Shailja Kejriwal

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT SHAILJA KEJRIWAL

I took the road less travelled. I have spent several decades in the Indian media and entertainment industry tracing its roots and being a catalyst for its growth as I push creative boundaries and leverage the medium to encourage the audience to think differently. The power of storytelling is the most significant catalyst for societal evolution that has inspired me to develop a repertoire of path-breaking content, including Zindagi & Zeal for Unity, that brought India & Pakistan together on a single platform for the first time in over 60 years. My stories are an amalgam of culture, traditions, and society that is showcased through art. Each thought-provoking story in different formats takes a deeper look at the interplay of human relationships across age, gender & societal biases. As a producer, I aim to create a safe space for writers and directors to explore and express fearlessly. This is the only guiding principal I use to select scripts and commission shows as I battle the rapidly shrinking space for original thought. As I build a powerhouse of talented and moving stories that go the extra mile to find the right audience for every piece of original thought within realistic budgets, I find stories that delight and connect to the very core of human existence. This is the only thing that consumes me, everyday. In the late 90s, while at Star India, I conceptualized & produced an interesting project called Star Bestsellers– a series of short TV films with debut filmmakers which was also the first of its kind in India. It was also the time when we introduced the popular K dramas that defined Indian TV in early This was a revolution in its own right and shaped how television drama is consumed in our country now. In my next stint at NDTV, I was a part of the founding team of Imagine before moving onto Zindagi at Zee. Bringing the essence of theatre through TV, I conceptualized Zee Theatre in 2015. This initiative presented over eighty thought-provoking teleplays. Archiving theatre in the form of teleplays, the aim was to bring forth and preserve the traditional and literary roots of well-crafted stories and plays. Each of these initiatives have today been well documented & awarded nationally and internationally as well. Each award motivates me and my team to delve deeper into original content. Our next show Barzakh (Starring Fawad Khan, Sanam Saeed & directed by Asim Abbasi) showcased at the upcoming Series Mania held in Europe brought in renewed zeal and a strong sense of validation to move beyond data. So, tell me a story.