Lessons from Gul’s Class!

For filmmaker Gul, cinema was never a career choice; it was a calling. “Filmmaking chooses you,” she says. “It’s a medium through which I make sense of reality and express myself.”

This Chandigarh girl, Gul, who spent her early childhood in Kolkata, received recognition for her work as co-director on the hit Netflix series Class, besides several other projects.

Gul’s journey into the world of cinema is one of passion, perseverance and deep-rooted artistic exploration. “I was a school student in Kolkata when legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray passed away. The school declared a holiday to mourn his death. It struck me—here was a filmmaker who was being mourned like a political leader. That made me curious about storytelling through film. That was one pivotal moment that shaped my perspective,” she recalls.

Her time in Delhi for college further refined her cinematic sensibilities. Exposure to film clubs and festivals deepened her understanding of cinema, but it was assisting on Khamosh Pani, a Punjabi-language film by Pakistani filmmaker Sabiha Sumar, that cemented her desire to become a filmmaker. “That was when I knew—I had to pursue filmmaking,” she says. She soon enrolled at the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune.

After graduating from FTII, Gul set her sights on Mumbai, diving into the industry with relentless ambition. She began as an associate director for Monsoon Shootout, directed by Amit Kumar and produced by Anurag Kashyap, followed by Gurvinder Singh’s Alms of the Blind Horse, produced by NFDC. But her true breakthrough came with her short film, Friday Night, which premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival and was later acquired by ShortsTV for global distribution.

Her work continued with the television series MTV Rush, created by Bejoy Nambiar, and the thriller The Girl in Me for MTV Films. She has also directed numerous TV commercials and digital films for prestigious brands. When Class debuted on Netflix, it became an instant hit. But directing a series of that scale was no small feat. “A series is a beast—it’s like making three feature films at once,” Gul explains. “With 11 lead characters, multiple cinematographers—some of whom didn’t speak Hindi—and extended production timelines complicated by the pandemic, the process was both challenging and exhilarating.” She adds.

“We didn’t direct episode-wise. Instead, we divided the characters’ storylines and directed them through all eight episodes. I handled the queer storyline of Dhruv and Faruq and the high school sequences, ensuring tonal consistency and authentic performances,” she reveals. The effort paid off—the series gained critical acclaim.

Chandigarh connect

Although Gul’s career thrives in Mumbai, her bond with Chandigarh remains strong. Her grandparents were among the city’s early settlers, and her parents grew up there. “I spent every summer in Chandigarh, climbing fruit trees at my grandmother’s house, cycling on empty roads, and staging plays for family gatherings,” she reminisces.

Her high school years at Carmel Convent, the same school her mother attended, deepened her connection to the city. “Growing up in Chandigarh in the ’80s and ’90s was idyllic. I remember sleeping under the stars on the lawn. Those memories ground me, no matter where I go.”

Looking ahead

Gul is now working on an original series and two feature films, all in various stages of development. As she reflects on the film industry’s evolution, she acknowledges the impact of OTT platforms, “Attention spans are shrinking, but the rise of streaming is also allowing unique voices to emerge. It’s a wake-up call for the industry to be smarter and more inclusive.”

Lifestyle