be recognised as a BAFTA Breakthrough. To have the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with the industry’s best and gain access to knowledge and perspectives from storytelling legends feels sublime… I hope to build a deeper understanding of best practices to cultivate in this creative journey, work with boundary-pushing artists while experimenting with form and medium. I can’t wait to unpack BAFTA’s blessings and do all of it, just better.”