Ruchika Muchhala

Ruchika Muchhala is an Indian Director and Producer. She was born in Indonesia to South East Asian parents of Indian descent and raised in Singapore. Ruchika Muchhala received her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science from the University of Michigan with a specialization in Film and Sociology. After graduating with honors, she pursued her Master's Degree in Design for Social Innovation at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and passed out in 2014.

Ruchika Muchhala was initially drawn to visual media as a language for its ability to be understood by everyone, irrespective of their linguistic capabilities. Since she graduated, the director has spent over fifteen years making non-fiction documentaries to tell stories and spread the messages she wants. Her impressive career began as an Assistant Editor on the set of the Academy-award-winning documentary, ‘Born into Brothels’, which was released in 2004. 

In 2011, Ruchika Muchhala made her debut as a director with the film, ‘The Great Indian Marriage Bazaar’. The film navigates the complex system of arranged marriages in India and the pressure Indian women face to get married. ‘The Great Indian Marriage Bazaar’ was released at film festivals across the globe as well as on television channels like BBC World. In 2012, it won the award for Best  Asian Social Issues documentary at The New York Film/Television Festival. Ruchika Muchhala’s second film as a director was ‘Beyond Bollywood’, which was released in 2013 and stars actors like Pooja Kasekar Pooja Kasekar is a fashion model, choreographer, a >> Read More... , Harry Key Harry Key is a Bollywood actor turned author and s >> Read More... , and Ojas Rajani in leading roles. This film won the award for Best Documentary at River to River Indian Film Festival at Venice in 2013.

Ruchika Muchhala is exceptionally passionate about intersecting identities and wants to explore the experiences of people who don’t fit the status quo. As someone who grew up with mixed cultures, she is more adept at understanding the nuances of their stories and can better portray them in her films. Ruchika Muchhala uses the label Third Kulture to produce and direct her non-fiction content on TV online or in independent spaces. ‘Third Kulture’ comes from the term ‘Third culture kid’, which is used to describe children whose identity is a unique blend of their native country and the country they grew up in. She tries to navigate the gray space of these intersecting ideas and identities to create engaging long-form documentaries that can be streamed on multiple platforms.

Ruchika Muchhala specializes in producing long-format documentary films for television and creating compelling short online content. She aims to lead Third Kulture into the innovative field of strategizing and designing transmedia stories. She uses ethnography, user experience research, qualitative methods, and the power of storytelling to understand what motivates human behavior and experiences. Throughout her career, Ruchika Muchhala has worked for major organizations like RealNetworks, Video Volunteers, Women Aloud for Video Empowerment, Mediacorp Pvt. Ltd., A & E News, Viacom, HISTORY TV18, National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel Asia, Vice Media, MTV, Crime & Investigation channel, The Sound, and Ipsos.