Acclaimed filmmakers Vishal Bhardwaj and Shaunak Sen have stepped forward as mentors to empower India's next generation of independent directors.

Humans of Cinema and Safarnaama Pictures have launched a feature film co-production fund of Rs 40 lakh, designed to back an emerging filmmaker with a distinct voice and a clear vision.

Vishal and Shaunak have joined the initiative as mentors, and the latter is also attached as an executive producer on one of the films.

Vishal, the director of critical hits such as Maqbool, Omkara, Kaminey and Haider, said he is delighted to lend his support to the budding filmmakers in the country.

"Independent cinema survives because some people choose to believe in voices before the world discovers them. I'm happy to support an initiative that hopes to find and nurture the next fearless generation of filmmakers from India," the filmmaker said in a statement.

Shaunak added, "Avenues for independent cinema today are rapidly wilting, and I'm delighted that Humans of Cinema is instating a filmmaker-forward seed fund. I'm excited to work with the chosen scripts." Harshit Bansal, Founder of Humans of Cinema, said the idea for the fund took shape when Nazim Momin of Safarnaama Pictures, a US-based engineer and producer, reached out via Instagram with a shared vision to back independent Indian cinema.

He said they will not only help filmmakers with the financial and industry support needed to make their films but also help them find the right festival and distribution support.

"We feel fortunate that Shaunak Sen and Vishal Bhardwaj have joined our initiative as mentors. Their support and insights will be invaluable for the selected filmmaker as well as us. We're also grateful to Shaunak's production company Kiterabbit Films for offering us crucial support for this initiative, and to our jury members who are lending their expertise out of sheer goodwill and a passion to support good cinema," Bansal added.

The fund is open to all Indian citizens aged 18 and above who have directed at least two short films or one feature film.

The jury for the fund includes actor Imran Khan, filmmaker Arati Kadav, who garnered wide acclaim for her films, Cargo and Mrs, producer Aman Mann of All That Breathes fame, and renowned author and festival director Aseem Chhabra.

The jury also expressed a collective urgency for such a platform.

"Initiatives to discover and nurture the next generation of filmmaking talent are sorely needed, and I am thrilled to support the HOC Film fund," said Imran.

Arati called the co-production fund a "logical next step".

"I am excited to see the young voices and stories I will meet through this venture and I hope this goes from strength to strength in the coming years, where we will see many brilliant and radical voices finding support in this ecosystem,” she added.