From working on the commissioning side of Indian television to building her own production company in Vancouver, filmmaker and producer Priyanka Desai has experienced the film and television industries in Canada and India from distinctly different perspectives. Through JUGAAD Sisters Inc., Desai is now developing documentaries and unscripted projects that explore identity, migration, community, history and belonging, while looking beyond borders to find stories with international resonance.
As part of the REELway x SACFF collaboration, Desai speaks with Shwayta Sharma about navigating Canada’s funding landscape, the untapped potential between Canadian and Indian audiences, and the importance of moving beyond the “diversity checkbox” to create stories rooted in universal human experiences. She also discusses ‘Zindabad’, her hybrid feature documentary about the South Asian immigrants who fought systemic injustice and helped shape the history of civil rights in Canada, and her vision for cross-border filmmaking as a way to connect histories, audiences, and industries.
From journalism in Mumbai to creating compelling documentaries in Vancouver, what was the major difference you realized existed in industries back home and here in Canada? What was your biggest challenge you faced in your career after your transition here?
In India, I worked as a broadcaster at News18 (CNN IBN-Lokmat) and as an Entertainment EP at Star TV (Star Pravah). In both roles, I was on the commissioning side, deciding which stories got made. After moving to Canada, I have steadily built my own body of work in the unscripted and documentary space and created a production company (JUGAAD sisters Inc.) that combines my Mumbai Jugaad mindset with the community sisterhood of Canada. Now I sit on the other side of the table. I pitch films and shows and get them made for broadcasters and the North American market at large. That is a complete 180-degree shift from my life in India. The landscape in India has changed drastically since I left. The biggest difference is in funding structures and finance systems. I really appreciate that Canada has this robust system of channeling public money/taxpayers’ money into media – film and TV funds. At the same time, India depends largely on private equity. There are pros and cons to each of these systems, which I can get into over a cup of coffee, haha. But till then I can say that my biggest challenge was learning these funding structures in North America and figuring out how to make them work for the stories I want to tell.
What stories do you think are best suited for audiences in Canada and India? Do you think both Canadian and Indian producers understand each other’s markets and audiences?
Stories rooted in real human experience, but carrying universal themes, travel well in both countries and anywhere in the world, really. We are living in the times of global forced migration, due to war, climate change, and economic disparities that are purely man-made. In such conditions, humans are often pushed through the most grueling tests of human resilience.
And right there births the best of cinema. Think identity, migration, family, belonging, ambition, and resilience. These are themes any audience can connect with, whether they are watching from Mumbai or Vancouver.
To answer the second part, I do not think Canadian and Indian producers fully understand each other’s markets yet. Canadian producers often see India only through a Bollywood lens, and Indian producers often see Canada only as a funding source or a diaspora market. Both views are limited. I think there is huge untapped potential in bringing the producing minds of both countries together to create projects with real international appeal.
More co-productions and long-term relationships could help close that gap. Hence, the SACFF lab is of utmost importance to fill this industry gap.
What is the biggest misconception that Canada has of the Indian audiences and vice versa?
I think Canada is not seeing Indian audiences as their potential audience base yet. We have strengthened the ties with Europe, the UK, Australia, and Korea. But India remains an untapped market for industry relationships. India has an incredible range of human experience. Every state, language, and community has its own story, which makes it a rich subject for documentaries. Canada, on the other hand, has built one of the strongest documentary industries in the world, with funding, infrastructure, and a culture that supports nonfiction storytelling. Yes, I agree that political uncertainties between the two countries have not helped the cause much. But I think with Canada having South Asians as the growing population within its own country, converting the growing immigrant population into viewers of homegrown Canadian stories is something we can collectively work towards. I think there is a huge potential to create content that speaks to their lived experience, which will resonate with migrants and new Canadians at large. And I am confident it will resonate so well with the Indian market as well.
We always hear of broadcasters looking for “diverse content”; how do you make sure that our stories are not reduced to a checkbox-clearing “diversity content”?
I try to avoid the “diversity checkbox” by starting with the story, rather than the identity of the people in it. I’m drawn to stories that are socially conscious, visually ambitious, and have something meaningful to say about the world we all live in.
Ironically, I think one of the traps of “diverse content” is focusing too heavily on what makes a community different. I’m more interested in what makes a story universally human: the ambition, conflict, injustice, resilience, family, sacrifice, or desire for change that audiences can recognize in their own lives, regardless of their background.
The project I’m currently working on is a political historical documentary about activism within the South Asian community in Canada. On the surface, it is a very specific community story. But I’m not approaching it simply as a story about South Asians. I’m looking at how this community spearheaded a movement that helped change the face of civil rights in Canada.
For me, the stories are already there. The challenge and the opportunity are in how we frame them. If we approach a specific story through a universal lens, we move away from “diversity content” and toward simply great content that happens to come from a diverse perspective.
Tell us about the project that you will be developing through the lab? What kind of producer are you looking for in a potential co-production?
Through the lab, I am developing ‘Zindabad’, a hybrid feature documentary that uses cinematic re-enactments and contemporary storytelling to tell the stories of four immigrants who came to Canada at the turn of the century, encountered systemic injustice, and decided to organize and fight back.
In the year 1907, South Asians living in Canada were denied the right to vote in Canada. For 40 yrs after this, South Asians did not have the right to vote in Canada. This film is an opportunity to learn and experience through cinema the struggles that went into winning this right back.
While the film is rooted in Canadian history, its story is inherently transnational. It connects the history of South Asian migration, colonialism, India’s independence movement, and the evolution of civil rights in Canada.
I have secured a public broadcaster in Canada, along with some provincial grant money. I am looking for a producer and co-production partner who understands that broader context and sees the potential to take the film beyond a strictly Canadian frame. Someone who is creatively ambitious, comfortable working across cultures and territories, and interested in building an international audience for a story that has relevance well beyond Canada.
From a financing perspective, I am also looking for a second-window broadcaster or platform and international partners who can help close the financing while expanding the film’s reach in India and internationally.
You’ve worked across borders; what do you think is possible if we stop thinking of India and Canada as two separate film industries?
If we stop thinking of India and Canada as two separate film industries, I think we open up an enormous opportunity for stories, talent, financing, and audiences to move in both directions.
There is already a deep cultural and historical connection between the two countries, but we often tell those stories from only one side. I’m interested in creating a genuine exchange: where Canadian filmmakers can engage with the scale, talent, and storytelling traditions of India, while Indian filmmakers and audiences can see their histories reflected through the Canadian experience.
For me, ‘Zindabad’ is a perfect example of what that can look like. The story begins with South Asian immigrants in Canada, but it is also a story about colonialism, migration, identity, political activism, and the struggle for rights, themes that connect India and Canada across generations.
Ultimately, I see cross-border filmmaking not simply as a financing or co-production opportunity, but as a way of reclaiming and connecting histories. ‘Zindabad’ can become a bridge between two countries that have always been connected, but whose film industries have too often operated separately.
Quick Takes:
Q. What projects are you currently pitching or developing?
We at JUGAAD Sisters Inc. are currently in development with the following:
Development:
- ‘’Zindabad’’ – an 88-min feature documentary film
- ‘Kabaddi Kabaddi’ – which I am developing as a dual IP. Feature Documentary and a documentary/ unscripted series – simultaneously.
- ‘Who Killed Her?’ – True Crime Unscripted Series
Pitching:
Two of my completed projects are currently streaming on CBC Gem: ‘Not Your Butter Chicken’ and ‘Our Ocean Table’ and are internationally represented by TVF (UK).
I am also pitching another completed project, ‘#skoden’ – an Indigenous Documentary Feature by Damien Eaglebear, for non-exclusive distribution in Canada and internationally.
Q. What stage are these projects in (writing, pre-production, post-production)?
‘‘Zindabad’’ is in the writing and pre-production phase.
‘Kabaddi Kabaddi’ is in the writing and casting phase.
‘Who Killed Her’ – is in the writing and casting phase as well.
Q. What kind of collaborators are you looking for right now? (writers, actors, producers, crew, etc.)
Currently, I am looking to close my financing on ‘Zindabad’, so I am looking for Distribution commitment and International sales commitment. I am also open to international co-production conversations for the feature film.
For ‘Kabaddi Kabaddi’ – I am looking for Co-Producers with strong sports documentary and unscripted experience, who can carry these projects internationally in Australia, India and UK markets.
Q. How can people get in touch if they want to collaborate or learn more?
Usually, a lot of audience building for all projects happens after the film is made. We are starting this process early. The website for our film is up already. Please visit and sign up yourself at www.’Zindabad’thefilm.com. This will help you stay connected with us and the film throughout the filmmaking process from shoot to your screens.
You can also visit my website: www.jugaadsisters.com OR email me priyanka@jugaadsisters.com
But if you are looking to drop off a pot of money to fund all my future projects, then feel free to slide into my DMs on Instagram @pdlight 🙂
Q. Are you looking for submissions, funding, or other opportunities?
Being based in Vancouver and armed with BC’s amazing tax credits, I have not yet worked as a service production company. This is definitely something I see my company growing into in the future. So if you want to connect for that, I am all ears.
Q. Any upcoming events, screenings, or launches readers should know about?
September is a busy month at JUGAAD Sisters Inc. We are doing 3 community screenings of my show ‘Not Your Butter Chicken’ in Fort McMurray, Kamloops, and Kelowna. These screenings will be paired with hands-on food-related workshops, which aligns so well with my lifelong mission of creating intergenerational dialogue and teaching opportunities.
While in production for ‘Zindabad’, we at JUGAAD Sisters are doing a pathbreaking experiment of recreating an epic historical scene with modern-day live audiences in Vancouver. The idea is to collapse the past and the present to create a cinematic scene for the film. If you want to be part of this scene, connect with us at www.’Zindabad’thefilm.com and become part of the future nostalgia, as my fav artist Dua Lipa would say.
