StevieBavin8727 at 04:37, 28 March 2026

2026-03-28T04:37:31Z

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{{Short description|Indian-Nigerian filmmaker}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Hamisha Daryani-Ahuja
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name = Hamisha Daryani
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1984|7|7|df=yes}}<ref name="reuters" />
| birth_place = [[Mumbai]],<ref name="oprah" /> India
| alma_mater = [[ACS International Schools|ACS International School]]<br/>[[McMaster University]]<br/>[[American Academy of Dramatic Arts]]
| spouse = Sailesh Ahuja
| children = 2
| occupation = {{hlist|Producer|director|actress|businesswoman}}
| years_active = 2021–present
}}

'''Hamisha Daryani Ahuja''' (born 7 July 1984) is an Indian<ref name="hci" >{{Cite web |url=https://www.hciabuja.gov.in/pages/MjE4 |title=Cultural Activities |publisher=High Commission of India Abuja, Nigeria |date=7 March 2023 |access-date=22 November 2023 }}</ref> [[film producer]], [[film director|director]], actress and businesswoman based in Nigeria. Ahuja made her directorial and acting debut in the [[Nollywood]]-[[Bollywood]] cross-cultural film ''[[Namaste Wahala]]''.<ref name="imf" >{{Cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2021/06/streaming-video-services-flood-emerging-markets-behsudi |title=From Stream To Flood |website=IMF |last=Beshudi |first=Adam |date=June 2021 |access-date=4 June 2022 |archive-date=4 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604215644/https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2021/06/streaming-video-services-flood-emerging-markets-behsudi |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="oprah" >{{Cite web |url=https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a36731188/hamisha-daryani-ahuja-namaste-wahala-interview/ |title=Why Director Hamisha Daryani Ahuja Wants More Movies About Cross-Cultural Love |website=Oprah Daily |last=Narang |first=Nimarta |date=16 June 2021 |access-date=4 June 2022 |archive-date=26 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726222329/https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a36731188/hamisha-daryani-ahuja-namaste-wahala-interview/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="lsasia" >{{Cite web |url=https://www.lifestyleasia.com/ind/culture/entertainment/the-movie-was-intentionally-cliche-says-namaste-wahala-director-hamisha-daryani-ahuja/ |title="The movie was intentionally cliché," says 'Namaste Wahala' director Hamisha Daryani Ahuja |website=Lifestyle Asia |last=Kalsi |first=Harleen |date=20 February 2021 |access-date=4 June 2022 |archive-date=1 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301043619/https://www.lifestyleasia.com/ind/culture/entertainment/the-movie-was-intentionally-cliche-says-namaste-wahala-director-hamisha-daryani-ahuja/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="reuters" >{{Cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nigeria-film-bollywood-idUSKBN2AC17T |title=Nollywood meets Bollywood in love tale 'Namaste Wahala' |website=Reuters |last=Chile |first=Nneka |date=12 February 2021 |access-date=4 June 2022 |archive-date=8 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108032329/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nigeria-film-bollywood-idUSKBN2AC17T |url-status=live }}</ref> She also runs a chain of restaurants in Lagos.<ref>{{Cite news |date=25 March 2016 |title=Hamisha Daryani-Ahuja |url=https://www.pulse.ng/entertainment/celebrities/my-africa-podcast-hamisha-daryani-ahuja-episode-53/28jcjld |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200209030643/https://www.pulse.ng/entertainment/celebrities/my-africa-podcast-hamisha-daryani-ahuja-episode-53/28jcjld |archive-date=9 February 2020 |access-date=4 June 2022 |newspaper=[[Pulse Nigeria]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=#LLAInterview: “The way to handle failure is move on, keep going, don’t stop” – Hamisha Daryani Ahuja, Producer of critically acclaimed ‘Namaste Wahala’ |url=https://leadingladiesafrica.org/ladyboss-the-way-to-handle-failure-is-move-on-keep-going-dont-stop-hamisha-daryani-ahuja-film-producer-entrepreneur-motivational-speaker-and-author/ |access-date=8 March 2024 |website=Leading Ladies Africa}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Ahuja was born in [[Mumbai]] to a third-generation Indian-origin [[Sindhi people|Sindhi]] family based in Nigeria.<ref name="imf" /><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Namaste Wahala: A Fusion of Bollywood and Nollywood |magazine=This Day |date=20 February 2021 |url=https://www.pressreader.com/nigeria/thisday/20210220/281646782852945 |via=[[PressReader]] |access-date=4 June 2022 |archive-date=4 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604215443/https://www.pressreader.com/nigeria/thisday/20210220/281646782852945 |url-status=live }}</ref> Her family moved to Nigeria when she was two years old and she grew up in [[Lagos]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/weelevateafrica/reel/DDboAVMoQNA/|title=@hamishadaryaniahuja reminded us that Africans, like Indians, hold the weight of a thousand untold stories—rich, layered, and unapologetically ours. But the power lies in telling them authentically, without filters or borrowed lenses. The world doesn’t need another version of us; it needs the raw, unvarnished truth of who we are. She reminded us it wasn’t about finding our voice—it was about reclaiming it. Thank you @hamishadaryaniahuja @oloriatuwatseiii|publisher=[[Instagram]] (Elevate Africa)|date=11 December 2024}}</ref> She attended [[ACS International Schools|ACS International School]], [[Cobham, Surrey|Cobham]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.acs-schools.com/hamisha-daryani-ahuja-acs-cobham-1997-2002 |title=HAMISHA DARYANI AHUJA, ACS COBHAM, 1997-2002 |website=ACS Schools |access-date=4 June 2022 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> [[McMaster University]], [[Ontario]], and [[American Academy of Dramatic Arts]], New York, where she studied acting.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/entertainment/namaste-wahala-a-new-netflix-release-brings-together-india-and-nigeria-121022600028_1.html |title=Namaste Wahala, a new Netflix release, brings together India and Nigeria |website=Business Standard |last=Modi |first=Chintan Girish |date=26 February 2021 |access-date=4 June 2022 |archive-date=11 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511091731/https://www.business-standard.com/article/entertainment/namaste-wahala-a-new-netflix-release-brings-together-india-and-nigeria-121022600028_1.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Career==
Ahuja runs her production company Forever 7 Entertainment and also made her filmmaking debut as a director and actress in the 2021 film [[Namaste Wahala|''Namaste Wahala'']], a cross-cultural venture of the Nigerian film industry [[Nollywood]] and the Indian film industry, [[Bollywood]].<ref name="oprah" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/hindi/2021/feb/24/with-love-from-nigeria-namaste-wahala-filmmakerhamisha-daryani-ahuja-on-her-journey-2268026.html |title=With love, from Nigeria: 'Namaste Wahala' filmmaker Hamisha Daryani Ahuja on her journey |website=The New Indian Express |last=Chandar |first=Bhuvanesh |date=24 February 2021 |access-date=4 June 2022 |archive-date=4 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304070806/https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/hindi/2021/feb/24/with-love-from-nigeria-namaste-wahala-filmmakerhamisha-daryani-ahuja-on-her-journey-2268026.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="lsasia" /> The project was a venture to combine elements of both Bollywood and Nollywood, which Ahuja used to create a love story between the two film industries.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Aisha Salaudeen|title=Bollywood and Nollywood collide in a tale of a big fat Indian-Nigerian wedding|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/24/africa/nollywood-and-bollywood-namaste-wahala/index.html|access-date=2021-02-12|website=CNN|archive-date=8 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108060247/https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/24/africa/nollywood-and-bollywood-namaste-wahala/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Ahuja's debut film 'Namaste Wahala' is a tale of cross-cultural love affair|url=https://www.gulftoday.ae/culture/2021/02/13/ahuja-debut-film-namaste-wahala-is-a-tale-of-cross-cultural-love-affair|access-date=2021-02-15|website=www.gulftoday.ae|archive-date=27 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127165750/https://www.gulftoday.ae/culture/2021/02/13/ahuja-debut-film-namaste-wahala-is-a-tale-of-cross-cultural-love-affair|url-status=live}}</ref>

Ahuja is bringing to the big screen a film starring Nollywood superstar [[Sola Sobowale]], also known as "Toyin Tomato," and Samuel Perry, better known as "[[Broda Shaggi]]," in an effort to further promote the partnership between the Nollywood and Bollywood film industries. The director has promised fans that her newest project will surpass her first one, even though other information are still being kept under wraps.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-07-13 |title=Sola Sobowale Lands First Bollywood Role |url=https://editor.guardian.ng/life/sola-sobowale-lands-first-bollywood-role/ |location=Lagos, Nigeria|access-date=2022-07-19 |newspaper=[[The Guardian (Nigeria)|The Guardian]]|language=en-US |archive-date=18 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220718141340/https://editor.guardian.ng/life/sola-sobowale-lands-first-bollywood-role/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Ahuja's next venture [[Postcards (Netflix series)|''Postcards'']] was released in 2024. It follows the lives of four Nigerians who discover love, acceptance, and prosperity in India after embarking on individual journeys of self-discovery whilst conquering their fears.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lights, Camera, Collaboration: The Filmmaker Bridging Nollywood And Bollywood |url=https://www.forbesafrica.com/entrepreneurs/2024/04/30/lights-camera-collaboration-the-filmmaker-bridging-nollywood-and-bollywood/ |access-date=2024-05-08 |website=Forbes Africa }}</ref>

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Director !! Role !! Notes
|-
| 2021 || ''[[Namaste Wahala]]'' || {{yes}} || Leila || [[Nollywood]]-[[Bollywood]] debut, [[Netflix]]
|}

===TV Series===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Director !! Role !! Notes
|-
| 2024 || ''[[Postcards (Netflix series)|Postcards]]'' || {{yes}} || Film Producer|| [[Netflix]]
|}

==Awards and nominations==
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Award ceremony
!Prize
!Film
!Result
!Ref
|-
| 2022
|[[2022 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards|Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards]]
|Best Director of the Year
|''[[Namaste Wahala]]''
|{{nom}}
|<ref>{{Cite news |title=2022 Africa Magic Awards Nominees don land- See who dey list |work=BBC News Pidgin |url=https://www.bbc.com/pidgin/tori-60818021 |access-date=2022-03-26 |archive-date=20 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420042154/https://www.bbc.com/pidgin/tori-60818021 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|11624112}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahuja, Hamisha Daryani}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1984 births]]
[[Category:Indian film actresses]]
[[Category:Indian film directors]]
[[Category:Indian television directors]]
[[Category:Indian television producers]]
[[Category:Indian Sindhi people]]
[[Category:Sindhi actresses]]
[[Category:Actresses in Hindi cinema]]
[[Category:Indian restaurateurs]]
[[Category:Actresses from Lagos]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Lagos]]
[[Category:Actresses from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Film directors from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Film producers from Mumbai]]
[[Category:McMaster University alumni]]
[[Category:Indian expatriates in Nigeria]]
[[Category:Nigerian people of Sindhi descent]]
[[Category:American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian businesswomen]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian businesspeople]]

Hamisha Daryani Ahuja - Revision history

StevieBavin8727 at 04:37, 28 March 2026