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Ish Amitoj Kaur is an Indian children’s author and Filmmaker. She is known for her movies Chhevan Dariya (The Sixth River) (2010) and Kambdi Kalaai (Trembling Wrist) (2006). She is renowned for her original theatre therapy methods, which she developed while leading theatre workshops for kids.
Wiki/Biography
Ish Amitoj was born on 8 March in Shimla. Her zodiac sign is Pisces. She did her schooling at Loreto Convent, Tara Hall, Shimla. She did her graduation at St. Bede’s College, Shimla. After her graduation, she completed her master’s in theatre at Punjab University, Chandigarh in 2001. Later, she went to the National School of DramaRepertory company, where she was a part of many productions. In 2001, she became a fellow of the National School of Drama and completed her fellowship in 2005. In 2011, she took part in the creative writing program at Stanford University.
Ish Amitoj Kaur in her younger days
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 6″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Ish Amitoj’s father, Prem Singh Grover, is a professor of Microbiology.
Ish Amitoj Kaur’s parents
Husband & Children
Ish Amitoj Kaur got married to Taranjit Singh Gujral on 24 January 2005. Taranjit Singh is a data science engineer, environmental activist, and community advocate. They have a son, Puran Veer Singh, who was born on 8 November 2012. Puran Veer Singh is a writer and writes children’s songs and books.
Ish Amitoj Kaur with her family
Religion
She follows Sikhism.
Career
Acting
Ish Amitoj played lead roles in various art plays like Raja Ki Rasoi (1998) by Mohan Maharishi, stage adaption of Bertolt Brecht’s Caucasian Chalk Circle, Paribhritika- Bhagavadajjukam and Kaveri-Raster
Assistant Directory
Ish Amitoj worked as an assistant director with Tara Punjabi and multiple Urdu sitcoms. She worked as an assistant director for the Bollywood film, Pinjar (2003). Later, she worked as an assistant on Manmohan Singh films including Mitti Wajaan Maardi (2007) and Asan Nu Maan Watna Da (2004). She also provided support for the movie Tera Mera Ki Rishta (2009).
Ish Amitoj during the shoot of her movie
Theatre
She continued to do theatre, especially for children. She collaborated with Literacy India, an organization that inspired thousands of children to take part in theatrical workshops. These young actors later landed leading roles in Bollywood movies like Aamir Khan’s Three Idiots and Vishal Bhardwaj’s The Blue Umbrella. She also directed theatre adaptions of Disney’s Moana Jr (2022), Disney’s Lion King (2021), Wizard Of Oz (2020 ), Peter Rabbit (2020), The Window Cleaner (2018), Betty And Her Feast (2017), Pickled Princess (2016), The Ugly Buckling (2015), Evanescent Dreams, Charandas Chor, Pinti Ka Sabun, Alibaba Chalis Chor.
Ish Amitoj Kaur during a theatre play
She is the CEO of The Theater Factory, a nonprofit organization dedicated to performing arts. In 2015, The Theater Factory produced its own two original plays, The Ugly Buckling and, Betty and Her Feast. The Ugly Buckling deals with the issue of bullying and Betty and Her Feast addresses the overuse of technology among children.
Ish Amitoj Kaur with kids during a practice at The Theatre Factory
Production House
Later, Ish Amitoj opened her own Production Company, Noor Nissan Productions and she became the first woman to ever write, direct, and produce a Punjabi Feature Film, making her history in the directing of movies on the Sikh diaspora.
Documentaries
She made several Documentaries including Sikhs We Are and Drop In The Ocean.
Film Direction
She directed two of the most popular films in the Punjabi Film Industry Chhevan Dariya (The Sixth River) (2010) and Kambdi Kalaai (2006).
Ish Amitoj during the promotions of Chhevan Dariya
Facts/Trivia
- Ish Amitoj Kaur founded Fiery Blossom Creations in 2013.
- Ish is now a Bay Area-based Theatre Activist.
Ish Amitoj Kaur at an event
- In an interview, while talking about her success she said she owed all of it to her husband and said,
He let me fly and do what I wanted to do.”
- In 2015, Ish Amitoj Kaur was featured on the Sikhs in Cinema cover of the Kaurs magazine.
Ish Amitoj Kaur on the cover of the Kaurs Magazine
- In 2015, Ish Amitoj Kaur started working with a church to create a Theatre program for children to form a non-profit organization to keep costs low for program participants. talking about it in an interview, she said,
I love working with kids! I feel they are raw dough that can be molded into anything. It’s a symbiotic relationship. They learn from you and you learn from them.”
- On 1 March 2015, The Theatre Factory presented its two original plays at the Little Theater at Chabot College in Hayward, California.
- After travelling across the USA for many years, she realized that children in the area lacked access to professional theatre training which inspired her to start The Theater Factory.