KUSHAL VERMA
Writer
Director
Not the whole story.
Just the bits that got me here.
THE STORY SO FAR.
2018
DABBA GUL​
Made a film in 50 hours for the world's largest filmmaking challenge.​
AND WE WON!
Judged by Milan Luthria, Sudhir Mishra and RS Prasanna
Loved by Critics and Audiences.
That was the first time I realised that stories made with limited resources could travel much further than I imagined.
OFFLINE
Turns out it wasn't a fluke.
Won the challenge again.
Starring Mandana Karimi.
Judged by Raj & DK, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Shubhashish Bhutiani.
A reminder that audiences don't care about budgets. They care about how a story makes them feel. And that is totally up to us as filmmakers.
2020
ALONG THE WAY
The work found its way to some filmmakers I deeply admire.
And they liked what they saw...
Sriram Raghavan
Raj & DK
Critic's Choice Awards
Royal Stag Large Short Films
Best Actress
Best Experimental
Short Film
RS Prasanna
Dadasaheb Phalke Film Festival
"Dabba Gul made us hungry for more films from him."
-Bhawana Somaaya
"This film is like India's Gaspar Noé short. Gaspar should watch this."
-Anurag Kashyap
"Dabba Gul will make women look at diamond rings differently now."
-Anupama Chopra
Great! And the end credits are very cool!"
-Gaspar Noé
WRITING FEATURE FILMS.
Co-screenwriter on a feature film, succesfully sold to a production house. Not made yet.​
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Sold my second spec feature film to another reputed production house.
Going into pre-production early next year.
The stories were getting bigger.
So were the ambitions.
2020
2023
I write films across genres - Thrillers. Comedy. Drama. Adventure. Espionage. Because I've lived all these lives. ( You have no idea what was going on before 2018, including stand up comedy ). ​ Somewhere in almost everything I write, you'll find humour. Sometimes subtle. Sometimes not so subtle. ​ As many people have kindly pointed out. - "Bhai dialogues toh.. oye hoye hoye hoye!" I'll take that.
2021
LEARNING TO RUN THE CIRCUS.
Produced a feature film (Head of Production/EP)
Led teams. Managed chaos. Fought the weather.
Solved problems. Put out fires.
And occasionally got some sleep.
Most important lesson I learnt : Making films is about people long before it's about cameras. And I love this Circus.
BUILDING ORIGINAL IP.
Currently developing an original IP slate of:
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- 04 FEATURE FILMS
- 02 SERIES
- 02 NON-FICTION SHOWS
Some, I'm developing to direct.
Some, I'm building to collaborate with other Directors.
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All of these are in the mainstream space. ​
Happy to connect with relevant people and teams to execute.
NOW
THE GOAL.
Not because they're mine.
Because they connect.
Because they entertain.
Because they linger.
And the selfish reason - because somewhere, long after the credits roll, a scene, a line, a feeling, or a character decides to stay.
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That's the kind of story I want to keep making.
I WANT MILLIONS OF PEOPLE TO WATCH MY FILMS.
THE FUTURE IS GETTING INTERESTING WITH AI
MORE STORIES.
LESS BARRIERS.
I'm deeply involved in AI filmmaking and emerging creative workflows.
Not just because technology is exciting.
Because storytelling is.
If technology helps reduce friction between imagination and execution, that's worth paying attention to.
The tools will change.
The need for great stories won't.
BEYOND FILMS
Over the years, I've worked as a writer, producer, studio head and creative lead with brands, Agencies, Creative teams, Startups. Studios, Advertisers, Founders, Artists, across films, series, commercials, digital shows and branded content.
And every role gave me a deeper understanding of how stories are conceived, built and brought to audiences.
MIILIONS OF VIEWS LATER
Every project taught me something about audiences.
What grabs attention. What creates emotion. What gets remembered. And what gets ignored.
