Vibha Bakshi


Vibha Bakshi is an Indian filmmaker, journalist, and founder of Responsible Films. She is known for her films that highlight issues of gender inequality. She is the recipient of four National Film Awards from the President of India. In 2018, Vibha was awarded the Honorary doctorate degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, from her alma mater Boston University for her work as a journalist and filmmaker. She was the commencement speaker at Boston University's School of Communications.
Vibha’s most notable films as both director and producer include Daughters of Mother India and Son Rise. Both films are winners of the National Film Awards from the President of India.

Early life

Vibha was born on 23 September 1970 in Mumbai, India. Her father, Ved Chhabra, is a businessman and was named among the Top 100 business leaders by Forbes in 2018, and her mother Geeta Chhabra, is a poet and writer.
Vibha attended Convent of Jesus and Mary and St Xaviers College, Mumbai. She went to the United States for her undergraduate study in Journalism and Broadcasting. She graduated with a Bachelor of science degree in Communication from Boston University in 1993 and completed a diploma course on broadcasting at New York University in 1999.

Career

Vibha started her career in broadcast journalism with Plus Channel, Mumbai. She later joined CNBC as part of GE's founding team.
In 2004, Vibha Bakshi became co-producer with Oscar winner Maryann DeLeo. Their films include Terror at Home for Lifetime TV and was part of the United States Government's Emmy Award-winning campaign to stop violence against women - and HBO's film Too Hot NOT to Handle on the issue of Global warming.
Vibha’s work includes short films on the jewel palaces of India for Taj Hotels, including for Falaknuma Palace, Lake Udaipur Palace, Umaid Bhawan Palace, and Rambagh Palace.
Vibha's film for the Tata Medical Centre, Kolkata, a ₹400 crore philanthropy initiative funded by Tata Trusts and led by Ratan Tata, was aired across 29 channels in India in English and 9 regional languages.
Vibha directed and produced the Women Safety Campaign for the Mumbai Police in 2015. She was felicitated by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis for this work.

Daughters of Mother India

Vibha’s film Daughters of Mother India, won the 62nd National Film Awards in 2015 for Best Film on Social Issues. As director and producer, she received two awards from the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee. National Film Awards Jury described the film for turning the spotlight on the burning issue of rape and gender violence in the country. The film had a prime-time simulcast release in India across Viacom 18's 10 channels in 8 languages, a first for a documentary film in India.
In 2017, Global Creative Index rated Daughters of Mother India as the Most Awarded PR Program in the World.
Vibha's film was nominated at the Cannes Glass Lions award for 'Media Advocacy that Changed the World'. Daughters of Mother India was screened for over 1,50,000 officers of the Indian Police Force as a gender-sensitization and training tool for the Police to deal with gender-related crimes. It has also been incorporated into the curriculum of 200 schools in Maharashtra.
Daughters of Mother India was selected as the opening film at the Indian Panorama during the 46th International Film Festival of India, held in November 2015 in Goa. The festival was hosted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Directorate of Film Festivals.

Son Rise

Vibha's film Son Rise won the 66th National Film Awards for Best Film Non-Feature and Best Editing Non-Feature for which Vibha won two National Film Awards as director and producer. The film was inspired by United Nation's HeForShe mandate that gender equality can only be achieved if men and boys are a part of the struggle. The film was unveiled by United Nations Under-Secretary-General Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka followed by screenings by Consulates and Embassies of the World in India.
Son Rise was the official selection for the Indian Panorama section at the 50th International Film Festival of India, Goa.
The film also won the Jury award for Best Documentary at the Mumbai International Film Festival.

Awards and nominations

Personal life

Vibha is married to Vishal Bakshi, former Goldman Sachs Head Private Equity India and now founder of Private Equity firm Avatar Growth Capital Partners. Vibha and her husband Vishal have two boys, Varun and Vir.