Beyond the Camera: Stories That Create Awareness and Inspire Change

PNN
New Delhi [India], November 3: From reporting on social inequality, gender discrimination and issues affecting communities to making documentaries on women's experiences, stereotypes, culture and the environment, Tanu Sharma's journey in journalism and independent filmmaking has been driven by a desire to tell stories that matter.
 For journalist and independent documentary filmmaker Tanu Sharma, storytelling has always been about more than reporting an event or making a film. It is about bringing attention to issues that affect people's lives, questioning social perceptions and giving a voice to experiences that often go unheard.
Her work has explored a wide range of social concerns, including gender discrimination, female foeticide, dowry practices, social inequality, women's representation, stereotypes and challenges faced by rural communities. Over the years, she has taken these interests from television journalism into independent documentary filmmaking, exploring real-life experiences and subjects that deserve greater public attention.
From journalism to stories of social change
Sharma began her media journey with a background in mass communication and journalism. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication from Punjab Technical University and a Postgraduate Diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi.
She worked with NewsX and Rajya Sabha Television (RSTV), where she developed and worked on stories highlighting important social issues. Her journalism experience included subjects such as female foeticide, dowry practices and sanitation challenges in rural India. These assignments gave her an opportunity to understand the realities faced by different communities and bring issues affecting people's lives to a wider audience.
At RSTV, she worked as a television producer and media analyst on programmes including It's My Life, Special Report, The Quest, To the Point, The Policy Watch and The State of Economy. She also interned with Lok Sabha Television, working on coverage related to the Women's Reservation Bill.
Her years in television journalism helped develop her interest in research, interviews and stories that reflect the larger realities of society. This interest eventually led her towards documentary filmmaking, where she could explore subjects in greater depth.
Documentaries that explore society and the environment
Sharma's independent documentary work has focused on social issues, women's experiences, gender stereotypes, cultural identity and environmental concerns. Rather than limiting herself to one subject, she has explored different aspects of society through real-life stories and visual narratives.
One of her projects, a documentary filmed in Los Angeles, focuses on women musicians and the challenges they face in the music industry. Through their personal experiences, the film explores gender stereotypes, professional barriers and the struggles women encounter while building careers in an industry where their voices and contributions have not always received equal recognition.
Her documentary The Forgotten: Sacred Cows of India examines the contradiction between the revered status of cows in Indian society and the harsh realities many face. While cows are considered sacred and worshipped in India, many are abandoned, neglected and eventually end up being slaughtered. The film questions this gap between belief and reality, bringing attention to an often-overlooked social issue. The film received an award at the Tamizhagam International Film Festival, was selected by the Sittannavasal International Film Festival and reached the quarter-final stage at the International Istanbul Women Films Festival.
Another project, Digital Graveyard, looks at the growing problem of electronic waste and its impact on the environment. The film draws attention to the consequences of discarded electronic devices and the need for greater awareness of responsible waste management. It received an award at the Kodaikanal International Film Festival.

Unseen Hands of the Earth explores environmental themes and the relationship between people and the natural world. The film received an Honorable Mention at the World Class Film Awards and was a finalist at the Stockholm City Film Festival.
Her film The Soul of Earth also received an Honorable Mention at the Reale Film Festival Monthly Awards, while A Shared Meal was nominated at the AltFF Alternative Film Festival.
Her projects have received recognition through awards, festival selections, nominations and special mentions. More importantly, they reflect her continued interest in using films to explore subjects that affect people, communities and the environment.
For Sharma, documentary filmmaking offers an opportunity to look beyond headlines, understand the people behind an issue and bring their experiences to a wider audience.
Learning the craft of filmmaking at UCLA
Her interest in filmmaking also took her to the University of California, Los Angeles, where she completed a Producing–Business Certificate through UCLA Extension. 
This experience helped her develop a deeper understanding of the creative and production aspects of filmmaking, from developing an idea to taking a story through the production process. Her approach brings together the research and factual discipline of journalism with the visual language of documentary cinema.
Preserving memories through Take Me Back to the 90s
Alongside her documentary work, Sharma has created an independent podcast titled Take Me Back to the 90s, celebrating Indian television, cinema and music from the 1990s.
The podcast brings together actors, filmmakers and artists who were part of that era. Among the guests she has interviewed are Sagarika Mukherjee Da Costa, Aparna Tilak, Grusha Kapoor, Rajesh Khera, Ashwin Mushran, Siva Ananth, Amit Behl, Joy Sengupta, Raman Trikha, Vinod Singh, Bhavana Balsavar, Ravi Jhankal, Kabir Sadanand, Suchitra Pillai, Nupur Asthana, Shishir Sharma, Amar Talwar, Pervin Dastur, Omkar Kapoor, Saleem Shah, Umesh Pherwani, Family No 1 (TV show) Cast  and Sajeel Parakh.
While the series celebrates nostalgia, its conversations go beyond popular television shows, films and music. Guests share personal memories, professional struggles, career journeys and experiences from an important period in Indian entertainment history. The podcast is an independent initiative, created without the backing of a production house or television network.  For her, the podcast is also about preserving cultural memories and documenting the experiences of artists whose work became part of people's lives.
Bringing Family No. 1 Back Together After 26 Years: A Special Reunion 
One of the special initiatives under Take Me Back to the 90s was organising the first reunion of the cast of the popular television show Family No. 1 after 26 years. She interviewed Kanwaljit Singh, Umesh Pherwani, Ajay Nagrath, Aparna Tilak, Niyati Rajwade and Kabir Sadanand, bringing them together to revisit their memories of the show, share behind-the-scenes stories and reconnect with audiences who grew up watching the series. 
A continuing interest in stories that matter
From journalism and documentary filmmaking to podcasting, Sharma's work has moved across different formats, but her interest in people and their stories has remained consistent.
Her early journalism assignments brought attention to social issues affecting communities. Her documentaries have explored gender stereotypes, women's experiences, social and cultural questions and environmental concerns. Through her podcast, she is preserving personal journeys and memories from Indian entertainment history.
For Sharma, storytelling is a way to create awareness, encourage conversations and help audiences understand experiences beyond their own. Whether documenting a social issue or speaking to an artist about a defining moment in their career, her focus remains on finding stories worth telling and giving them the attention they deserve.
https://www.youtube.com/@Takemebacktothe90spodcast
Family No1 Reunion- https://youtu.be/0cwh0n1oFSk?si=82BDwyKFhYEmGypl
Documentary Profile- https://filmfreeway.com/tanusharma150
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