Her Father's Daughter

Television personality and md of swayam infotainment, pratibha advani speaks to the sindhian about making it big on the small screen

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Pratibha Advani may come with a strong family name, but she’s made it to the top all on her own. An anchor, filmmaker, newsreader, entrepreneur, and media personality, this level-headed businesswoman is a well recognised face on television owing to her in-depth and forthright interviews and inclusive style.

Entering the world of television was never a planned move; it was a coincidental one. Conquering it, however, was an instinctive move. A student of Zoology who was contemplating a future in genetic engineering, Pratibha was unexpectedly offered an opportunity from a family friend to learn computer graphics for the television industry.

Having no academic background in the field except a course in digital film editing from the US, she was a little wary of joining the television industry at first. But not one to turn down a role that involved creativity, 

Pratibha took it up quite optimistically. She joined Jain TV, and was soon given a chance to anchor one of the shows, which she took to like a fish to water. At that moment, facing the camera and thoroughly enjoying it, she felt like she belonged.

This fruitful phase in the mid 1990’s took Pratibha to great heights, and she began to enter into stronger and more media driven roles like news reading, film direction, and production. She took on anchoring roles with Zee TV, SAB TV and Doordarshan, news-reading roles with ATN and ANI News, and even assisted Kalpana Lajmi in the film Darmiyaan.