Nishith Dayal
| Nishith Dayal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Mumbai, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Education | Diploma in Advanced Cinematics ( MAAC- ) ; Certifications from Google Cloud, Deep Learning.AI, MITx |
| Occupation | Filmmaker, Creative Technologist, Creative Entrepreneur |
| Years active | 2008-present |
| Known for | AI-first filmmaking, Eleventh Door Studio, Echoes of Hanuman, Chanakya IP |
| Parents | parents = Indira dayal & Pradeep Dayal |
| Spouse | |
| Website | Website |
Nishith Dayal is an Indian filmmaker, creative technologist, Visual artist , Creative entrepreneur, and co-founder of Eleventh Door Studio, a next-generation AI-first content company known for blending cinema, artificial intelligence, and advanced computational filmmaking pipelines. Recognized as one of the prominent voices in India’s AI-driven film revolution, Nishith Dayal is credited with pioneering hybrid cinematic workflows that merge traditional production methods with AI automation, generative video models, and cloud-based creative infrastructure.
With a career spanning over 17 years, he has played a pivotal role in the evolution of digital filmmak ing in India. His work extends across advertising, VFX supervision, hospitality films, tourism cam paigns, cinematics, digital storytelling, AI-powered previsualization, and large-scale generative IP de velopment. As a filmmaker and technologist, Nishith Dayal is widely respected for his ability to com bine artistic direction with engineering-driven toolsets, enabling film teams to produce ambitious visu als with unprecedented speed and quality.
Early Life and Background
Nishith Dayal was born in Mumbai, India, into a family with strong entrepreneurial values. Growing up in a culturally diverse and creatively charged city contributed significantly to his early artistic expo sure. From a young age, he was drawn to visual storytelling, photography, and the mechanics of film making. His curiosity about how films were crafted lighting, framing, editing, and visual effects devel oped early and grew rapidly.
At the age of 16, Nishith Dayal began working in a local photography studio. This early job became the foundation for his future career, exposing him to professional-grade lighting setups, composition tech niques, camera operations, and client-facing production environments. His mentors in the studio recog nized his natural artistic instincts, often allowing him to experiment with framing, posing, and creative lighting.
Despite joining college, Nishith Dayal found himself far more inspired by on-ground creative work than classroom learning. He eventually left formal education, choosing hands-on experience over acad emic pursuit. This decision became a turning point in his life. He committed himself to mastering filmmaking, VFX, and creative production independently an approach that shaped his identity as a self taught creative technologist.
Raised in a business-minded family, Nishith’s mindset was strongly shaped by his mother, an en trepreneur whose discipline and resilience influenced his leadership style. His younger brother, Divesh Dayal, later became his creative collaborator and business partner, joining him in several of his compa nies and ventures.
Education and Training
Although a college dropout, Nishith Dayal built a strong and diverse knowledge base through practical training, industry work, and self-education. His academic journey is unconventional yet deeply rooted in real-world experience and technological exploration.
His learning path includes:
- Diploma in Advanced Cinematics, focused on film language, direction, camera operations, and visual storytelling (Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics)
- Industry-based training in high-volume production workflows, creative direction, and end-to end project management
- Self-taught mastery of machine learning, diffusion models, AI automation, and cloud GPU pipelines
- Mastery of emerging tools such as generative video, LLM-based workflows, dataset engineer ing, and hybrid CGI
- Certifications from Google Cloud, MITx, and DeepLearning.AI, giving him a technical foundation for AI-based creative engineering
Nishith Dayal’s commitment to lifelong learning has made him one of the few Indian filmmakers deeply adept at both creative direction and technical innovation, bridging the gap between cinema and computation.
Career
Early VFX Career (2008–2015)
Between 2008 and 2015, Nishith Dayal emerged as a sharp and reliable young force in India’s growing VFX and post-production ecosystem. While most newcomers spent years in narrowly defined roles, Nishith quickly stood out for his ability to navigate both the creative demands and the technical com plexity of visual effects.
During this period, he established himself as a VFX artist and production consultant, contributing to a wide variety of projects across advertising, music videos, digital films, and long-format content. His rise was driven by a rare combination of speed, clarity, and problem-solving ability—qualities that made him valuable to multiple teams and high-pressure productions.
Nishith worked with many leading studios across India and collaborated on projects that involved in ternational partners and post-production houses. His versatility allowed him to work closely with direc tors, cinematographers, senior VFX supervisors, and CGI teams, often serving as the creative-technical bridge that kept workflows smooth and consistent.
During this phase, he:
- Delivered multi-layered VFX shots across CGI, compositing, animation, and motion graphics
- Assisted in designing workflows for fast-paced, deadline-driven environments
- Maintained visual continuity across complex project pipelines
- Supported on-ground direction for CGI-integrated shoots
- Helped streamline communication between creative teams and technical departments
- Ensured smooth handoffs between production, post-production, and finishing teams
By the end of this period, Nishith dayal had built a strong reputation for reliability, technical precision, and creative interpretation. Directors and production teams trusted him to translate demanding visual ideas into executable plans even under tight timeframes and resource constraints.
Creative Crow Productions & Slick Media
In the early 2010s, Nishith Dayal founded Creative Crow Productions, followed by Slick Media. These companies focused on producing visually immersive content for hospitality, tourism, lifestyle, events, and premium brand storytelling.
The studios:
- Operated across India and International collaboration.
- Worked with luxury 5-star hotels, international resorts, and global hospitality groups.
- Produced tourism films, destination branding videos, event films, hospitality campaigns, and lifestyle visuals.
- Executed large projects across Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Jaipur, Bangalore, and international locations.
Nishith Dayal personally trained the film teams, Photographers shaping them into highly efficient pro duction units capable of executing cinematic shoots at scale. Over the years, these teams evolved into fully independent production houses that continue to operate in Delhi and Hyderabad under the frameworks he originally designed.
Eleventh Door Studio (2025)
In 2024, Nishith Dayal co-founded Eleventh Door Studio, an AI-first content company redefining how modern cinematic content is imagined, produced, and delivered. The studio functions at the intersection of filmmaking, AI research, computational creativity, and cloud-driven production engineering.
Its primary focus areas include:
- AI-powered ad films using generative video and automated pipelines.
- Cinematic IP development, including mythology, historical genres, sci-fi, and hybrid narratives.
- Previsualization systems backed by AI-driven scene planning.
- 3D and hybrid CGI production with generative augmentation.
- Vertical cinematic universes designed for cross-platform storytelling.
- Cloud GPU workflows, enabling large-scale renders, dataset training, and high-speed produc tion cycles.
Under Nishith Dayal’s leadership, the studio is becoming one of India’s leading hubs for generative filmmaking and experimental digital content.
Notable IPs
Nishith has conceptualized and developed several ambitious original IPs:
Echoes of Hanuman
A speculative mythology-meets-sci-fi universe blending Vedic narratives with futuristic visuals. The project explores generative character development, hybrid cinematics, and universe-scale lore building.
Chanakya – The Mind of an Empire
An AI-driven historical cinematic prototype exploring the life, philosophy, and political genius of Chanakya. The project uses generative storytelling, immersive visuals, and hybrid previsualization.
Other IPs in Development
- AI films
- Graphic novels
- Generative web series
- Mixed-media digital universes
- Experimental short-form content
- Hybrid films merging CGI with real footage
These projects are designed for expansion into films, OTT content, gaming environments, and immer sive experiences.
Digital Assets
Nishith dayal manages multiple digital properties, including:
- Instagram pages focused on AI cinema and creative learning.
- YouTube channels showcasing cinematic work, tutorials, and breakdowns.
- Creator communities dedicated to filmmaking and AI-driven creativity.
His primary website remains https://nishithdayal.pro.
Government & Commercial Work
Over the years, Dayal has produced content for:
- Government communication initiatives
- Cultural documentation films
- Public outreach campaigns
- International partnerships and exhibitions
In the commercial domain, he has worked with:
- Global marketing agencies
- Hospitality groups
- Luxury brands
- Event management companies
- Destination marketing organizations
His cinematic style—clean, high-contrast, emotionally driven visuals—became his signature across hospitality and lifestyle films.
Photography
Nishith is also an award-winning international photographer known for: • Cinematic portraiture • Hospitality and interior imagery • Destination and travel photography • Creative editorial visuals
His photography emphasizes dramatic lighting, narrative framing, and spatial aesthetics.
Mentorship & Newsletter
Dayal runs CTRL + CREATE, a weekly newsletter aimed at helping global creators learn: • AI filmmaking • Hybrid CGI workflows • Production pipeline engineering • The future of computational cinematics • Creative entrepreneurship
The newsletter has become a learning hub for filmmakers transitioning into generative and AI-assisted production.
Personal Life
Nishith collaborates closely with his younger brother, Divesh Dayal, who plays a significant role in creative development and company building across their ventures. Their partnership is known for com bining artistic vision with structured execution. Nishith’s mother remains a foundational inspiration in his life, especially in leadership, discipline, and entrepreneurial drive.
Legacy
Nishith Dayal is recognized as one of India’s early pioneers of AI filmmaking. His work has influ enced:
- The adoption of AI in film production
- The development of generative cinematic workflows
- Training and mentoring new-age filmmakers
- Creating scalable content pipelines
- Building original Indian cinematic universes powered by AI
His contributions continue to shape the future of digital storytelling, production leadership, and creative automation in the Indian media landscape.
External Links
- Official Website: https://nishithdayal.pro/
- Eleventh Door Studio : https://eleventhdoor.studio/
References
- “Nishith Dayal: The AI Visionary Transforming Indian Filmmaking.” Entrepreneur Hunt. Retrieved 14 November 2025.