Archana Borhade

Archana Borhade is an Indian cinematographer and writer who has worked extensively in the Hindi film industry. She has been a part of several award-winning films and shorts. Archana grew up in the city of Mumbai. She consistently outdid herself at academic and extra-curricular work, ranking first in her school’s final board examinations. She went on graduate with a full Honors Engineering degree from the University of Mumbai in Information Technology. Archana spent a few years in the corporate sector, with a consultancy role at SAP and Wipro, following her days in college. In 2007, she made a life-changing decision to leave her job and pursue film making. It was not an easy start, but she persevered and began small as an Assistant Cameraman. She worked among leading figures in the industry and adopted new and experimental lighting techniques that set her work apart. Archana was a part of the technical crew in popular Bollywood movies such as ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008),’ ‘Ghajini (2008),’ and ‘My Name is Khan (2009).’

After her initial success, she began writing and directing many short films. She worked with NGOs to raise awareness about various causes like women’s health and education and urban crime. She collaborated with organizations like Ashoka-Innovators for the public, Voice4Girls, and Cochlear, Australia, to direct many documentaries recording social issues. In 2011, her second short film, ‘The Essay’, won the Jury award at Gorbatschow Vodka Shorts Festival. She joined Mindscreen Film Institute in Chennai to develop her cinematic skills and meet experts in the field. Archana founded the production house, ‘Nine Archers Picture Company’, which she used as a platform to create many award-winning independent films, documentaries, and advertisement videos.

In 2012, the studio released its first production, ‘Bhopal Diaries,’ a film revolving around the dark underside of Bihar with its illegal drug trials. The success of the film was showcased by the many awards it won for Best Screenplay, Best Direction, and Best Story. The film was screened internationally in countries like Germany, Australia, and the USA. Her 2017 Marathi movie, ‘Idak: The Goat’, a heart-warming tale of a simple young boy’s travels with his goat, won the Maharashtra State Award for Best Cinematography at 55th Maharashtra State Film Awards. It went on to be screened at MAMI 2017 and IFFI 2017 and was selected by Maharashtra State Film Committee for the Cannes Festival. Her unique flair is apparent in the films, ‘Ek Nirnay,’ ‘Baki Itihas,’ and ‘ Phuntroo Click to look into! >> Read More... .’ A majority of Archana’s work seeks to empower women through the cinematic platform and lend a voice to the socially oppressed.