Nisha Ganatra

Nisha Ganatra (born June 25, 1974) is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter, producer, and actress of Indian descent. She wrote, directed, and produced the independent comedy drama Chutney Popcorn and later directed the independent film Cosmopolitan (2003) and the romantic-comedy Cake (2005). Ganatra has directed for numerous television shows, including The Real World, Transparent, You Me Her, Better Things, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. She also directed the comedy-dramas Late Night (2019) and The High Note (2020). Ganatra served as a consulting producer on the first season of Transparent, for which she was nominated for the 2015 Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series. She directed Freakier Friday, the sequel to Disney's 2003 film starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, which was released in theaters on August 8, 2025.

Early life and education Ganatra explored her interest in film through acting and then decided to make the switch to pursue film-making as she wanted to effect cultural change.

Career While in film school, Ganatra directed several episodes of MTV's long-running television series The Real World in 2001. Prior to this she had written and directed two shorts and her independent film Chutney Popcorn (1999).

When Ganatra was on the hunt for a cinematographer, she began to notice that the men's reels were far superior compared to the women's reels. As a female director herself, she was accustomed to being overlooked in the hiring process in favor of men. She realized that the men had better reels not because they were more talented, but instead, because they had been given bigger budgets, better equipment, larger crews, and elaborate productions.

Personal life Ganatra is a lesbian.

Filmography

Short film

Film Director Chutney Popcorn (1999) (Also writer and producer) Fast Food High (2003) Cake (2005) Late Night (2019) The High Note (2020) Freakier Friday (2025)

Actor

Television

TV movies

Field producer Margaret Cho: Beautiful (2009) Cho Dependent (2011)