Tiger Baby, the production company founded by renowned Indian filmmakers Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, is making significant inroads into unscripted content. The company has announced a range of documentaries and series aimed at highlighting untold stories from India.
One of its latest projects is “Turtle Walker,” a documentary directed by Taira Malaney. This film follows the inspiring journey of conservationist Satish Bhaskar, who walked nearly the entire coastline of India to protect sea turtles. Akhtar praised Bhaskar, stating, “He’s such a hero that doesn’t think he’s a hero. He just walked nearly the entire coast of India, which helped the sea turtle not go into extinction. It’s such a big story, and he’s just one guy.” “Turtle Walker” will premiere at Doc NYC and recently won the Grand Teton Award at the Jackson Wild Media Awards.
Kagti expressed a personal connection to the project, saying, “We’re both fans of so many genres, and we want to do everything. This one specifically comes from the conservation space. We’re both personally very interested in the environment and conservation. I’m a bit of a farmer myself, so it just felt like a really nice project to back.”
Another exciting project in the works is “In Transit,” a nine-part docu-series in collaboration with Amazon Studios. This series will explore the lives of transgender individuals in India, a topic often overlooked by mainstream media. Akhtar emphasized the importance of sharing these stories, asking, “Where are they coming from? What are their lives?
How are they dealing? What are they going through, and what’s their experience?”
Akhtar is known for directing popular films such as “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara” (2011), “Dil Dhadakne Do” (2015), and “Gully Boy” (2019), which was India’s official entry for the Oscars. Kagti has directed notable films like “Talaash” (2012) and “Gold” (2018). The duo has collaborated on several projects, co-writing films and creating the acclaimed Prime Video series “Made in Heaven” (2019 onwards) and “Dahaad” (2023). Their film “Superboys of Malegaon,” co-produced with Amazon Studios and directed by Kagti, was recently showcased at the Toronto and London film festivals.
Tiger Baby’s first foray into unscripted content was the Prime Video series “Angry Young Men” (2024). This three-part documentary highlights the personal and professional journey of the legendary screenwriting duo Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, known as Salim-Javed.
Akhtar discussed Tiger Baby’s philosophy for unscripted content, stating, “Every kind of story has its own medium and mode of narration. We watch a lot of documentaries. Both of us are documentary fans, so it’s a familiar space for us. Nobody in the mainstream is really doing it, and people struggle to get these stories out. If we can enable it, and we love it, we will.”
Kagti added, “We’re open to anything that grabs us, and then you figure out the best possible way to do it.”
In addition to documentaries, Tiger Baby is expanding into various content areas. Tiger Telly, their advertising and brand collaboration division, has been operational for about two years. Additionally, their music label, Tiger Baby Records, in partnership with musician Ankur Tewari, is set to launch its first artist. The label aims to explore indie and folk music across India. Kagti explained, “TBR is not just music. We’re starting that way, but it’s more about everything to do with sound. It could include podcasts or even radio plays.”
Both filmmakers stressed the importance of emotional resonance over commercial success in their overall strategy. Kagti noted, “It’s not just to do it for the sake of doing it; it’s really to move us. It’s about developing work that resonates with you, and then you feel that because it resonates with you, it will resonate with other people.”
Akhtar elaborated, saying, “If we can give a larger understanding of something, inspire empathy, or provoke thought with everything we do, that would be incredible. That’s the pursuit.”
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