Eros Universe and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) on October 15 announced the release of Portrait of Many Faces, a documentary on the lives of IIT Madras BS Degree students from across India. The film is streaming free on Eros Now worldwide. It was screened at a premiere screening and media preview at the TTJ Auditorium, ICSR Building, IIT Madras, Chennai.
Produced by IIT Madras and Eros Universe, and directed and edited by Shashwat Mookherjee, an alumnus of the IIT Madras BS Degree programme, Portrait of Many Faces follows students from vastly different social, economic and geographic backgrounds across India. Through intimate journeys into their homes and everyday realities, the film traces how access to a rigorous, flexible education has transformed their aspirations, confidence and futures.
The documentary features 17 students as representative voices. Together, they form a collective portrait of the nearly 50,000 learners enrolled in the programme, revealing not only individual success stories but a quiet revolution in Indian higher education.
Prof. Veezhinathan Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, sums up the ideation of such a project saying, “Swami Vivekananda made a very profound statement about education. If the poor cannot afford education, education must reach the poor. Inspired by this, IIT Madras introduced BS off-campus programs, with more than 25% of students enrolled being below the poverty line. ‘Portrait of Many Faces’ is a very emotional and thought-provoking documentary which brings to you the success stories of how Vivekananda’s statement has been put into practice. I congratulate Shashwat Mookerjee and team for this wonderful effort and wish that this documentary reaches the nook and corner of this planet. Jai Hind.”
Shot entirely across India, the film is interview-driven, letting the students’ own voices lead the narrative. The subjects reflect on where they began, the challenges they faced, and how access to this unique degree reshaped their sense of possibility, identity and future. The result is a raw, honest and deeply human film that places lived experience at its centre and captures stories that rarely share the same frame in conventional narratives of higher education.
Ahead of the release, Union Minister of Education, Shri Pralhad Joshi, was given a first look at the film’s trailer on 7 October 2026 during his visit to IIT Madras. The Minister watched the trailer, congratulated the team on the upcoming release and wished them success.
Shashwat Mookherjee, Director and Editor of Portrait of Many Faces, said:
“From an early age, I wanted to work in cinema while also pursuing higher education, though combining the two once felt improbable. The IIT Madras BS Degree programme made that possible. This film grew out of a desire to give back to a programme that profoundly shaped my journey, and it became a responsibility to document the stories of students whose lives reflect a quiet transformation in Indian education.”
Vikram Tanna, CEO, Eros Now and Eros Universe, said:
“Stories like these are what Eros has always believed in: real people, real homes and real aspirations, told with honesty. Portrait of Many Faces shows how access to education can change the trajectory of a life, and how many young Indians are shaping their futures on their own terms.”
At its core, Portrait of Many Faces is not only about academic achievement, but about aspiration, resilience and the democratisation of opportunity. By foregrounding real voices and real spaces, it documents a movement that is redefining access to world-class education in India, one interview, one home and one life at a time.
