BODHINI STUDIOS

ABOUT BODHINI

Bodhini Studios is a global-facing creative space where truth-telling becomes the bridge to experiencing our shared humanity through the unearthing untold and othered stories. It is a creative and critical storytelling space where boundaries are dissolved, and the nuances of identities are heard and seen, where stories that were once marginalised or reduced to stereotypes are given new life.

Based between Naarm (Melbourne) & Perth (Boorloo), with creative collaborators across India, the UK, and the US, Bodhini develops and produces original IP across scripted film, television, documentary, and digital formats. The studio’s work is grounded in storytelling that unearths unheard perspectives and provokes empathy, forming the foundation of a sustainable screen practice. 

With a slate spanning intergenerational narratives, identity, and migration, and supported by initiatives such as DFAT’s Maitri program, Bodhini Studios is commitment to building nuanced, high-quality content that reshapes how diasporic stories are represented on screen.

Bodhini

[bo-dhɪ-ni]


noun   (Sanskrit)

  1. She who awakens; that which enlightens.

  2. A feminine force or presence that brings about awareness, insight, or inner awakening.

  3. In modern usage: a symbolic or creative space that fosters consciousness, empathy, and cultural truth through storytelling.

“At Bodhini, we don’t just tell stories — we awaken something.”

Etymology: From Sanskrit bodh (“awakening, awareness”) + feminine suffix -inī

OUR MISSION

To produce emotionally intelligent, politically conscious screen stories that uplift underrepresented voices, challenge dominant narratives, and build cultural bridges between the Global South and the world. It is a creative and critical storytelling space where boundaries are dissolved, and the nuances of identities are heard and seen, where stories that were once marginalised or reduced to stereotypes are given new life.

  • We believe the personal is political — and beautiful. Our projects often arise from real-world issues, identity journeys, and cross-cultural exploration, but are told with cinematic elegance and emotional depth.

  • We thrive in the in-between — championing stories of migration, belonging, hybridity, and heritage. We create narrative work that bridges worlds — from Australia to India, from diaspora voices to global screens, from personal truth to universal impact.

  • Founded by a woman of Indian heritage raised in Australia, our storytelling centres the female gaze, emotional intelligence, and a cross-generational perspective.

  • We tell stories with intention — grounded in cultural truth, guided by empathy, and committed to responsible, representative storytelling. We reject shortcuts and stereotypes. Our work honours complexity, embraces nuance, and centres voices with care and cultural respect.

HOW WE DO IT

Bodhini Studios is a thought-leading independent media house committed to incubating stories, building scalable IP, and forging multi-pathway access to diverse global audiences. Our process is rooted in cultural rigour and creative care — with every project seeded in a multicultural and South Asian focus.

With a vast network across India, the UK, the US, and Australia, we collaborate across borders to develop stories that unearth perspectives often unheard or historically othered. This ability — to hold space for complexity, contradiction, and cultural truth — is our greatest creative asset. It’s also our responsibility.

At Bodhini, empathy isn’t an add-on. It’s the foundation. We believe storytelling, done right, can awaken the shared humanity that underpins a sustainable cultural future. -border collaboration, and builds scalable, high-quality IP. Our storytelling spans film, television, audio, and digital — always with empathy and creative rigour at the core.

WHY NOW?

In an age of divided politics and hyper-speed content, Bodhini Studios stands for deep storytelling with purpose. We exist to honour memory, awaken meaning, and create space for stories that shift the centre.

Radical authenticity is the call of our times — and Bodhini Studios answers that call not as a trend, but as a necessity. We're not here for optics. We're not interested in virtue signalling. And we reject the diluted diversity jargon of the last five years.

What we offer are real voices from real communities — scaffolded by integrity, artistry, and care. Voices that have been historically othered, sidelined, or spoken for. For the South Asian community — with its global footprint and nuanced interiority — that absence is not just surprising. It's wild.

And we’re here to change that.

OUR FOUNDER

Bodhini is built on community. We collaborate with writers, filmmakers, musicians, dancers, healers, historians, and thinkers who share our vision for a more inclusive, awakened cultural landscape. From South Asia to the world, these are the brilliant minds in our orbit.

Before Bodhini Studios was a studio, it was a feeling — a knowing — carried by a young girl in suburban Australia who dreamt, quite literally, of dancing around trees in Bollywood. That girl was Pallavi Sharda. While her classmates memorised Shakespeare, she memorised Madhuri. At 16, she got into law school. At 18, she faked a student exchange to India, flushed her “good Indian girl” script down the toilet, and landed in Mumbai with two bags, zero contacts, and 400 rupees.

The rest? It wasn’t luck. It was hustle, heartbreak, headstands, and high heels. Pallavi became the first Indian-Australian actress to headline in Bollywood and the first South Asian woman to lead in both Australian film and television. But the more rooms she entered, the clearer it became: the stories being told were still only part of the truth.

So she built her own room.

Bodhini Studios is that room — a meeting place for bold, culturally rooted storytelling. A space for nuance, truth, play, provocation, and soul. A place to platform South Asian-Australian narratives not as tokens, but as centrepieces. As futures. As fact.

This isn’t a legacy project. This is the beginning.

what we do

Ideation, incubation & dissemination:

Bringing together the most robust voices and storytellers from across the global South Asian diaspora, we seed impact driven, commercially viable IP.

Community Engagement & Impact:

As leaders in our field, we see community mentorship & empowerment for creatives as a duty. Our processes allow for the mentoring the next generation of intersectional voices and empowering them to follow a pathway to a creative life.

Consultancy

Pathways towards understanding, new normals & debunking diversity: Sometimes people are scared of ‘getting it wrong’. We don’t want fear to get in the way of building cultural bridges or expressing nuance. Our consultancy services across Industries focus on connecting people, providing granular expertise and advising on best practices within this new, brave ‘diverse’ world.

what we MAKE

From revolutionary documentaries to genre-pushing series, Bodhini’s slate reflects a mosaic of lived experience. Our stories span the Global South and diaspora, honouring cultural memory while pushing creative boundaries.

Several of our current projects remain under wraps due to their early-stage nature and the sensitive subject matter they explore. Select titles will be revealed soon.

  • Bold, emotionally intelligent stories that centre underrepresented characters and challenge dominant narratives.

  • Thought-provoking nonfiction and boundary-blurring work that brings hidden histories and political realities to the fore.

  • Intimate and immersive narratives, from children’s folktales to contemporary cultural reflections.

  • Screen work that’s paired with purpose: crafted in collaboration with communities, driven by representation, and designed to provoke dialogue.

what we’re working on

THE STORY OF LISA STHALEKER

(FEATURE IN DEVELOPMENT)

The unlikely hero’s journey from an orphanage in Pune to wearing the green and gold as part of the Australian World Cup winning cricket team.

FEAR & LOATHING IN KATHMANDU

(FEATURE DOCUMENTARY IN DEVELOPMENT)

Nepal’s hemp saga brought to life through a stunning visual documentary on the journey from Nixon’s War on Drugs to modern day Nepal via a Moist insurgency.

Bodhini Studios x DreamChaser x Den of Martians x Sparsh Ahuja.

Friends of BODHINI STUDIOS

  • A diplomatic and cultural bridge-builder fostering deeper understanding and connection between Australia and India.

  • A mission-driven organisation using innovation and grassroots action to empower rural India — sharing Bodhini’s belief in storytelling as a catalyst for transformation.

  • A creative studio rooted in global design fluency, Killa is our go-to collaborator for aesthetic soul, visual impact, and cultural sharpness.