ANUSHKA MANCHANDA

Actress | Musician | DJ

Discovered on one of the first and most explosive reality shows in India just before she turned 18, Anushka Manchanda is a brand of musician who is fiercely individualistic and ever evolving.

Born into a family who loves their rock and roll, she started playing the piano at a very early age. She was picked from thousands of girls across the country to be a part of VIVA, India’s most successful, all-girl band which sold over half a million copies of their first album. Her connect with the youth led Channel [V] to sign her on as a VJ, with whom she travelled all over the country shooting for and hosting music based shows. Her affair with television continued, and she won the second season of the celebrity version of Fear Factor-Khatron Ke Khiladi. Her love for motorcycles also led to her hosting MTV’s Stuntmania.

“The women you will see on screen in the Angry Indian Goddesses are women that I am surrounded by, a true reflection of urban India. After taking this film all over the world, we have realised one thing - women everywhere are the same. We all want one thing - the freedom of choice. We want to make our own destinies. As women, we can really change the world if we stand by each other, and this is what AIG asks of you. In an environment where people are fighting to be who they are, to be true to themselves, I am honoured that our film is playing at your festival, and that ours can be a voice alongside yours. I'm looking forward to being in Russia, a place I have never been but have found myself wondering about a lot in the last year. I am grateful for this opportunity to learn more about how the people here feel and what they think. I can't wait!!!”

PAVLEEN GUJRAL

Actress | TV Presenter

A model, anchor, actor and stylist, Pavleen has been the proud face of brands such as Yamaha and Dabur. She has walked the ramp for noted Indian designers such as Sabyasachi, Rohit Bal and Tarun Tahiliani and on major fashion shows such as the Wills India Fashion Week and Bridal Asia. She has hosted TV shows such as Band Baaja Buffet and Joggers Park for Food Network & Bazaar and Travel Trendz Channels. In 2014, she made her feature film debut with Trip To Bhangarh. Angry Indian Goddesses is her second feature film.

"Angry Indian Goddesses is like a chameleon. It shows a different colour and gives a different perception to every viewer, be it an Indian, American, British or Russian and be it a boy, a girl, a man, woman or a child. I feel like one or the other aspects of the movie really settles down well inside your heart since it has so many layers. The one thing that stays with you forever is to be true to yourself, to be who you really are, what yourself wants you to be. Angry Indian Goddesses is a vision into the future, where one is free - free to choose their sexuality, religion, education and life."

NATALIA KHODYREVA

Psychologist | Doctoral Candidate | Feminist

PRESENTER

ALISA TAYOZHNAYA

Film Critic | Journalist

Alisa writes about cinema and contemporary culture for The Village, Wonderzine, Afisha, Interview, and GQ. She runs the Youth & Truth film club and lectures on the history of cinema and art. A graduate of the Higher School of Economics and the Manege/MediaArtLab Open School, she has studied at the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague and Anatoly Osmolovsky’s BAZA Institute.