Manavjeet Malik is a director, screenwriter, trained actor, theatre practitioner and human-rights researcher working between independent cinema, performance and social-impact storytelling. He is a co-founder of Chhota Budget Films.
His practice draws from rehearsal rooms, screenplay development, field research, advocacy work and small-budget filmmaking. He is particularly interested in stories where ordinary lives carry emotional and social pressure, and in performances shaped through observation, restraint and cultural specificity.
Film and screenwriting practice
His work with Chhota Budget Films includes co-direction on Jaldhara and Icecream, along with mentoring and subject-expert involvement on the Bhalswa Landfill climate-action literacy project. His wider experience includes documentary and advocacy work, museum-media production, commercial film sets and Hindi-Haryanvi creative contexts.
Performance, research and mentoring
As a trained actor and theatre practitioner, Manavjeet brings an actor-facing approach to direction and screenplay work. His human-rights research and community-facing practice inform the way he develops socially aware stories without losing performance, silence and everyday realism.