Navzar Eranee was born in Mumbai in 1985. An Air India baby, both his parents were flying for the airline when they met and fell in love. In the early ’70s till 2008, his parents were exposed to a world outside our shores, long before the age of the Internet. Being avid travellers, they saw a world they loved, and they philosophically practiced living on both sides of the coin. Traditional values were met with exposure from faraway lands. Liberal thinking was a part of their created culture, and the groundwork was laid for the philosophies of their children. Often having no ground rules, Navzar and his brother Farzan would find themselves less bound. Physically gifted, they channeled their energy through sport, excelling at everything they touched.

Naughty to a point of disaster, they were both grounded by some basic principles. His parents (who served as cabin crew) inculcated the idea of service and gratitude as the highest honour of work than one can do. Good thoughts, good words and good deeds were ideas his father would whisper into their ears. His mother, the strength behind all three men, would always lead by action and example. They lived in her grace. Often shy and quiet, Navzar found himself a keen observer.

Michael Andrews embarked on his creative journey by studying Visual Communications at Loyola College, Chennai, where he completed his degree in 2002. Over the subsequent decade, he gained extensive experience by collaborating with prominent advertising directors. Initially, he worked closely with director Rajiv Menon in Chennai from 2004 to 2008, which significantly shaped the beginnings of his career. Following this, Andrews joined director Shujaat Saudagar as an Associate Director, where he contributed to a diverse range of projects, starting in 2008.

In 2013, Andrews took the leap into independent directing and also served as second unit director on the feature film Rock On 2 (2016) & the critically acclaimed web series Bambai Meri Jaan (2023).

His rich background in various facets of the industry is evident in his work, which spans multiple genres with a sophisticated grasp of the craft. Known for his ability to blend striking visuals with nuanced emotional undertones, Andrews excels in both storytelling and working with high-profile actors, demonstrating a versatile and refined approach to filmmaking.

“The Universe began with sound. Then came light. I want to tell the story of light.”

– Avani Rai, Photographer & Filmmaker

Excerpt from the film created by Avani for Tata Cliq Luxury, as part of their Indiluxe series to tap into the creative process of some of India’s young leading creative minds.

Avani Rai is a photographer based out of Mumbai and has worked as a cameraperson on a number of short films that have been celebrated at international festivals (Clermont Ferrand, TIFF). Her photography ranges from the aftermath of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, Kashmir, the Chennai water crisis, to name a few. Her photographic works have been published in various Indian and International publications (GQ, Vogue, Architectural Digest, The Wire, Sunday Guardian. Scroll, The Hearst, The Platform, etc) and she worked with several agencies like TBWA Singapore, Ogilvy, Taproot, Dentsu, Cheil for their campaigns.s.

Mikhail started honing his creative style as a painter and a fine arts student in college (University of the Arts, London) but it was after discovering street photography as a freshman, that he quickly switched his major to film and began a new chapter in his journey of visual storytelling.

After completing college in 2012, Mikhail worked as an Assistant Director at Dharma Productions and as a Director’s Assistant in advertising for two years before embracing a more hands-on approach to all the projects he worked on. It set into motion a philosophy that sticks with him today, that no project or job is too small to learn and grow. Over the next few years he worked in some capacity in almost every department on a film/TV commercial set. He immersed himself in the production – learning the backbone of filmmaking, camera – learning the medium to capture storytelling, editing – learning the craft to succinctly tell stories & direction – the captaincy of it all. This experience laid the foundation that formed his sensibilities not only in a creative sense, but as the person he was becoming.

Drawing from a rich and diverse set of influences, Mikhail has a unique visual approach, that at its core is driven by layered narratives. Ultimately that is his goal, to tell inspiring stories like the ones that had a profound impact on him.