​Educational Qualification
Postgraduate Diploma in Film Editing from the
Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, Maharashtra, India.
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Masters in Communication Studies, specializing in Video Production from theDepartment of Media and Communication Studies, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
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Bachelors in Hindustani (North Indian) Classical Vocal Music from
the Center for Performing Arts (Lalit Kala Kendra), Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
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Undergraduate Foundation Diploma in Drawing and Painting from MGM college of Fine
Arts, Nanded, Maharashtra, India.
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Achievements
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Recipient of the National scholarship for achieving excellence in Higher
Secondary Board Examination, specializing in Music.
Started singing at the age of 3, has been performing live since the age of 9.
Started learning Hindustani Classical Vocal Music at the age of 10.
She has won accolades for her unique voice and melodious singing.
She was Sangeet Visharad (Equivalent to Bachelors in Music) at the age of 17.
As a part of her studies at Center for Performing Arts
She was trained under Senior Classical Vocalist, late Dr. Suhasini
Koratkar of Bhindibazar Gharana.
A glimpse of her voice and her singing:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLacoIHXdWrnJB6ImZFhRhpmezMnXmdgQG
https://soundcloud.com/desmalhar
Recipient of the Best Film and Best Director Award at the International Cultural
Exchange Digital Short Film Festival for her short-documentary Desire of The
Moth, based on an unconventional Artiste, Painter named Shakuntala Patade.
This award was presented by well known Bollywood producer, director Anurag
Kashyap and noted actor Atul Kulkarni.
Recipient of the Best Film Award at Pulotsav, a Cultural festival in the memory
of noted Marathi writer, actor, musician P L Deshpande for her short-documentary
Desire of The Moth.
Official selection at the short film festival of Los Angeles, USA, in the Annual
Program without Frontiers.
Official selection at the International shorts made by and about South Asian
women, organized by Seattle based Tasveer, held at the Ethnic Cultural Theatre,
University of Washington, USA.
Link: https://tasveer.org/aaina2010/
Link to desire of the Moth: http://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watchonline/
play/87/Desire-Of-The-Moth
Producer, Concept creator, Screenwriter, Director and Editor of the Music Video
of the song Kathagaan, Composed, Performed and Produced by one of the most
popular Indian Music Bands KAILASA.
Her music video won the Best Music
Video Award and became the Official Music Video for the song
'Kathagaan'.
This competition was organized by Padma Shri Kailash Kher
(Globally recognized Bollywood performer known for his unique music, earthy
voice and distinctive style of singing) and presented by the well-known
Bollywood producer, director Rajkumar Santoshi.
Link to Kathagaan: https://youtu.be/bZbiwaC86FY
Director, Writer, Editor of the full-length Documentary 'Vyomagami',
based on the life and work of internationally known Bharatanatyam Exponent,
Sangeet Natak Academy Awardee
Dr Sucheta Bhide Chapekar.
It was premiered in the presence of internationally acclaimed
Odissi Exponent, Padma Vibhushan Sonal Mansingh,
senior Bharatanatyma Exponent Padma Bhushan C V Chandrasekhar,
renowned dance critic Padma Shri Sunil Kothari,
noted dance critic K Subadra Murthy
and famous actor Padma Shri Mohan Agashe.
Official selection at the 6th International Women’s Film Festival, organized by
National Film Archives of India along with Film and Television Institute of India.
Official selection at the online film festival CultureUnplugged.com.
Link to Vyomagami Promos:
https://vimeo.com/135844189
https://vimeo.com/135846085
Recipient of the Special Achievement in Script-writing for her
short, creative, musical documentary 'TEE',
at the International Cultural Exchange Digital Film Festival.
She has composed the title music of this film with a screen name
'Desmalhar'.
TEE explores different stages of a woman’s life
and the song of endurance that accompanies her.
Link to TEE: http://www.cutv.ws/documentary/watch-online/play/54611/TEE
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Important Links
​https://www.desmalhar.com/
https://soundcloud.com/desmalhar
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm7230803/
http://www.cutv.ws/filmedia/storyteller/Mahadik
http://tiny.cc/z2iwsz
http://kathagaan.blogspot.in/
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​
Experience
Amrita has an earthy, mature voice and she is a versatile singer who is capable of
performing different genres like Bollywood, Sufi, Gazal, Classical, Semi-classical and Pop.
Due to migration, she learnt music from different music teachers at different places.
After joining the 'Center for Performing Arts'
she started learning classical vocal music from Vidushi Dr. Suhasini Koratkar.
As a part of her studies and even outside the formal structure,
Amrita attended many workshops on different aspects of classical music and music in general.
Later on music took a back-seat but never really disappeared from her life.
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She has been actively engaged in different segments of music industry in various ways
since many years.
She has lent her voice to some scratch songs (rough songs recorded before being
sung by the popular, established artists) for some of the composers in Bollywood.
Her demo songs can be streamed here: https://soundcloud.com/desmalhar
She has worked as an Editor/ Footage Assembler/ Footage Compiler on a
project by V2 Film and Design, Mumbai, featuring Pratham – the Read India
Movement.
This project was produced and directed by,
Academy award winner Maryann De Leo and Vibha Bakshi
This project was co-directed by,
Academy award nominee Isabel Vega.
She has worked on a Hindi feature film, 'UNGLI', as an Assistant Director to
noted writer, director Rensil D'Silva.
The film was produced by one of the
biggest film production houses in Bollywood, DHARMA PRODUCTIONS,
Mumbai, India.
She has worked as Assistant Lecturer to Miss Gayatri Chatterji,
(A film scholar and writer of the award winning books 'Awara' and 'Mother India')
at the Alliance for Global Education
(An American initiative for Indian studies) Pune, India.
She has worked on a bilingual film 'Thang' (Marathi)- 'Quest' (English) as an
Assistant Director to noted Bollywood actor, director Mr. Amol Palekar.
She has directed and edited a few more short-films as a part of her studies
at Department of Media and Communication Studies,
as well as at FTII (Film and Television Institute of India).
She has written, directed and edited some short films independently.
'Vidula' - (a non fiction - short documentary made under her own banner)
based on Dr. Vidula Javalgekar who portrayed Patiraji
in Academy nominated film 'WATER', directed by Deepa Mehta and produced by David Hamilton.
With the screen name DESMALHAR,
Amrita has composed music for some of her shorts and for a few other indie films directed by others.
She has composed the background music and title music of
Marathi short film 'TajaKalam' – (short fiction)
direction, screenplay and music by Amrita Mahadik,
written and produced by Marathi writer Pratibha Deshpande.
Link: https://youtu.be/ZZtp87cnXkQ
She has worked as a voice-over, dubbing artiste on some of the student projects
at the Film and television Institute of India.
A glimpse of her dubbing voice: https://vimeo.com/user8714270/aadish1
She was an active member of JAGAR, an amateur theatre group in Pune.
She has acted, performed in plays like,
'Abraham Linkanche Patra' and
'Nadi Kathcha Prakaar'.
She has worked as a pre-production assistant and backstage artist
for 'Salam' and 'Nandanvan'.
She is very much interested in Photography and enjoys clicking
Portraits of people as well as pets.
As a part of her one year Foundation Diploma at the M.G.M. school of Fine Arts, Nanded, Maharashtra,
she has internalized the fine nuances of Drawing and Painting.
This knowledge has contributed greatly in her journey as a filmmaker.
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She has been a part of the organizing committees of quite a few Film Festivals, Cultural
Festivals, Music Festivals, Theater Performances held at the Center for Performing Art
and furthermore at the Film and Television Institute of India.
This exposure has enabled her to appreciate, analyze and understand different art forms,
whether it is visual art, performing art or any spatio-temporal art forms.
Amrita has produced, written, directed and edited a documentary on senior activist, social worker and writer late Comrade Shanta Ranade. Comrade Shanta Ranade was 90 years old at the time of production.
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Amrita has conducted free workshops for underprivileged students from rural areas,
on the subjects like 'film appreciation' and 'film as a medium of expression'.
Other activities
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She has attended various workshops on Classical Music, Classical Dance
and attended several Film festivals as well as workshops on film making.
To name a few interesting ones,
A two-day workshop on ‘Music in the World of Cinema’
organized by National Film Archive of India (NFAI),
conducted by senior musician, composer
Mr. Bhaskar Chandavarkar.
A week-long workshop on Comparative study of different genres of music,
organized at the India Art Gallery, 'Kala-Chaya',
conducted by senior musicologist
Dr. Ashok D. Ranade.
A three-day workshop on the Aesthetics of semi classical forms like
Thumri, Kajri etc.
conducted by Padma Bhushan Pandita Girija Devi,
the Queen of 'Thumri',
a recipient of Sangeet Natak Academy Award.
A three-day workshop on Aesthetics of Dance, Abhinaya and Choreography,
conducted by Padma Vibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra,
the doyen of ‘Odissi’, a recipient of Sangeet Natak Academy Award.
A three-day workshop on Choreography
conducted by Padma Bhushan Smt Kumudini Lakhia ,
a senior Kathak Exponent,
a recipient of Sangeet Natak Academy Award.
A seven-day workshop on ‘The Aesthetics of Film Editing’
conducted by
Herve Schneid [member of American Cinema Editors (ACE)],
Editor of Amelie, Delicatessen, The city of lost children, A very long engagement.
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She learnt Reiki from Smt. Alka Lele in the year 2001.
She has been practicing this healing method for a long time.
In 2011, she did the 11-day fundamental course of 'Vipassana Meditation'
from the Igatpuri, (Nashik, Maharashtra, India) center.
At present she practices this meditation technique.
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She has fostered injured, abandoned pets and birds whenever possible
and she hopes to continue doing that in the future.
Her friend circle consists of people from different walks of life, people of
different ages, people coming from different economical backgrounds, people
coming from varied strata of society, people of various ethnic groups, religions and
people representing diverse artistic backgrounds.
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Languages
Proficient in English, Marathi and Hindi.