Yogesh Deshpande began his career in 2005 as an ad filmmaker and has since written and directed over 100 ad films, shaping a strong reputation for visual storytelling and brand communication. Founder of RedefineZ Productions, based in Pune, after establishing himself in the advertising world, Yogesh transitioned into feature films as a writer and director. His Marathi debut feature, 66 Sadashiv, marked his entry into long-form storytelling. He followed this with an ambitious and culturally significant project — India’s first-ever musical biopic, Swaragandharvaa Sudhir Phadke.At the core of Yogesh Deshpande’s cinema lies a belief in rooted emotions, Indian culture, and traditional storytelling values, blended with contemporary cinematic language. These principles now shape his upcoming Hindi feature film, currently in the pre-production stage.Set against the breathtaking and cinematic landscapes of Konkan, the film explores a world shaped by the digital divide and its human inhabitants — an unexplored narrative space in mainstream cinema. The story is driven by a strong female protagonist and promises an emotionally layered yet engaging cinematic experience. Casting is currently underway, and extensive location recce has already been completed.The production house has officially announced the film’s title as Thumbz Up, which will go on floors in the coming months. This project marks Yogesh Deshpande’s debut in the Hindi / Bollywood film market as a director, positioning him as a filmmaker bringing regional depth and cultural authenticity into mainstream Hindi cinema.With a career that spans advertising, music-driven biopics, and socially rooted narratives, Yogesh Deshpande continues to evolve as a storyteller who believes that cinema must remain connected to its emotional and cultural soil — even as it reaches global audiences. Speaking of his Hindi film debut. Yogesh told us, “My film is inspired by two real incidents that disturbed me deeply. One was the tragic death of a young girl who was denied ration because of a small clerical error in digital records, showing how technology can decide who eats and who doesn’t.The second was what I saw in remote villages, where people climb hills just to get a mobile signal..to call an ambulance, receive ration OTPs, Pension & bank Transaction Processings, or help children attend online classes. These moments revealed a harsh contrast between digital India and forgotten India.Together, they became the emotional trigger for me to develop a film on the digital divide, questioning systems that are meant to empower people but often ignore their human reality. Especially in the context of house makers who are trying to create their own world and become self sufficient in this digital world! And so on..”Thumbz Up has been written, directed and produced by Deshpande.
