As filmmaker Nikkhil Advani prepares to serve on the jury of the 17th edition of the Kashish Pride Film Festival, he is using the platform to advocate for stories that often struggle to find space in mainstream cinema. For Advani, the challenge is not the lack of audiences for independent and queer films, but the industry's inability to reach them.

Nikkhil on mainstream cinema’s commercial first approach

The filmmaker believes festivals like Kashish play a crucial role in amplifying such voices. Quoting legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese's belief that "what is most personal is most creative", Advani argues that stories emerging from within the queer community deserve to be told and, more importantly, deserve platforms where they can be discovered.