The peoplebehind the frame.
Artistic credibility and cinematic scholarship, anchored by management discipline and operational governance.
- Artistry
- Scholarship
- Strategy
- Governance
Art and enterprise, in one room.
A defining strength of SHUNYA lies in the involvement of internationally acclaimed actor and theatre artist Adil Hussain and National Award-winning filmmaker and critic Utpal Borpujari — both from Northeast India.
Business leader Michael Mili leads strategy and operational development, while Manoj Madhusudanan, former India CEO of EXL Analytics, brings scale, governance and execution discipline to the enterprise.
Working together, Adil Hussain, Utpal Borpujari, Michael Mili and Manoj Madhusudanan combine global creative credibility, storytelling excellence and disciplined business leadership to build SHUNYA into a sustainable, globally relevant platform driving long-term impact and measurable growth.
- Life of Pi
- Star Trek Into Darkness
- English Vinglish
- Kothanodi
- Nirbashito
Adil Hussain
Artistic Credibility
Widely respected across regional, national and international cinema, Adil Hussain brings global artistic credibility and industry networks that strengthen SHUNYA's creative vision. He gained worldwide recognition through Life of Pi, the Academy Award-winning film directed by Ang Lee, and further established his international presence in Star Trek Into Darkness, the Oscar-shortlisted Irish short film The Field, Mira Nair's The Reluctant Fundamentalist and the British film Footprints on Water.
His celebrated role opposite Sridevi in English Vinglish expanded his national reach, while Mukti Bhawan (Hotel Salvation) and What Will People Say earned major global festival recognition. Through the National Film Award-winning Assamese films Nirbashito and Kothanodi, and the critically acclaimed Xhoixobote Dhemalite, he has significantly enhanced the global visibility of Assamese storytelling.
Known for championing culturally rooted yet universally relatable narratives, he bridges artistic depth with global accessibility while preserving authenticity.
- Ishu
- Mask Art of Majuli
- Songs of the Blue Hills
- NFDC Screenwriters Lab
- IIT Roorkee
Utpal Borpujari
Cinematic Scholarship
Utpal Borpujari's work bridges cinema, scholarship and storytelling. He won the National Film Award for his debut Assamese feature Ishu, which also received the Special Jury Award at the Bengaluru International Film Festival (2018), alongside multiple international festival selections and honours at the Assam State Film Awards.
His body of work spans fiction and documentary — the short fiction film Xogun (Vulture) and documentaries including Baruar Xongxar (The House of Baruas), Mask Art of Majuli, Memories of a Forgotten War, Songs of the Blue Hills, Soccer Queens of Rani, For a Durbar of the People and Mayong: Myth/Reality.
His Hindi screenplay An Unreal Story was selected for the NFDC Screenwriters Lab (2021) and is slated for production by Prasanna Vithanage, while The Dong Story was showcased at Dhaka DocLab 2023. A National Award-winning Best Film Critic (2003), former FIPRESCI member and current member of NETPAC, the IIMC Society and the IICS Board of Advisors, he brings global credibility and institutional networks to SHUNYA. An alumnus of IIT Roorkee, he combines intellectual rigour with cinematic excellence.
- XLRI Jamshedpur
- IBM · Bosch · Lava
- India's Youngest Professional Cartoonist
Michael Mili
Business Strategy
An MBA from XLRI Jamshedpur and a Journalism graduate from Delhi University, Michael Mili brings over two decades of leadership experience across global organisations including IBM, Bosch and Lava International, with expertise in people management, strategic planning, operational scalability and partnership development.
A cartoonist and painter, he was recognised as India's Youngest Professional Cartoonist at the age of 15, and his works have been published in Target (India Today), The Statesman, National Herald, The Assam Tribune and The Sentinel.
Deeply involved in SHUNYA's conceptualisation, he plays a key role in shaping its lean, scalable and future-ready business framework.
- IIT Madras
- XLRI Jamshedpur
- Ex-India CEO, EXL Analytics
Manoj Madhusudanan
ADVISORY
An alumnus of IIT Madras and XLRI Jamshedpur, Manoj Madhusudanan is the former India CEO of EXL Analytics, where he led a 6,000-strong organisation. He brings extensive expertise in scaling operations, building high-performance teams and driving execution excellence in complex global environments.
His leadership experience spans strategic transformation, data-driven decision-making, large-scale delivery management and strong organisational, governance and process capabilities.
These strengths are instrumental in translating creative ambition into structured, scalable and sustainable business outcomes with long-term impact.