Varsha Panikar aka Alex is a trans-nonbinary director, author, producer, illustrator, and interdisciplinary artist. They serve as the co-founder of Star Hopper, a trans-led creative studio and film production company crafting narratives that are brown, queer and women-led. In 2024, they launched Riot Ink Press, an independent publishing space showcasing queer voices in print. They also curate and blog at the Underground Film Observatory (UFO), spotlighting moving image works and experiments through a distinctly brown, trans-feminist lens. And Queerly in flux (pop culture politics opinion pieces)

Blending mediums and formats, Varsha’s work challenges the status quo, interrogating representation and authorship while crafting socially conscious narratives that provoke dialogue and foster change. Their practice is a radical act of resistance, catalysing both personal and collective healing through art. Varsha’s process is punk in its defiance, tender in its introspection, feminist in its urgency, and queer in its essence.

As a filmmaker, Varsha Panikar merges artistic storytelling with social impact, earning recognition on global platforms. Their recent films for Disney+ Star’s Words of Pride initiative received widespread acclaim, winning a Grand Prix, three Golds, and a Bronze at The Drum Awards 2024. The campaign also earned the prestigious Purple Elephant (Zee Equality Award) at the Kyoorius Creative Awards, a Merit at One Show 2024, and Silver and Bronze honours at Spikes Asia Awards 2024, alongside Gold, Merit, and Bronze at the One Asia Creative Awards 2024. These accolades exemplify Varsha’s ability to blend personal and political storytelling with global relevance. With over a decade of experience in Mumbai’s advertising industries, Varsha has collaborated with major brands like Disney+ Star, Universal Music, UN Women, Google, Snapchat, and featured on platforms such as Nowness, Nowness Asia, MTV, Directors Notes, GiF and Otherness Archive.

Their short film Bodies of Desire, celebrated as part of #FiveFilmsForFreedom 2021 by BFI Flare and the British Council, has been showcased at over 60 international festivals, including BFI Flare, Outfest LA, and Berlin Commercials, earning the Best International Short Special Jury Award at the RIO Festival De Cinema LGBTQIA+ and recognition at 24fps International Short Film Festival. Their spoken-word films, including After So Long, premiered on Nowness Asia, and received accolades at esteemed festivals such as Zebra Poetry Film Festival and Balkan Can Kino. False Promises based on their poem, was honoured at the Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival 2021.

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Beyond film, Varsha is an emerging author, illustrator, and mixed-media artist whose work spans zines, poetry, short stories, and visual art. Their latest horror graphic novella, It Waits, has been praised by Readers’ Favourite as “a masterful balance of vivid imagery and creeping dread, unfolding a chilling climax, while intertwining themes of obsession, isolation, and the perils of confronting the unknown.” Their zine Conundrums on the Brink of Perception has been described as “thought-provoking and a mirror to our own contradictions and hypocrisies,” challenging readers to question their own biases and perspectives.

Their literary and artistic works have been featured at Underground Zine Fest (Mumbai 2024), Opn Art House (Max Müller Bhavan, New Delhi), 47A Design Gallery (Mumbai), and ‘Queer Futures Archives’ (Parramatta Riverside Theater, Sydney 2020). Their zines have been curated and archived by Zine Club Chicago, State University Of New York's Sojourner Truth Library, Queer Zine Library(UK), and Grrrl Zine Fair (Oxford). Other publications include The Lipstick Politico, Munich Zine, Brown Girl Magazine, Nerve Zine, The Rights Collective, One Future Collective and Pinjratod, and more.

Varsha’s project Ara Chronicles, a queer children’s graphic novel blending Indian folklore, fantasy, and magic realism, was awarded the Chain Unchained: Mintathon Grant (2023) by Goethe-Institut and BeFantastic. Exhibited at Kala Ghoda Festivals 2024, the project explores NFTs, AR and other emerging technologies. As a BeFantastic C³ Fellow, Varsha continues to expand the possibilities of storytelling across mediums.

Varsha also lends their voice to films and brands, performs spoken word, experiments with analog image-making, and indulges in their love for all things horror. They also write Queerly in Flux, a personal blog exploring pop culture, politics, and identity.

For collaborations and inquiries, you can contact them at varshapanikar@gmail.com.

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