Being a filmmaker taught me to observe. Being a founder taught me to act. And being a team builder taught me to listen. Each role keeps you honest. You can’t lead if you can’t learn, and I’ve never stopped learning from the people I work with.
Here’s the full Q & A:
1. Before The Visual House came into existence, can you tell us how your interest in filmmaking and storytelling began, and what led you from there to starting your own creative agency?
I’ve also always been a fast learner. One of my former mentors noticed that early on and once told me, “You should really consider starting something of your own.” At the time, I smiled. But that seed stayed with me. As I moved ahead in my career, the passion to build something on my own started to grow stronger. And eventually, The Visual House was born out of that mix of passion, intent, and a need to do more with the stories I believed in.
2. When you look back at those first few years of building TVH, what stands out more: the hustle, the uncertainty, or the excitement? What kept you going before the recognition came in?
Honestly, it was all of it. Some days were full of excitement, some were plain exhausting, and most were just a blur of figuring things out as they came. But if I had to sum it up, I’d say it was a journey of constant learning. I started with a borrowed laptop, no team, and a head full of ideas. I made cold calls, followed up endlessly, and celebrated every tiny win. When we got our first NGO project, it wasn’t just about the work; it was the feeling of finally being seen. That one opportunity gave me the confidence to keep going. I held on to my intent, and that kept me moving even when everything else felt uncertain.
3. You’ve worn many hats: filmmaker, creative lead, entrepreneur, team builder. How have those roles informed each other over the years?
Being a filmmaker taught me to observe. Being a founder taught me to act. And being a team builder taught me to listen. Each role keeps you honest. You can’t lead if you can’t learn, and I’ve never stopped learning from the people I work with.
4. Over the last 15 years, what would you say was a turning point for TVH, an inflection moment that shifted the agency’s direction or elevated your confidence as a founder?
This, our 15-year milestone, is the real turning point. All these years, we’ve been taking small but meaningful steps. Working with intent, saying yes to work that aligned with our values, building brick by brick. But now, is the time when we’re ready to leap. This moment isn’t just about looking back. It’s about rising with clarity, with creativity, and with the courage to grow bigger. 15x creative, 15x positive, 15x productive, that’s not just a tagline. It’s our next chapter.
5. Can you take us into one campaign you’re especially proud of, not because it won awards, but because of the impact it created or what it taught you as a storyteller?
One that will always stay with me is our World AIDS Day campaign with the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), for the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.
We didn’t just make an anthem, we built a whole movement around awareness and empathy. We brought together over 50 creators and artists from across India-different languages, different regions and they helped amplify the message in a way that felt rooted, real, and respectful. The kind of engagement we saw when people opened up, asked questions, shared their truths, and that impact stayed with me. That’s when I truly felt the power of storytelling isn’t in what you say, but in what others feel and do with it.
6. You’ve worked on a wide range of issues, from HIV awareness to gender identity to sanitation and education. Is there a campaign or project that changed your own perspective or challenged your assumptions?
To be honest, the learning never stops. Every campaign teaches you something. Sometimes it’s about how to be more creative, sometimes more sensitive, sometimes just more accurate. Some stories change how you look at an issue. Others remind you to listen harder. But what they’ve all taught me is this: you never know everything. The best perspective comes not from knowing but from being open enough to unlearn and relearn along the way
7. With TVH now operating across India and the MENA region, how do you ensure your content remains locally grounded while still resonating with a wider audience?
The most important thing in any piece of communication is resonance-if it doesn’t strike a chord with the right audience, it won’t land, no matter how well-produced it is. We’ve learned that while good storytelling is universal, great storytelling is rooted. Whether we’re shooting in rural Madhya Pradesh or pitching in a boardroom in Dubai, we immerse ourselves in the context first. We don’t just translate language, we try to translate emotion. When you honour the local story, that’s when it finds its global voice.
8. What were some of the more subtle challenges you faced as a woman leading in the media, not the obvious ones, but the kind that creep in between meetings or around boardroom tables?
I think it’s the invisible doubts. The quiet interruptions. That feeling of having to prove your capability before your creativity. But over time, those doubts stopped following me home. They stopped showing up because my work started showing up louder. In an industry where I had to initially prove I belonged, I let my work speak for me, and it did. Today, if I’m known for something, it’s because of that work, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
9. In your leadership style, how do you strike a balance between creative freedom and structure, especially while mentoring younger voices in the team?
I believe in giving people the freedom to find their rhythm. Especially the younger voices-they come with such raw energy, fresh ideas, and perspectives we may not have considered. And honestly, we end up learning just as much from them as they do from us. We give them direction, yes, but we also give them room. That’s how creativity grows when people feel trusted enough to be themselves
10. A lot is changing in the communication and content space. What industry shifts are you observing right now that excite or concern you as a creative agency founder?
Yes, there’s a shift, and I think it’s a beautiful one. The lines are blurring between film and digital, creator and agency, art and analytics. What excites me is the shift in thinking across formats, mediums, and generations. On the other hand, I wouldn’t say anything concerns me. This is an industry that rewards people who stay curious. So if you’re open to learning and adapting, there’s no real reason to be afraid.
11. AI has been a hot topic lately, often celebrated and feared at the same time. What’s your honest take on the rise of AI tools in creative work, especially in areas like writing, design, and strategy?
AI, to me, is a tool and not a threat. It’s here to work with us, not against us. It can make our workflows sharper, faster, more efficient. We’ve used it for idea generation, moodboarding, data-based targeting; things that would have taken days now take hours. But even with all that speed, AI can’t feel. And for us, feeling is where it starts. Strategy without soul doesn’t land. So yes, we use AI. But we never forget that creativity still begins and ends with us.
12. Do you see AI as a tool that will enhance human creativity or replace it in the long run? And how are you integrating or resisting it within your own agency ecosystem?
As I’ve already said, AI is a tool for us to work smarter. At TVH, we don’t treat it like the hero of the room. We treat it like a smart assistant. It helps us work sharper, quicker, better. It helps us think wider. But the heart of our work? That still comes from lived experience, from observation, from emotion. AI can enhance only if we let it. Replace? Only if we stop being curious. So we’re staying curious. That’s our edge.
13. Beyond the campaigns and content, you’ve also built a culture at TVH that prioritizes inclusion and empathy. Was that something you set out to do from the start, or did it evolve with the agency?
It was never written on a boardroom wall, but it’s always been there. When I started TVH, I didn’t have a 10-year plan, but I knew I wanted to build a space where people felt safe to learn, grow, and be themselves. Inclusivity for us isn’t a policy. It’s in how we hire, how we listen, how we celebrate people’s progress.
14. You’ve led campaigns that deal with complex themes like HIV awareness, gender identity, and public health. What kind of responsibility comes with telling stories that represent others’ realities?
You owe them your full attention. Not your assumptions. When someone trusts you with their truth, whether it’s a story about living with HIV, or navigating gender in a small town, they’re handing you something sacred. It’s not just representation. It’s respect. That means we double-check, we re-listen, we stay accountable. We ask ourselves: “Would this feel right if it were my story?” Because storytelling isn’t just creative work-it’s human work. And it should be handled with care.
15. How do you mentor or support other women within your team or the larger creative industry? Has your approach to leadership evolved over the years?
Honestly, I just showed up. That’s what I’ve learned matters most. I check in, I listen, and I remind every young woman on my team that leadership doesn’t have to look loud or perfect. It just has to be true to you. You don’t need a certain tone, a certain posture, you just need intention. I tell them: lead like yourself. That’s enough. That’s more than enough.
16. If you had to give one honest, real-world piece of advice to a woman about to start her own creative venture today, what would it be (and what would you never sugarcoat)?
Start before you feel ready. You’ll never feel “fully ready” and that’s okay. I began with a borrowed laptop and a head full of ideas, pitching myself on cold calls, writing scripts at midnight, chasing invoices the next morning. Was it hard? Absolutely. But what made the difference was this drive to be financially independent and this quiet fire to make a name for myself. So don’t wait for the stars to align. Learn to bet on yourself. Build your voice. Build your craft. And when the world feels heavy, remind yourself: no one builds anything real without a few bruises.
