Women in Film India is addressing the emotional toll of working in the entertainment industry with a new mental wellness program designed specifically for women filmmakers.
The organization has launched “The Resilience Playbook,” a six-week workshop series focused on mental well-being and emotional sustainability for women working in Indian cinema. The immersive program aims to provide participants with tools to manage the pressures of an industry characterized by constant reinvention, rejection, and demanding work conditions.
Led by wellness practitioner and life coach Chetna Chakravarthy, the workshops go beyond traditional self-care approaches to focus on building confidence, clarity, and self-worth as professional skills essential to creative longevity. The peer-driven format allows women filmmakers to rebuild balance and reconnect with their creative practice in a supportive environment.
The initiative comes as global conversations around burnout and mental health increasingly reshape creative industries, with WIF India positioning emotional well-being as a professional necessity rather than a personal luxury.
“We are an industry built on freelancers, a creative ecosystem that thrives on independent talent. But with that comes a great deal of uncertainty,” said Guneet Monga Kapoor, Academy Award-winning producer (“The Elephant Whisperers”) and founder of WIF India. “For creativity to truly flow, what one needs most is resilience. It is the core skill that allows us to endure, to adapt, and to carve out our place in this ever-changing industry.”
The program addresses challenges particularly acute for women in film, who often face systemic inequities and heightened scrutiny alongside the long hours, erratic schedules, and relentless pace common to filmmaking. WIF India notes that while conversations around opportunity and representation have expanded, the emotional cost of sustaining careers in the industry remains largely unexamined.
“This programme is our safe harbor, a place to drop the armor, soften, and still feel powerful,” said Rabia Chopra, head of programs and development at WIF India. “Vulnerability is our sharpest intelligence, and resilience is what we build when we hold each other up.”
WIF India is subsidizing the workshop to make it accessible to participants. Monga Kapoor emphasized the organization’s commitment to providing these resources, noting Chakravarthy’s impact on her personally and professionally.
The initiative represents WIF India’s broader mission to redefine empowerment in cinema beyond visibility and access to include balance, belonging, and the emotional foundation necessary for sustained creative work.
Guneet Monga Kapoor’s Women in Film India Sets Mental Health Plan
