Est. MMXXVI · Mumbai

Studio

A fixed point in a moving world

We are an independent studio for feature films and documentaries — built on the belief that the stories which last are made by people who know what they stand for.

01 Why Polaris

Named for the star that doesn’t move.

For centuries, sailors, desert caravans and mountain surveyors found their way by a single star. Polaris is not the brightest light in the sky — but while every other star wheels slowly through the night, it holds its place almost exactly above the Earth’s northern axis.

That is the kind of studio we set out to build. Not the loudest or the fastest, but the one you can navigate by: honest with audiences, careful with the people we film, rigorous in our craft and steadfast with our partners.

Read the essay
POLARIS · α UMi YILDUN · δ KOCHAB · β PHERKAD · γ
Ursa Minor — the Little BearRA 02h 31m 49s · Dec +89° 15′ 51″

02 Our mission

To make films and documentaries of lasting consequence — stories told with honesty, made with craft and built to endure.

03 Our vision

A studio audiences, artists and communities can trust — a fixed point for storytellers for the next fifty years.

04 What we stand for

Five values. No exceptions.

These are the principles we hire for, decide by and hold each other to — on every production, at every budget.

  1. I

    Truth

    We tell stories honestly — in fiction and in fact. We never fabricate, stage or distort to heighten what is real.

  2. II

    Craft

    We sweat the details audiences will never consciously notice, because they feel every one of them.

  3. III

    Care

    For participants, cast and crew — safe sets, fair pay, clear credit and a duty of care that lasts beyond wrap.

  4. IV

    Courage

    We back difficult stories and distinctive voices, and we protect them when it would be easier not to.

  5. V

    Constancy

    We keep our word. Partners, filmmakers and audiences should always know exactly where they stand with us.

05 Our course

Charting the first decade.

  1. MMXXVI

    The studio is founded

    Polaris Pictures opens in Mumbai with a simple promise: stories that hold true.

  2. MMXXVI

    A debut slate of seven

    Three features, three feature documentaries and a docu-series enter development and production.

  3. MMXXVII

    First premieres

    Our first documentaries and features begin their journeys to festivals and audiences.

  4. MMXXVIII

    Series & co-productions

    A six-part docu-series and our first international co-production go before the cameras.

  5. Beyond

    Fifty years of stories

    A home for filmmakers and a library of films built to outlast every trend.

06 Leadership

The people at the helm.

A small leadership team with backgrounds across independent film, broadcast documentary and international co-production.

NR

Nilesh Raaj

Founder & Creative Director

Leads the studio’s creative vision and slate, and produces across fiction and documentary.

MD

Meera Deshpande

Head of Documentaries

Oversees non-fiction development, ethics and impact, and author of our Documentary Charter.

SR

Sana Rizvi

Head of Development

Finds and nurtures new voices, from first treatment to greenlight, across the slate.

IS

Ingrid Solberg

International Co-productions

Builds partnerships with producers, funds and broadcasters across Europe and beyond.

We make work with

Broadcasters Streamers Film funds Festivals Foundations & NGOs Independent filmmakers

Careers

Join the crew.

Open roles & fellowships