New Delhi [India], September 8: Few young directors have managed to cut through the clutter of India’s crowded advertising and film space the way Divith Shetty has. In just a few years, Shetty has gone from assisting filmmakers to winning international awards with his films, pioneering India’s first micro drama Let Us Live In on Instagram, and helming campaigns for Pantene, Tata Motors, Chocolatex, Frido and the Own Your Body film with Hrithik Roshan.
What sets him apart is not just the scale of work, but the philosophy behind it. “Don’t call me if you just want a product push,” Shetty says, “That’s been done to death. If I’m on board, the aim is to make something memorable, whether it’s funny, emotional or just plain outrageous. The brand should be remembered because the story is remembered.”
Known for his cinematic yet quirky direction style, Shetty never approaches a brief as-is. He finds a way to twist it, add his touch, and make it feel different from anything else on the table. That mix of clarity and style has made him a favourite among agencies and production houses, many of whom describe him as “the new go-to voice” for work that feels both fresh and entertaining.
Shetty’s journey into directing began early. “I watched Kung Fu Hustle as a kid and was blown away. Later, Parasite convinced me I had to direct,” he recalls. During film school, he made shorts like Hello Sharmaji and Gateway Storytellers on tiny budgets, both of which went on to win international recognition. That scrappy, inventive energy still drives his work.
In 2024, before “micro dramas” had entered the industry vocabulary, Shetty and Actor-Producer Alii Khan at Prachand Entertainment created Let Us Live In, India’s first vertical drama on Instagram. It was a quiet gamble that went on to spark a wave of similar experiments across platforms. “Our flex is that we did it before anyone else,” he says with a smile.
For Shetty, the format is always secondary to the audience. “Three seconds or three hours, I don’t care. The only question is: are we entertaining them? If yes, win.”
That philosophy now extends to his long-format projects. He is currently directing Mr. Iyer and Family, a warm family drama, and a huge-scale undisclosed horror-comedy project. Both, he promises, will carry his signature mix of energy and humour.
From parking cars on film sets as an assistant to becoming a director and writer whose work sparks conversations, Shetty has travelled a distance with sheer hard work and an obsession for good content. Asked where he sees himself next, his answer is simple: “Anywhere that makes people ask, ‘Who made this?’ That’s enough for me.”
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Siddharth Mehta
