Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri is an Indian-Canadian founder, futurist, film director, and artist.
She has collaborated with Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, and Kanye West.
Pal-Chaudhuri's work has won the Tribeca Film Festival 2019 Disruptive Innovation Award, where she was described as "A leading director and voice for women's empowerment", the CNN Expose Best Picture Award, and two gold Cannes Lions. Her editorial clients include Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, and Interview magazine. Brands such as Nike, Pepsi, L'Oréal Paris, Lancôme, LVMH, Hugo Boss, Anna Sui, Skyy Vodka, and Remy Martin have hired Pal-Chaudhuri to create advertising campaigns. Her campaign for Keep A Child Alive raised over $3.5 million and over 1.5 billion impressions, to provide anti-retroviral treatment for families with HIV in Africa and India."Markus And Indrani's 'Icons' Features Eerie Photos Of Celebrities In Coffins (PHOTOS)". Huffingtonpost.com. 2012-11-20. Retrieved 2015-08-22."They're alive! Kardashian, Gaga resurrected from 'digital death'". NY Daily News. New York. 2010-12-07. Retrieved 2015-08-22."Keep A Child Alive | Josh DiMarcantonio". Jdimarcantonio.com. 2014-05-08. Retrieved 2015-08-22."Keep A Child Alive digital death campaign Achieves Goal of $1 million for those affected by HIV/AIDS" (PDF). Keep a Child Alive. 2012-06-10. Retrieved 2015-08-22
Described as a "rad feminist" by Julianne E. Shepherd, editor-in-chief of Jezebel, and as "an activist filmmaker tackling some of the biggest issues facing the world," Pal-Chaudhuri is a human rights, sustainable growth, freedom, and economic empowerment advocate.Zee Chang, , Soma Magazine, 2017. Recognized by the United Nations as a Women's Entrepreneurship Distinguished Fellow, a Max Mark-Cranbrook Global Peacemaker, Co-Host of the Global People's Summit at the United Nations, Organizer and Host of the Princeton University Lewis Center "Art of Anti-Racism and Social Justice" symposium.
Early life Pal-Chaudhuri was born in Kolkata, India, in 1983, raised in the historic palace of her traditional Zamindar family, and accompanied her British mother as a volunteer with Mother Teresa and the Ramakrishna Mission.Abigail Pesta, "A fashionista's India dream: Indrani changes the fate of forgotten girls", Daily Beast, 7 October 2012. Both her parents were accountants, and her Rastafarian stepfather was a musician and counselor. She witnessed "the devastating poverty that stood in stark contrast to her own childhood" in India, which motivated her to someday make a difference in the area.
Early career Pal-Chaudhuri began modeling and acting at age 14, to study photography and filmmaking with artists around the world. She was featured in publications including Vogue, Glamour, Elle and in campaigns and commercials for Marie Claire, Benetton, MAC Cosmetics, VH1, Luxottica, Paul Mitchell, and Nescafe.
Co-founding of Shakti Regeneration Institute and Princeton South Asian Studies Program At 18, Pal-Chaudhuri returned to India for a 6-month solo pilgrimage, and used her modeling earnings to turn her family home into a charitable school, to give girls a better future.Eyestrane, "Diwali goddess Indrani ", Asiance, 29 September 2011. She named the foundation Shakti Regeneration Institute and the school Shakti Empowerment Education Foundation, and currently supports over 300 students annually, both girls and boys, also providing women with literacy and vocational training, as well as microfinancing, and continues as the school's executive director.
After high school, Pal-Chaudhuri met Markus Klinko, a classical harpist, who became a regular collaborator and the two began working together as the photography duo Markus + Indrani.Shooting the Stars With Fashion Photographers Markus and Indrani According to Fast Company, "When Markus Klinko and Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri teamed up...both were already stars—Klinko as a classical harpist and Pal-Chaudhuri as a fashion model. Now they are famous for their iconic images."
Pal-Chaudhuri then received a scholarship to Princeton University where she studied cultural anthropology while working as a photographer in NYC. An advocate of cultural regeneration, at Princeton she campaigned and reinstated the study of Sanskrit, and led a student initiative to create a program in South Asian Studies. She graduated with a High Honors AB in Anthropology.
Multidisciplinary artist Pal-Chaudhuri works as a photographer, a director, director of photography, and producer of films, music videos, and commercials.
While Pal-Chaudhuri was a student at Princeton, David Bowie and Iman commissioned her first album cover, for Heathen and I am Iman with Klinko. Pal-Chaudhuri's fashion work was first used by Isabella Blow, who commissioned cover stories for the London Sunday Times. Around the same time, Ingrid Sischy at Interview magazine commissioned various shoots. Pal-Chaudhuri credits Blow, Bowie, and Iman for mentoring her and encouraging her to push her creative boundaries.Lindsay Sakraida, "Behind the scenes of 'Double Exposure'", popphoto.com, 16 December 2009. Pal-Chaudhuri created album covers for Beyoncé's Dangerously in Love and Lady Gaga's The Fame Monster (Collector's Ed), Mary J. Blige's The Breakthrough and Mariah Carey's comeback Emancipation of Mimi and directed their music videos."Markus Klinko and Indrani: Stars and fashion icons ", Art Photo Expo.
Pal-Chaudhuri's directorial career began with the music video for Bowie's song "Valentine's Day", exploring the mind of a high school mass shooter, in 2013. Her work and interviews are featured in the HBO / BBC Film David Bowie: The Last Five Years.Eric R Danton "David Bowie radiates intensity in 'Valentine's Day'" , Rolling Stone, 16 July 2013.Robin Hilton "NPR Music," 16 July 2013. Francis Whatley in an interview about the HBO / BBC documentary with Michael Bonner in The Uncut describes "Valentine's Day" as "Indrani's video. It is compelling. I think she captured something about him – and the story around how she did it is quite interesting...She had to draw out of him that he was singing about a killer."
Pal-Chaudhuri's work has been published in over 30 books and shown in over 20 exhibitions, "From Beyoncé to Bravo: Pal-Chaudhuri '01 balances Hollywood with 'socially minded' art." Daily Princetonian, Angela Wang 5 February 2014, and her portrait of Beyonce is on permanent exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. In 2013 the Lincoln Center presented a week-long 30-piece public art exhibition Icons, to accompany the release of the photobook, Icons: The celebrity exposures of Markus and Indrani.Natalie Stone, "Hollywood photographers Markus+Indrani release 'Icons' portrait book", Hollywood Reporter, 6 November 2012.Katie Amey, "Exclusive: celebrity photographers Markus Klinko and Indrani debut their first book Icons", Elle, 7 November 2012. Icons was described as "High-concept and hyperrealism commingle" by Kimberley Jones for The Austin Chronicle.Kimberley Jones, "Coffee table iconoclasts; oversized books and outsized personalities" Austin Chronicle, 30 November 2012.
She directed a video and stills campaign with TBWA-Chiat-Day for Keep a Child Alive against AIDS in India and Africa."Digital death", canneslions.com; accessed by the Wayback Machine on 11 July 2011. Pal-Chaudhuri directed a short documentary for PSI and the UN's Nothing But Nets featuring ambassador actress Mandy Moore. She directed The Girl Epidemic to raise awareness of the millions of girls missing in Asia due to human trafficking, child labor and female infanticide for Project Nanhi Kali with ad agency Strawberry Frog.Scott Goodson "Should they ban The Girl Epidemic?" of Forbes, 2 June 2012. Her short "Crescendo," curated by Pepsi's Beats of the Beautiful Game, uses football to empower girls in India in partnership with nonprofits Sambhali Trust, Yuwa, and SEEschool.
An exhibition at the Pacific Design Center LA was presented by the Lucie Foundation, Month of Photography Los Angeles and Farmani Gallery,Erin Clark, "Month of photography L.A.: Markus Klinko and Indrani ", artworksmagazine.com, 23 April 2009. and the Icons exhibition of her work was presented by The Angel Orensanz Foundation for Contemporary Art NY and Bravo TV to celebrate "Double Exposure" on 16 June 2010. Entertainment MSN.com
"The Legend of Lady White Snake" short film, with a poem by science fiction writer Neil Gaiman, "The Hidden Chamber"Cator Sparks, "Do it Daphne! Guinness shines in short film based on ancient Chinese legend", Huffington Post, 4 March 2012. written and directed by Pal-Chaudhuri, is a re-imagining of an ancient Asian story, starring Daphne Guinness in costumes by GK Reid and Alexander McQueen.
"Till Human Voices Wake Us", a short film produced by Rick Schwartz, was written and directed by Pal-Chaudhuri, creative directed and executive produced by GK Reid, and stars Lindsay Lohan. An inversion of a poem by T.S. Eliot "The Love Song of S. Alfred Prufrock, it is a dream within a dream, of Selkies, Celtic mythical creatures that are women on land and seals in water, who storm Manhattan to save one of their kind, and the oceans. The film reminds viewers of the magic and mysteries of the creatures of the sea, and is a plea for sustainability of the oceans.
Pal-Chaudhuri has directed music videos including Alicia Keys' "New Day" described as "bold and high-energy" by Jenna Rubenstein for MTV,Jenna Hally Rubenstein, "New video: Alicia Keys, 'New Day'," mtv.com, 1 May 2013. as well as music videos for Mariah Carey, Bon Jovi, and Mary J. Blige. According to Liz Smith at Variety, "Mary J. Blige attributes her success to many things, among them ... Indrani. They have had a long history of image-creating for Grammy-winning."
For Girl Rising, India, a feature-length film for girls' empowerment, Pal-Chaudhuri directed the Bollywood actors Freida Pinto, Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor, Nandita Das Priyanka Chopra Sushmita Sen and Madhuri Dixit for the original Indian content, with a video and photo campaign which she also shot, that became part of the Indian government's campaign Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (translation: Save girl child, educate a girl child).
Her The Great Artist was created to destigmatize and encourage discussion on mental health through the lens of the art world, inclusive of the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities, who are often underserved and were at greater risk during COVID. The film was created in partnership with various nonprofits, screened at the Cannes Film Festival, American Pavilion, 2022, qualified for the Live Action Short Film shortlist for the 93rd Academy Awards,"Hollywood Music in Media Awards Announces 2021 Nominees; Kenny Loggins Set for Lifetime Honor (Exclusive)" Variety. January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021. and was selected by The Hollywood Reporter as one of the Oscars' Top 5 Live Action Shorts. "It is the climax that is truly brilliant -- one that earned the film a consideration for the Live Action Short Film shortlist for the 93rd Academy Awards...Are we all striving to achieve 'greatness' by holding our authentic self hostage? This is the haunting question that Pal-Chaudhuri leaves her viewers with," according to Prerna Mittra of The Indian Express.
University lecturer, foundation director, and regeneration advocate Shakti Regeneration Institute is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to regeneration and systemic change through education, media, and policy. Focusing on 5 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SRI utilizes the powers of partnerships, nature-based solutions, science, technology, storytelling, art, film, and social movement marketing, to empower women, indigenous, and local communities. It was founded by Pal-Chaudhuri.