Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri

Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri is an Indian-Canadian-British director and photographer.

She was described as a "feminist director and fashion photographer" by Julianne E. Shepherd of Jezebel "known mononymously" for her "iconic imagery and visionary storytelling...A mix of gritty realism and surreal fantasy." Shinjini Das of the Huffington Post wrote that "Indrani is internationally recognized for her extensive work on social causes and her video and stills campaigns." While she was a student at Princeton, David Bowie discovered her work and commissioned her first album cover with Klinko for Heathen. A dozen years later, Bowie also launched her directorial career, commissioning her first major music video, for his song "Valentine's Day" on his album The Next Day.

Indrani was born in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. She was raised in a ruined 300-room palace, the Pal-Chaudhuri House, as her father, Ajay Pal-Chaudhuri, hailed from an historic Indian family, while her British mother was a volunteer with Mother Teresa. Both her parents worked as accountants. She grew up in Ranaghat, India. There, she witnessed "the devastating poverty that stood in stark contrast to her own childhood," which motivated her to someday make a difference in the area.

At age 9, she moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Initially, the experience was a "rude shock," as she was perceived as different from her classmates. Indrani began modeling at 14, in order to study photography and film with artists around the world, and became a rising star. She attended Havergal College. At 18, she returned to turn her family home into a charitable school to give girls a better future. The school was named Shakti Empowerment Education and currently educates around 300 youth, both girls and boys.

In 2001 Indrani graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Anthropology, magna cum laude (with High Honors). She won Glamour's Top 10 College Women Competition.

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