Author and film-maker Dr Manjiri Prabhu is the founder of the Pune International Literary Festival (PLF). She holds a Doctorate in Communication Science and has directed over 200 children’s TV programmes, more than 50 short fiction and travel films and has authored 15 books. Her unpublished psychological thriller novel was adapted into a Hindi feature film by the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC), titled Kuchh Dil Ne Kaha. Her thesis, converted into a book, titled Roles: Reel and Real, has become a rare reference book for students of Hindi cinema. Prabhu has been acknowledged as a pioneer in India among women writers of mystery fiction, and has a diverse global fan following. Dr Manjiri Prabhu is also the first female mystery author to have been published outside India and has been labelled as the “Desi Agatha Christie”. Recently, Prabhu has been acknowledged to be a “match for Dan Brown” by Dr Shashi Tharoor. As the Founder/ Director of the Pune International Literary Festival (PLF), Prabhu has brought Pune to the international map of literature and arts festivals. She believes that literature heals and is a pre-requisite to a peaceful society. She has recently been chosen as one of the 50 Inspiring Women of Maharashtra and has been awarded with “Excellence in Writing” by ERTC Global Herald, in Mumbai. She has also been awarded the Rex Karmaveer Gold Medal Award. See the complete list of festival organisers here.