The Hollywood Reporter India’s Deputy Editor Sneha Menon Desai hosts an intimate roundtable bringing together six of Indian cinema’s most influential technicians who shaped the look, feel, and impact of 2025’s biggest films. Cinematographer Arvind S. Kashyap discusses the gruelling 200-day shoot of Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1, while colorist and producer Sidharth Meer opens up about the distribution challenges facing independent cinema and his festival calendar slam spanning Sundance, Berlin, Cannes, and Venice. Production designer Banglan reveals the jugaad magic behind crafting worlds for both Kantara and Lokah, and costume designer Sheetal Iqbal Sharma breaks down the 30-plus look tests required to create Saiyaara’s refreshingly relatable aesthetic for YRF. Casting director Nandini Shrikent reflects on assembling the ensemble for Superboys of Malegaon, while editor Nitin Baid shares the surreal experience of receiving notes from executive producer Martin Scorsese on Homebound.
From Sneha’s probing questions about AI tools and fair pay to candid confessions about interdepartmental clashes, the conversation traverses everything from Arvind’s sleepless 23-hour workdays to Sheetal’s battles with actors who refuse to dress like villagers. Nitin recalls watching Jafar Panahi’s A Simple Accident at Cannes and tearing up alongside the filmmaker, while Sidharth and Vinesh discuss the Kannada industry’s unique equity model that gives technicians ownership stakes in their films. The roundtable captures a transformative moment in Indian cinema where technicians are finally stepping into the spotlight, demanding recognition, fair compensation, and creative respect.
Presenting Partner: District by Zomato
Hydration Partner: Vedica Himalayan Spring Water
00:00 Introduction and welcome
03:12 Proudest moment of the year for each of the technicians
12:42 Arvind on creating war and chariot sequences for Kantara Chapter 1
14:26 Creative problem-solving stories
16:14 Nitin on editing Homebound & Bads of Bollywood
21:57 Lokah’s visual world and Bangalore aesthetic
23:19 Sheetal on costume design for Saiyaara
27:35 Sidharth on budget and time constraints vs aesthetics
30:12 Discussion on visual maximalism vs subtlety in cinema
36:18 Nandini on casting Superboys of Malegaon
38:33 Inter-department conflicts
47:38 Strangest feedback from collaborators
52:23 Solution for the remuneration disparity
1:00:04 Films they watched as fans this year
1:02:28 What the technicians would ban on film sets
1:05:37 Are technicians becoming recognized stars?
1:09:12 AI tools and the future of filmmaking
1:15:22 Closing remarks
#HollywoodReporterIndia #IndianCinema #BehindTheScenes
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Anupama Aunty maa khud gayi tumhari to😅
I am totally disappointed with your aunty’s Dhuranthar movie criticism. Now I am even more disappointed that you deleted that video, which means you did this criticism with some bad intention. As a Malayali from Kerala, I loved one Bollywood movie after so many years—that is Dhuranthar only. I request your aunty to stop paid reviews and pushing your personal agenda anymore in this channel.
Indians should boycott all these types of anti-national channels on YouTube on every subject.
Is Anupama Pakistani sleeper cell ? Just asking 😂
Buddi Pakistan chali kyun nai jati. PKMKB
Aunty ji keh hua 😂😂😂
rand kaise hai😅
Miss Irrelevant got a good response that she deserved a long time ago….PK movie… She is a part of 0.5 front
Super roundtable! Loved the banter and loved stories of technical skill!