NICOBAR
Nicobar is an independent fashion and lifestyle brand rooted in a modern Indian way of living, dressing, and looking at the world. I developed and directed a series of films that brought this ethos to life through intimate, character-driven storytelling.
With travel and living at their core, the films cast a lens on distinctive Indian voices— writers, adventurers, designers, and creatives each embodying a thoughtful, contemporary sensibility. The films offered a nuanced portrait of a new, modern India reflecting the brand’s belief that style is as much about perspective and purpose as it is about clothing.
Creative Direction: Akshita Phoolka
Video + Editing + Sound Design: Jai Bhatnagar
Client: Nicobar
AT HOME WITHAt Home With is a film series conceptualised and directed for Nicobar. Each film is as much a portrait of the individual as it is of the home they’ve created, revealing how personal histories, daily rituals, and points of view shape the spaces they live in. From coastal hideaways and city apartments to quiet retreats tucked away in the hills, the series captures homes that feel personal, layered, and deeply lived in, reflecting Nicobar’s understated, thoughtful spirit.
“ I don’t believe that something should be invented, designed, imagined, dreamt off with the idea that it will sell well. In that case it does not touch me. What does touch me is a strong expression of a human feeling manufactured through the hands.”
“The sea makes me feel somehow, makes me understand what it means to be alive and what it is to be human in a way that nothing else does. So to me it’s amazing to be living by that and to be reminded that this is out there.”
TRAVELLER’S TRUNKTraveller’s Trunk is a film series conceptualised and directed for Nicobar. The series cast its lens on individuals for whom travel has always been a part of their everyday lives. Featuring chefs, mountaineers, adventurers and wildlife conservationists, the series looks at how movement, curiosity, and time spent in different in cities or outdoors have shaped not just the journeys they’ve undertaken, but the lives they’ve built.
Each film positions travel as a way of thinking and living. They’re less about where one goes, and more about how exploration shapes a life. Driven by personal reflections and stories the series celebrates lives shaped by curiosity and experience, and the quiet ways travel continues to inform who we become.
“I spent most of my childhood in the Ranthambore national park—tracking tigers and photographing them with my father. Growing up in Ranthambore impacted my life. And I was very clear that I wanted to do something with wildlife that made a difference. But I also wanted to share what I had experienced with the world. ”
“I think there is no doubt that travel is a great vehicle for world peace because it opens so many windows in your mind. It allows people to have all their prejudices and biases to dissipate. We’ve seen it in the last 30 or 40 years how important travel is for creating friendship, for peace.”
“Get Lost. Don’t look at a map. See where the locals are hanging out. Avoid any tourists and just get lost.”
