The Team

Hope productions was officially created in 2011 with the film English Vinglish. Gauri Shinde and R Balki started the company to control production of their own films, besides providing a platform to create and shape original content and launch promising new talent. The single-minded goal is to create high quality content with the highest efficiency possible, without any compromises, with complete transparency. The wealth of experience of the team in the communications business, ensures that Hope Productions can also value add creatively to brands and execute advertising films as more than just film makers.

Gauri Shinde

Gauri Shinde made her mark in the film industry with her feature film debut, “English Vinglish,” which she both wrote and directed. The film served as the comeback vehicle for the legendary actor, Sridevi.

 

Commencing her career as an advertising copywriter, Gauri later embraced her true passion for filmmaking. After spending a few years at the films division of Lowe Lintas, she ventured into independent filmmaking, directing over a hundred iconic commercials for renowned brands like Havells, Tanishq, LG, Axis Bank, and many others. Gauri’s strengths lie in her narrative skills, the ability to elicit candid performances, and a belief in a simple and elegant visual style, evident even in her debut short film, ‘Oh Man,’ premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival.

 

Following the global success of “English Vinglish,” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2012, Gauri wrote, directed, and co-produced “Dear Zindagi,” starring Alia Bhatt and Shahrukh Khan. Recently, she produced R Balki’s films “Chup” (2022) and “Ghoomer” (2023). Currently, Gauri remains active in directing commercials, with her third feature film set to start production soon.

R Balki

R Balki, while serving as Chairman and Creative Head of Lowe Lintas, made his directorial debut with “Cheeni Kum,” featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Tabu, Zohra Sehgal, and Paresh Rawal. Despite his long-standing passion for filmmaking, Balki spent over 27 years in advertising, leading India’s premier team of communication specialists and creating campaigns for iconic brands such as Idea Cellular, Tata Tea, Havells, Tanishq, Unilever’s Surf Excel, Lifebuoy, Fair & Lovely, Britannia, Bajaj, LG, Saint Gobain, MRF, Axis Bank, and ICICI.

 

As the writer and director, Balki has helmed notable films like “Paa” (2009), “Shamitabh” (2015), “Ki & Ka” (2016), “Padman” (2018), “Chup” (2022), and “Ghoomer” (2023). He also served as the Creative Director, Writer, and Co-Producer of “Mission Mangal” and produced “English Vinglish.”

Anil Naidu

Anil Naidu started his career as an editor and went on to edit hundreds of iconic commercials for some of the best directors in the country. He then opened his own advertising production house and directed hundreds of commercials and major Television shows. Naidu made his feature film debut as an editor with Paa. After heading the films division of Lowe Lintas, Naidu joined Hope to partner Gauri and Balki. Being an editor and director himself, Naidu’s approach to production has set new benchmarks in the industry in efficiency, transparency, creativity and relationship management. It’s this talent that has ensured that films like Ki&Ka, Shamitabh, Padman and Mission Mangal have been produced the way they have been, at the budgets they have been.

 

Tragically, in October 2023, Anil Naidu passed away, missing the opportunity to contribute to his passion project, Chup. However, his lasting impact is evident as the film has since materialized and garnered critical acclaim, a testament to his influence.

 

You will be sorely missed.

Pranab Kapadia

Throughout his illustrious career spanning over two decades, Pranab Kapadia has successfully overseen the theatrical release of more than 170 films. His journey commenced in Mumbai as a TV professional with Zee TV before transitioning to the UK to lead Network Operations for Zee International. Subsequently, he ventured into Filmed Entertainment, establishing the UK subsidiary of the renowned Indian Studio, Adlabs (owned by Reliance). Pranab continued his ascent in the industry by assuming the role of President Distribution for Eros International, a prominent Indian Film Entertainment company listed on the NYSE.

 

His collaboration with Hope Productions began during his tenure at Eros when he played a key role in the distribution of the acclaimed film, English Vinglish. In 2022, Pranab joined Hope as a Co-Producer with Balki’s feature film Chup.

 

Pranab’s expertise lies in content creation and distribution across diverse platforms. His profound understanding of the entertainment preferences of the South Asian consumer on an international scale is a notable aspect of his skill set. Combined with an extensive network of connections and endorsements from both the creative and business realms within the Indian film industry, Pranab Kapadia emerges as a distinctive and valuable addition to the team at Hope Productions.

Anirudh Sharma

Anirudh Sharma made a successful foray into the world of advertising – after attaining an MBA, and a film-making degree from NYFA – as a Chief AD and Director with industry stalwart Shivendra Singh Dungarpur at Dungarpur Films. He then transitioned into Production as a Senior Creative Producer at Lowe Lintas. Subsequently, he became the Regional Creative Producer at Leo Burnett, contributing to a diverse portfolio of creative work. Anirudh played a key role in notable campaigns like Ariel’s ‘#ShareTheLoad’ directed by Gauri and Dove’s ‘Let’s break the rules of beauty’ directed by Pan Nalin.

 

Bringing prior experience in producing ad films from Offroad Films and Native Films, Anirudh now contributes his skills to Hope Productions. As Anil Naidu’s protégé, his working style naturally mirrors Naidu’s approach. Serving as Head of Production at Hope, Anirudh excels in a multidisciplinary approach, demonstrating transparency, creativity, and effective relationship management. Notably, he served as Co-Producer for R Balki’s Chup (2022) and Executive Producer for R Balki’s Ghoomer (2023). Anirudh’s noteworthy contributions make him a valuable asset to our Hope Productions team.