Chanakya Patel
Chanakya Patel is the writer and director of two award-winning Gujarati feature films—Chabutro (2022) and Builder Boys (2024).
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Chabutro, Chanakya’s directorial debut, received critical acclaim and multiple accolades, including Best Film and Best Director at the Gujarat State Film Awards 2022. It also won Best Film, Best Cinematography, and Best Lyrics at the Gujarati Iconic Film Awards (GIFA) 2022.
His second feature, Builder Boys, continues the success story, having already received several awards such as Best Actor, Best Editor, Best Actor in negative role, Best Actor in supporting role at the Gujarati Iconic Film Awards (GIFA) 2024 with more honors on the horizon.
My Story
Born and raised in Ahmedabad, I discovered my passion for filmmaking while creating short films for my architectural design class during my master’s program in Urban Design in Chicago, USA.
Eager to explore this newfound love, I enrolled in a filmmaking course—and instantly fell in love with the art of storytelling through cinema.
After graduating, I joined a production company in Chicago called Spirit of Space, where I worked on architectural documentaries. Eventually, I returned to India and founded my own creative studio, Preach Art, in Ahmedabad in 2015. Since then, I’ve been telling stories through wedding films, architectural videos, and documentaries.
The pandemic gave me the space and time to focus on my dream project—a feature film.
In 2021, my wife Neha and I co-founded White Elephant Films, a production house built to bring meaningful and powerful stories to life.
Neha Rajora
Neha Rajora is the producer of two award-winning Gujarati feature films—Chabutro (2022) and Builder Boys (2024).
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An architect by training and a storyteller at heart, Neha transitioned into filmmaking with a focus on creative production. Her debut as a producer, Chabutro, received critical acclaim and multiple accolades, including Best Film and Best Director at the Gujarat State Film Awards 2022. The film also won Best Film, Best Cinematography, and Best Lyrics at the Gujarati Iconic Film Awards (GIFA) 2022.
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Her second film, Builder Boys, further cemented her reputation, earning awards such as Best Actor, Best Editor, Best Actor in a Negative Role, and Best Supporting Actor at GIFA 2024—with more honors on the way.
My Story
Born in Jaipur, I began my creative journey as an architect, where I developed a deep appreciation for design, detail, and storytelling through space. Over time, that love for narrative evolved beyond architecture and found its home in filmmaking.
With a keen eye for structure and aesthetics, I naturally gravitated toward film production—where I could blend creativity with organization to bring powerful stories to life. I’ve had the privilege of producing two award-winning Gujarati feature films, Chabutro (2022) and Builder Boys (2024), and continue to explore the many layers of storytelling through cinema.
In 2021, Chanakya and I co-founded White Elephant Films, a production house built on collaboration, vision, and the belief that meaningful stories deserve to be told with care and craft.