Writer · Director
Raj Amit Kumar
Unfreedom, Bindiya ke Bahubali, and Brown. Play Studios is the independent house he built.
“India’s moral guardians want to decide what films the public watch.”
Raj Amit Kumar · The Week
“Banned by the CBFC, Unfreedom went on Netflix in India, and was later removed from there as well.”
Raj Amit Kumar · Hindustan Times
“Unfreedom showed me how important it is to make your art the way you want.”
Raj Amit Kumar · Firstpost
Biography
Raj Amit Kumar made his first feature, Unfreedom, in 2015, with Victor Banerjee and Adil Hussain, and Oscar-winning mixer Resul Pookutty. The Indian government banned it. North America and Europe played it. Netflix carried it, then took it down.
With Amazon, he made two seasons of Bindiya ke Bahubali, with Ranvir Shorey, Saurabh Shukla, Sai Tamhankar, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Seema Biswas, Sheeba Chaddha, and Vineet Kumar. It is streaming on Amazon Prime and Amazon MX Player. Season 1 premiered in 2025. Season 2 followed in January 2026.
Brown is his third feature film. It was shot in Montana: an immigrant on the run, and the white child he is trying to keep safe. The audience-powered release is set for 1 January 2027.
He finished doctoral coursework in cinema and media studies at Southern Illinois University in 2009. Before that, an MA from the City University of New York in 2006 and received the George Custen Memorial Award. He is also a recipient of the UFVA Faculty Screenwriting Award. He has taught cinema theory and history at US Universities, and still speaks and writes about the work.
Films
Season 2 · 2026
Bindiya ke Bahubali
As Bada Davan tries to make peace with the Bhamirs, Chhote Davan’s ambition gets in the way. Power, politics, and family turn a chaotic comedy into tragedy. Between betrayals and bloodshed, the Davan dynasty faces its darkest reckoning.
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Season 1 · 2025
Bindiya ke Bahubali
A mafia don’s arrest during his political campaign sparks a power struggle between his son, his uncle, and rival gangs, while a police officer watches every move.
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Feature · 2015
Unfreedom
A lesbian young woman in India fights an arranged marriage and kidnaps her bisexual girlfriend. In New York, a Muslim religious fundamentalist kidnaps a liberal Muslim scholar who speaks against extremism.
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Feature · 2027
Brown
In a snowy American mountain town, a brown immigrant chased by immigration enforcement tries to build a life with a young white orphan he rescued. Will he betray the land he lives in, or will America kill him first?
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