Dhvani Desai


Dhvani Desai is an Indian animation filmmaker and poet. She is the author of the animated films Manpasand and Chakravyuh.

Early life

Desai was born on 11 November 1968 in Mumbai. Her father, Sudhir Desai, is a poet, thinker, and scholar. Her mother, Tarini Desai, is a modern short story writer in Gujarati. Her elder sister, Sanskritirani Desai, is also a Gujarati poet.

Career

Desai holds a Bachelor of Science in Statistics from Elphinstone College, Mumbai, and a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from the SVKM's NMIMS, Mumbai. Later she earned a post-graduate diploma in Computer Management from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies.
Desai entered the field of animation in 1991. She worked as a trainee at a computer animation studio, where she learned 2D animation. After this, she joined Xavier's Institute of Communication in Mumbai for formal training in 3D animation, before working in two animation studios. Desai then joined the Computer Graphiti, before establishing her own animation studio, Metamorphosis, in Mumbai, which has produced animations and special effects for advertising films.
The Mahatma Gandhi Foundation produced and Desai co-directed with her elder brother a short animation film, The Mahatma, which depicted the principles of Gandhiji. The film was selected at the Tehran International Animation Festival in 2001 and at the Mumbai International Film Festival.
The Children's Film Society of India produced and Desai directed an 11-minute long animated film, Manpasand . It was screened at the 9th Hamburg Children's Short Film Festival and won a medal at the 2008 New York Festival's Film and Video Awards. The Panchatantra-based tale used the Vaishnavite Sanjhi art style, a form of stencil art, and took over two years to make, with 42 artists working on it.
Manpasand was nominated at the International Animation Film Festival in Hollywood and selected at several other international film festivals. The film was screened at Hyderabad's The Golden Elephant'' in November 2007 and was the inaugural film at the Asian Women's Film Festival in New Delhi in 2008.
Desai has also worked on cartoon and animated titles produced by the National Film Development Corporation of India.
Chakravyuh, her film promoting awareness around India's Right to Information Act, was produced by the Films Division and released on the 8th Anniversary of the RTI Act in an event organised by the Public Concern for Governance Trust, the Indian Merchants' Chamber's Anti Corruption Cell, and Bombay Chartered Accountants Society.

Awards