Avani Deshpande is an Indian Filmmaker and a Screenwriter who is best known for her work on the Netflix series ‘Trial by Fire’ (2023), ‘Tryst with Destiny’ (2021) on Sony Liv India, and Yash Raj Films’ ‘Hichki’ (2018). She began her film career working as a Script Supervisor and a Second Unit and Assistant Director. She made her Directorial debut with an episode in the limited series ‘Trial by Fire’ (2023) which opened to great reviews and critical acclaim, with Mike McCahill from Variety calling it “Searing.. one of Netflix India’s best yet.” and Shubhra Gupta from Indian Express calling it “Poignant”. It also has a 100% critical and audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Born into a family of doctors in Central Indian city of Nagpur, where she completed her schooling. She graduated in English Literature and Psychology at the acclaimed Fergusson College, Pune followed by a Diploma in Journalism from K.C. College, Mumbai. She briefly worked as a Journalist for publications such as The Times of India (Nagpur) and The Indian Express (Pune). In 2010, after having worked as a journalist for a year, she decided to study Film making , particularly in the Documentary format. She went on to pursue an MA in Documentary Film at the prestigious London College of Communication under University of Arts London. Her student documentary ‘The Others’, about the Hijra community in the city of Mumbai, is available on YouTube. She is currently based in India and working on her maiden independent feature.