Aarav Poonia

I am an Indian filmmaker working across writing, directing, acting, and editing - approaching cinema with a holistic, hands-on creative vision. Born and brought up in Delhi and now based in Mumbai, I have worked across narrative filmmaking, branded digital campaigns, and documentary storytelling, trying to constantly expand my craft across formats and scale.

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My journey began with a childhood dream of becoming an actor. During the COVID-19 lockdown, that dream evolved into something far bigger. Immersed in global cinema and the work of master storytellers, I developed a deep fascination not just for performance, but for the architecture of filmmaking itself - direction, structure, pacing, sound, visual rhythm, and emotional design. That period transformed curiosity into commitment.

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I graduated in Filmmaking with a specialization in Direction and Screenplay Writing from MIT ADT University, where I sharpened my creative instincts through both academic learning and practical execution. Film school clarified my voice as much through what not to do as through what to pursue.

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A major turning point in my journey as a writer came when I joined Spiral Bound, the screenplay writing program led by Mr. Boman Irani. Being part of this incredible group of writers and learning directly from him over the past two years has profoundly shaped my approach to storytelling. Through his classes and guidance, I have gained a deeper understanding of screenwriting craft - structure, character, rhythm, and emotional truth - and that experience has fundamentally changed my life as a writer for the better.

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Professionally, I have worked within high-volume digital advertising ecosystems, contributing to campaigns for brands such as Flipkart Fashion, Myntra FWD, Groww, Kotak, OWND, and Eureka Forbes. At Dentsu, I have served in multiple capacities - Assistant Director, First AD, Chief AD, Director, and Editor - stepping into leadership roles when production demanded it. I have directed digital films, conceptualized pitch decks, overseen pre-production planning, and executed projects end-to-end within fast-paced commercial environments.

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Beyond branded content, I have been involved in documentary filmmaking, serving as Associate Producer on a 15-minute documentary on the Indian Navy, where I led second unit operations, managed crew coordination, and oversaw data workflows. I am drawn to stories rooted in discipline, service, resilience, and moral complexity - ideas that continue to shape my narrative voice.

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As a storyteller, I gravitate toward grounded, character-driven cinema with stylized emotional undertones. I am drawn to moral conflict and human vulnerability, often expressed through deliberate pacing, visual precision, and performance-led storytelling. People like Shah Rukh Khan, Sylvester Stallone, Yash Chopra, Al Pacino, Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise, Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper, Boman Irani, Martin Scorsese, Chistopher Nolan, Rajkumar Hirani, Ryan Coogler, Quentin Tarantino, David Fincher, Zoya Akhtar, Damien Chazelle, Priyadarshan, Imtiaz Ali, Clint Eastwood, Robert Zemeckis, Robert Downey Jr., Francis Ford Coppola and the list goes on are the ones who have inspired me tremendously. I continue to write and develop original scripts while refining my voice through practical industry experience and watching great films.

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For me, storytelling, theatre, and cinema are not hobbies—they are a way of life. They shape how I think, how I work, and who I am becoming as a filmmaker.