Nil Battey Sannata and Bareilly Ki Barfi director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari discusses her success formula, and recalled how her decade in ad agency shaped her career as a storyteller.
Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari isn’t a filmmaker trying to make noise or chase fame. She’s been steadily building a strong body of work, making films that are thoughtful, personal, and grounded in everyday life. What makes her stand out isn’t just her stories, but the steady and focused way she has built her career. She moved from advertising into films without making a big fuss, but with clear intent.
Before she directed Nil Battey Sannata and Bareilly Ki Barfi, Tiwari worked in advertising for over ten years. She was a creative director at a major agency, where she learned how to connect with people and tell real stories. That experience helped shape her approach to filmmaking.
“I have always believed that we are the sum of the environment we are exposed to and grow up with. In that essence, I am grateful for my advertising days, because it allowed us to connect with real stories and people. That’s something I have been able to get to the cinema, I want to tell,” she says.
Her first film, Nil Battey Sannata (2016), was a social drama that got good reviews. It showed her interest in telling meaningful stories without overdoing the emotions. Then came Bareilly Ki Barfi, a light-hearted film set in a small town, followed by Panga, which dealt with themes like identity and motherhood through the story of a woman trying to return to sports.
What connects her films is how she tells her stories. They focus on everyday people and situations. Her films don’t rely on
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