Seen in Madgaon Express, Kankhajura, and RGV’s Dangerous, Mithun Purandare on twenty years in the industry, creator-driven cinema, building ALIAUM, and why Goa is becoming India’s next creative capital
Twenty years in an industry that wasn’t built for outsiders will either break you or teach you something no film school can. For Mithun Purandare, it did the latter. The Mumbai and Goa-based actor, filmmaker, content creator, and co-founder of ALIAUM Boutique has spent two decades collecting lessons from every rejection, every set, and every director he has worked with — and he has worked with some of the best.
Seen in Madgaon Express, Kankhajura, and RGV’s Dangerous, Mithun Purandare is Mr. India 2008 runner-up, a former theatre actor at Prithvi, and a UGC creator with over 221,000 followers. He is also, right now, at picture lock on his own feature film — a high-concept social media survival story he calls something that has never been done anywhere in the world.
Arabian Business Times sat down with Mithun Purandare to talk about the journey, the film, the brand, and what he really thinks the future of this industry looks like.
Your career spans theatre, films, content creation, and entrepreneurship. Take us through the journey and the moments that shaped you.
Mithun Purandare: I’ve been in the industry for over twenty years — starting with theatre, then music videos, ads, and films. I’ve had the privilege of working with Ram Gopal Varma, Murugadoss, and international directors.
One pivotal moment came early: after my first English short comedy Day Trip to London, I received an award — a 7-DVD set of Sir Michael Caine’s camera acting technique. At a time when acting masterclasses weren’t available on streaming platforms and had to be bought, those DVDs became my masterclass and shaped how I approach performance on camera.
It’s been a crazy journey with a lot of ups and downs, especially coming from outside the film industry. The rejections taught me more than the wins ever could. Every setback shaped me into who I am today.
Right now, I’m making my own feature film — which feels like a full-circle moment. I’m also the founder of ALIAUM Boutique — aliaumboutique.com — a resort wear brand based out of our shop in Assagao, Goa. We supply everywhere, and by the grace of God, it’s doing really well.
For me, the journey has never been linear. It’s been about staying curious, learning from every medium, and eventually building my own path when the traditional ones weren’t open.
What are the biggest lessons from working on projects like Madgaon Express, Kankhajura, and Dangerous — and sustaining a career through all of it?
Mithun Purandare: The biggest lesson is that sometimes you have to step away to move forward.
I actually left Mumbai after years of doing theatre at Prithvi — where we’d spend three to four hours every day, getting paid literally nothing, just to hone the craft. It was a proving ground for actors. But when COVID hit, the live industry shut down. Bombay went quiet.
Somehow I saw it in a different light. Things shifted, I got married in Mumbai, and Goa was supposed to be just a stop — a place to start something new and leave everything behind.
But the moment I landed in Goa, Ram Gopal Varma offered me a part in his film. Within four days I was on set shooting. Then Madgaon Express happened, then a series with Vir Das. Suddenly, big banners were coming to Goa to cast.
The industry had changed too — casting opened up fully. Self-tapes and self-auditions replaced the endless queues that never made sense anyway. Time and energy stopped being wasted.
What I learned: every director is different, every set has its own language. I picked up something from each of them and applied it to my life and craft. Moving to Goa taught me that reinvention isn’t failure — it’s strategy. You don’t sustain a career by waiting in line. You sustain it by adapting, creating your own momentum, and being ready when opportunity finds you where you are, not where you think you should be.
How do you see the creator economy changing things for emerging talent in entertainment?
Mithun Purandare: Creators are the future — period.
If you look at Hollywood last year, some of the most talked-about films were creator-driven. They performed best at the box office and cut through everywhere else because audiences connect with authentic, story-first filmmaking.
I’m seeing the same shift here. I’m currently making a creator-driven film; a social media survival story, and I hope the right platforms and distributors recognize the value in this new wave. Because the next Steven Spielberg, the next Christopher Nolan, the next Rajkumar Hirani is going to come from the creator space.
We’re already making projects at the phone level, focusing on story, extracting maximum impact from UGC tools. And my belief is simple: if you can tell a good story on a phone, you can tell a great story with a better camera, a better DOP, DI, sound, music — all of it.
The creator economy has removed the gatekeepers, much like how one Dubai-based artist built a creative identity outside traditional industry gatekeeping too. Among today’s creators are tomorrow’s industry-defining filmmakers. The opportunity is massive for anyone willing to start with what they have and stay obsessed with the story.
Tell us about ALIAUM — how did it start and where is it going?
Mithun Purandare: ALIAUM basically happened because my wife, Sonia Crawley, has always loved fashion. She’s into fitness and fashion, and she had the aesthetic sense all along. For me, I’ve been a model — Mr. India 2008 runner-up — I’ve walked for most designers on the ramp, and clothes have always looked good on me. So I started making pieces that looked good, and people kept asking where they were from.
That’s how it started. I did the first flea market in Goa with sixty shirts, and it was funny because most of them sold. That was the moment I realized, oh wow, what I’m making is actually selling.
But to be honest, I’m more of a helper in ALIAUM. It’s my brand, yes, but it was initiated by Sonia. I help bring her vision to life — whether it’s marketing, branding, or connecting the right people.
ALIAUM has a big future because it’s resort wear with a point of view. We’ve had incredible support from people like Kajol Devgan, Sushmita Sen, Dino James, Beyounick, and many, many more celebrities from around the world. Everyone who’s come to our store in Assagao, Goa loves the clothes because they’re different. Whatever we print, whatever we make — only we sell it. That makes it exclusive, unlike big brands where millions of people wear the same thing.
That’s what makes ALIAUM unique. That’s what’s different. It’s already at great heights, and I see it going higher and higher.
With 221K followers, how do you think about personal branding for actors and creators today?
Mithun Purandare: Be unique. That’s it. That’s the whole strategy.
Personal branding today isn’t a logo or a color palette — it’s point of view. In a feed where everyone looks the same, sounds the same, and sells the same thing, the only way to grow is to be unmistakably you.
For me, authenticity isn’t a marketing tactic. It’s survival. I don’t post what I think will get likes — I post what I’d do for free. The projects I’m proud of, the clothes I actually wear, the films I’d make even if no one watched. That’s what people connect with.
Professional growth happens when your brand is built on truth, not trends; the same principle behind building a brand on integrity rather than chasing what’s popular. And the right audience, the right opportunities, the right brands, they find you.
So my rule: Don’t build a brand. Be the brand. And make sure it’s one only you can be.
Tell us about the film you’re currently working on.
Mithun Purandare: I’m finally at picture lock after a year of shooting, editing, re-shooting, re-editing. It’s a creator-driven film — a high-concept social media survival story. I can’t share too much yet, but the core idea hasn’t been done anywhere in the world. It’s deeply relevant to creators today.
What excites me most is the blend: it’s got ten minutes of animation, UI/VFX work already completed, and a story inspired by creators like MrBeast — about going live inside a very specific, high-stakes situation.
Right now I’m in talks to finish DI, Foley, and the final 5.1 mix. Once that’s done, the plan is festivals first. I want the right audience response before taking it wider. Ideally, I’d love a collective theatrical screening — not with overpriced tickets, but something accessible. Let’s see. A lot is planned, and I hope the right people connect with me while I’m in this process.
The exciting part is that this film has already opened new doors. I took it to filmmaker-musician Nitish Piris, who saw the cut, connected with my performance, and immediately cast me in his next road film, TILA GAD. The film is scheduled for release in December 2026, and I’m incredibly excited to be part of it. Nitish’s previous film was the opening film at IFFI Goa 2025, making this collaboration even more special. So, I’m already onto the next one.
The stories I’m passionate about? High-concept, creator-first, and emotionally universal. If it hasn’t been done before, and it says something real about how we live now — I want to tell it.
Technology and AI are transforming filmmaking and content creation. How do you see these innovations shaping the future of entertainment?
Mithun Purandare: I was literally crying while making this film — and that’s because of how much technological innovation, especially AI, made it possible.
Those ten minutes of animation in my film? They only exist because of AI. I learned it, built a team, and tied up with different collaborators to make it happen. The entire film was built on continuous barter and collaboration — with restaurant owners, camera operators, crew, editors. I’d make reels for them, they’d give me their time for my film. That’s how we got it done.
There are over 35 contributors on this project. We used every piece of tech we could get our hands on. And that’s why I’m even more excited — because the budget we made this film on versus how the film actually looks? They’re two completely different things.
AI and digital tools aren’t replacing filmmakers. They’re empowering us. They let storytellers with zero studio backing create at a scale that was impossible five years ago.
Now I just hope I get the right distribution partner — someone who sees the value, backs it with real money, and helps me bring the right creators on board to market this film properly. Because this film is from the audience. I’m from the people, by the people.
I just hope the people get to see it — and that the mediators in between don’t screw it up.
Having worked both in front of and behind the camera, how do you think storytelling is evolving; and what responsibility do creators and filmmakers carry?
Mithun Purandare: Working both in front of and behind the camera changes everything.
I’ve been in front of the camera all my life — that’s what I trained for, that’s what I know. Going behind the camera wasn’t the plan. It happened because I wasn’t getting the right scripts. So I stepped back to do exactly what I wanted to do: tell my own stories. That’s how this film was born.
And yes, things are definitely changing. The tools are easier, faster, cheaper. Technology has removed every excuse not to create. But the best part still remains: story is king.
How you tell the story — that’s the most important thing. Not the gear, not the AI, not the VFX. The core hasn’t shifted. Storytelling is evolving with technology, but it’s still story first.
And with that comes responsibility. If you’re a creator or filmmaker today, you’re not just entertaining — you’re shaping culture. You’re deciding what gets seen, what gets normalized, what gets remembered. So the question isn’t “can we make it?” anymore. It’s “should we?” and “what are we saying?”
My responsibility is simple: tell stories that matter, that haven’t been told, and tell them in a way only I can. Because if the tools are this powerful, the stories better be worth it.
How has being based in Goa shaped your work compared to Mumbai?
Mithun Purandare: Goa happened when COVID happened. But I’ve been in a love affair with Goa for over twenty-five years.
I used to come here for the psytrance music, the parties, the hippies — the whole culture of being with nature, eating from nature, being vegetarian, helping each other, letting creativity flow. That was the old Goa sense.
The new Goa has evolved. It’s more commercial now, and I hope they don’t develop it further into just another city. But I see Goa’s potential clearly: what New York is to America, Mumbai is that for India. And Goa should be our LA — a place where all creators and filmmakers live and work. Just one key difference: Goa is a thousand times cheaper.
Right now, as I answer this, I’m sitting in front of greenery. I love nature — earth, water, sun, fire. All the elements. And you’re closest to them when you’re in nature. Creativity definitely flows better when you’re in and amongst these elements.
Mumbai teaches you hustle. Goa teaches you clarity. In Mumbai, you wait in line. In Goa, you build your own set. That shift changed everything for me — as an actor, a filmmaker, and an entrepreneur.
If Mumbai is where you chase the industry, Goa is where the industry is starting to chase you.
What excites you most about the next chapter; and what legacy do you hope to leave?
Mithun Purandare: I won’t lie — acting is my first love. It’s so difficult not to love that art. I realized somewhere along the way just how much I love it, so that’s always going to be first.
Second is telling the right stories. Being directed by experienced directors makes a huge difference — that collaboration, that trust, that’s what I live for.
But this film I’m making — this social media survival story — has taught me a lot about the other side. A filmmaker’s journey demands ten times more time, money, and energy than just showing up to act in someone else’s film. I respect both roles now, deeply.
As an entrepreneur, I see ALIAUM already reaching great heights from where it began. And I only see it going higher.
So I wouldn’t pinpoint one, two, or three things for the future. I just submit myself to God, to the universe. It shows me the path, and I hope it continues to enlighten my brain and my eyes to follow where I’m meant to go.
The legacy? I want to be remembered as someone who created without waiting for permission. Someone who proved you can act, direct, build, and still stay true to the story. If I can leave behind work that inspires one more creator to pick up their phone and start — then that’s enough.
What advice would you give to aspiring actors, filmmakers, and entrepreneurs starting out today?
Mithun Purandare: For actors especially: Nothing is like it was before. And don’t follow those old routes either.
You don’t need to waste years chasing people with big portfolios, waiting for auditions, dealing with casting couches, favoritism, nepotism. Today, if you’re good enough, plan a series. Get an editor, a DOP — or shoot and edit it yourself. Put it out there. Do it 100 times if you have to. If you’re really good, one of those 100 will catch fire. You’ll build your own audience. And you build from there.
For filmmakers: Stop roaming around with scripts asking for money. Nobody’s going to back your film. Everyone has an iPhone or a 4K phone. Shoot your project on it — start to finish. Throw it out to the audience. Keep shooting more and more.
I meet so many filmmakers asking for funding. Who’s going to fund you if you won’t fund yourself? Work a job. Eight, nine hours. Then put two hours into your own content. Every day. Dedicatedly. For a year, two years, three years. If you do it consistently, the universe will grant you amazing things. Trust that process.
Nothing like before works anymore. Models can’t just model, actors can’t just act, cricketers can’t just play. Porn stars became actors. Actors became cricketers. Cricketers became actors. Politicians became actors. Actors turned out to be politicians. All I’m saying is — anything can happen now.
Everything is changing. And in the next five years, it’s going to change even more.
Look at the last five to ten years — things people hadn’t seen in fifty years are happening right now. And I’m in the middle of that change. I’m very happy for that.
But lazy people won’t have a place. You’ve got to execute. Execute. Execute. That’s all I say.
Connect with Mithun Purandare: Follow his work on Instagram at @mithunpurandare and ALIAUM at @aliaum_official. Shop the resort wear collection at aliaumboutique.com.
