Producer / Director — iLink Media
Prashant Pandav's association with Nilesh Nimkar and the QUEST team began in 2004, when he started working on educational films as an editor. Since 2016, he and his team at iLink Media have been responsible for the complete production of QUEST's educational films — from pre-production to the final edit.
The shooting process is described as remarkably stress-free, thanks to QUEST's extensive preparation. The team conducts several rehearsals with the cast 10 to 15 days before filming begins. Productions feature a carefully balanced mix of professional actors and untrained participants, including in-service teachers and QUEST employees.
Working in authentic classroom environments introduces unique challenges — from noisy locations to working with soft-spoken children in tribal areas. Pandav's crew speaks in hushed tones to help children acclimate, and filming with children is frequently unscripted, prioritizing authenticity above all else.
Upgraded from a standard single-camera setup to a multi-cam arrangement with live/line editing, supplemented by offline editing for maximum production quality.
Films are shot in real classroom environments with actual teachers and students, capturing genuine educational interactions rather than staged performances.
Years of collaboration with Nilesh Nimkar have established a strong mutual understanding, successfully bridging educational objectives with technical filmmaking.
Creating a final 10-minute film typically requires around 45 minutes of recorded material — a testament to thorough pre-production planning and skilled direction.