Shiva Raichandani

Last updated

Shiva Raichandani
Portrait of Shiva Raichandani.jpg
Born26 October 1993 (1993-10-26) (age 29)
Nationality British
Education The University of Leeds
Alma mater Good Shepherd International School
OccupationArtist
Known for
Website shivaraichandani.com

Shiva Raichandani (born 1993 [1] ) is a BAFTA-nominated non-binary [2] British-Indian film and TV director, producer, screenwriter, dancer, and actor. Their works exist at the intersections of creating positive gender-expansive representation in mainstream media, addressing mental health stigma (especially within the South Asian context), and using the performing arts to drive positive social change.

Contents

They were selected as a recipient of the 2023 BFI and BAFTA LGBTQIA+ Mentoring Scheme, [3] and identified by Attitude Magazine as one of 2023’s Top 10 trailblazers for Film, TV, and Music [4] in the United Kingdom.

Raichandani is known for having been a semi-finalist on Britain's Got Talent, and a contestant on India's Got Talent and France's Got Talent with the London School of Bollywood. [5] [6] [7]

Their debut film, Queer Parivaar (2022), won the BAFTA-qualifying Iris Prize 'Best British Short' award, making it available for broadcast and streaming on Channel 4.

In May 2021, Raichandani won the inaugural Netflix Documentary Talent Fund [8] to direct a film on Shane 'ShayShay' Konno and their Pan-Asian drag and cabaret collective, The Bitten Peach. As reported by Variety, [9] the documentary is titled 'Peach Paradise', and premiered on TikTok’s first-ever live film showcase.

Shiva’s latest BAFTA-nominated documentary called ‘Always, Asifa’ [10] (commissioned by Together TV’s Diverse Film Fund) premiered at the BFI’s London Film Festival.

Raichandani also freelances as a speaker and consultant on inclusive LGBTQIA+ practices for corporate and non-profit organisations, and is a D&I Content Consultant at New Inclusion. [11]

Shiva has degrees in Psychology, Counselling, and Media Communication, and uses the combined knowledge from them with their lived experiences to tap into the discourses of intersectional identities. They use digital platforms to mobilise and create safe community spaces to champion diverse talent and drive topical conversations around societal issues.

Appearances

Raichandani has also been featured on UK Black Pride, [20] Pride in London, [21] Instagram, [22] Bollyshake, and London Queer Fashion Show. [23]

Filmography

Shiva Raichandani's Filmography
YearFilm/SeriesCompanyDistributorRoleNotesAwards/Nominations
2021 Eternals Marvel Walt Disney Company Bollywood Dancer
2022Queer ParivaarRaisilience Ltd. Channel 4 Director / Writer / Producer / StarShort filmIris Prize - Best British Short Film Award
2022Peach ParadiseRaisilience Ltd. Netflix Director / Writer / ProducerDocumentary
2022Always, AsifaRaisilience Ltd. Together TV Director / ProducerDocumentaryBAFTA TV Award Nomination - Short Form Programme

Raichandani produces films under their production company Raisilience Ltd.

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References

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  5. "Cultural Exchanges Festival presents: South Asian arts and the LGBTQ+ community". De Montfort University.
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  9. Ramachandran, Naman (26 May 2021). "Netflix Reveals Winners of U.K. Documentary Talent Fund For Emerging Filmmakers". Variety. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  10. "BAFTA Television 2023: The Nominations". www.bafta.org. 16 March 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
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  14. Lewis, Rebecca (1 May 2017). "Britain's Got Talent star admits 'Bollywood with a twist' performance would be impossible in home country". Metro. Archived from the original on 9 March 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  15. "Shiva plans to use power of dance". Daily Star. 30 April 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  16. Raichandani, Shiva (28 November 2018). "India's Got Talent: Gender fluidity and Bollywood Dance". LinkedIn.
  17. Leighton-Dore, Samuel (14 November 2018). "'It's a continuing line': Non-binary 'Sabrina' star opens up about gender". SBS Australia. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
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  19. Shiva Raichandani | Diversifying Gender Representation in Bollywood & Beyond | Talks at Google , retrieved 2 January 2022
  20. UK Black Pride (11 June 2019). "UK Black Pride 2019". YouTube. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  21. Raichandani, Shiva (8 July 2019). "Billy Porter at Pride in London". Instagram. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021.
  22. "Nonbinary illustrator Wednesday (@hellomynameiswednesday) connects the LGBTQ+ community through their art — and encourages others to do the…". Instagram. 27 June 2019. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021.
  23. Raichandani, Shiva (22 September 2018). "Fashion ka hai ye jalwa 🔥 . Thank you so much to the entire team of @LondonQueerFashionShow for inviting me to perform and celebrate queer…". Instagram. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021.