Madhurima Khadilkar, a FLAME alumna, has never been afraid to apply her knowledge in the workplace. She’s come a long way since she studied at FLAME, pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration in Communication Management. Today, Madhurima values the knowledge she received and how it shaped her career. She adds that FLAME provided her with the holistic nature of study that helped broaden her perspective and deepen her approach to the field. In fact, it gave her a technical edge over fellow candidates, including a working understanding of the commerce of the industry.
Madhurima had minored in literary and cultural studies. This supported her creative work with a better understanding of the varied socio-political and cultural elements that have a huge influence on cinema and storytelling. As a result, she got to write, direct, edit, learn to budget, and produce her own short films. The curriculum at FLAME, along with the faculty’s support, proved to significantly contribute to her key learnings.
In her first year, as part of the FLAME Film Club, Madhurima had the chance to meet fellow film lovers and interact with classmates outside of academics. She had applied to be an assistant secretary in her second year and later ended up becoming the secretary in her final year. Being a part of this club gave her the opportunity to do film screenings twice a week. This activity was aimed at nurturing a community that watches and discusses cinema together. The entire year spanned different programs, from science fiction to exploring Iranian cinema. There were collaborations with other groups and clubs as well to organise themed screenings for the campus community.
While this comprehensive experience was just part of her bachelor’s, the journey had only begun. There was so much more in store for Madhurima as she moved on to tell us about her experience with the postgraduate program at FLAME. She pursued her major in Film and Television Management, which helped expand and deepen her understanding of filmmaking through more specialised courses and workshops. This included the business of filmmaking and film theory. She also had the opportunity to work on more films and documentaries, which added to her technical and experiential knowledge. Although the on-campus experience was cut short due to the pandemic, the advanced courses, including the creative projects, provided a vital learning experience.
As Madhurima began her internship and work journey, the knowledge base she had already gained started to show. As a Production Intern at Flop Films Pvt. Ltd. she learned about the logistical and production aspects of filmmaking, from planning a shoot to scouting for locations, etc. Her experience grew deeper as she interned at an advertising agency, where she developed the skill of creating content for marketing.
She found her second internship to be even more fruitful, where she worked as a writing and research intern at Roy Kapur Films. More in tune with her interests, this internship provided her with the practical lessons of screenwriting under a great mentor. She learned important skills such as historical research, character writing, word building, and more. It was an extremely enriching experience that helped solidify her inclination towards the development and pre-production sides of filmmaking.
Madhurima then began her professional work life. She started off with her core responsibilities while being promoted to a Development Executive at Dharma Productions. She works towards developing new films and series for theatrical releases and OTT platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Among her responsibilities are collaborating with writers on various projects, coordinating writers' rooms, liaising with platforms, and providing creative feedback to put together films and series. To add to her impressive list, Madhurima also looks for new story ideas by getting in touch with writers and directors and looking for adaptation possibilities from books and other sources.
She also discussed her involvement in projects such as Mangadhant. Mangadhant was a short film that she was a part of making in her advanced filmmaking class under Professor Mahesh Aaney. It was a thriller/drama short film that explored the complicated relationship between a father and his son. This film helped Madhurima apply new filmmaking techniques and lessons practically.
At the same time, the Dream Big Princess campaign was an opportunity that Madhurima heard about through one of her professors. It was a collaborative project between Disney and GirlUp (a UN organisation) that brought together 21 young female filmmakers. Every participant interviewed an influential female figure. It was an enriching, unforgettable experience that also connected Madhurima to fellow young women with an interest in storytelling from across the world.
Madhurima’s message to the younger generation is unique. She believes that filmmaking should expand beyond technical knowledge, and interest should flow through literature, music, arts, and learning about politics and current events. These are equally important to developing your knowledge of filmmaking and the logic that goes into it all. It will inform your creative work, and the more you work on expanding your mindset, the more your work will be enriched.
She also wishes that young aspirants focus on having a strong mentor to guide them while helping them build their skills. Keeping in touch with the people you meet is important, as you get to develop the most unexpected perspectives and views on things.