Abhinay Deo

Based in Mumbai

Abhinay Deo is a Mumbai-born filmmaker who made the rare leap from architecture to the world of advertising and cinema.

An architect by qualification, he began his creative career in 1993 at Ogilvy & Mather, where his talent for visual storytelling quickly took root. By 2000, he had established the advertising division at Ramesh Deo Productions Pvt. Ltd.

Over the years, Abhinay has collaborated with agencies such as J. Walter Thompson, Ogilvy & Mather, Lowe, Taproot, and Bartle Bogle Hegarty. Among his most awarded works are the Mumbai Mirror – I Am Mumbai campaign, which won a Gold Lion at Cannes in 2012 and a Bronze Lion in 2013, and Nike’s Parallel Journeys, which swept the Spikes Asia Awards 2013 with a Gold, four Silvers, and a Bronze.

With a talent for telling stories that resonate and create impact, Abhinay has crafted notable ads including Kotak – Hausla Hai Toh Ho Jayega, Asian Paints Royale Glitz ft. Deepika Padukone, The Times of India – Pakya, Tata Safari Dicor 2.2 – Reclaim Your Life, Camlin Permanent Marker, Nike – Traffic, Public Service – Black Out, and Surf Excel – Puddle War, among many others.

His campaigns for brands like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nike, Toyota, Cadbury, Nestlé, and Unilever are celebrated for their emotional depth, high visual aesthetic, and strong narrative craft.

Abhinay’s transition to cinema was marked by two strikingly different debuts in 2011: the stylised thriller Game for Excel Entertainment, and the irreverent dark comedy Delhi Belly, which became a cult classic and earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Debut Director. His later films include the high-octane action thriller Force 2, the quirky black comedy Blackmail starring Irrfan Khan, and the 2024 release Savi: A Bloody Housewife, a modern myth-inspired drama.

On television, Abhinay brought cinematic scale and pacing to the Indian adaptation of the global hit 24, directing both seasons starring Anil Kapoor. The show earned him Best Director at the Indian Television Academy Awards and the Telly Awards in 2014.

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