An Interview with Dr Sandeep Marwah, Founder and Chancellor, AAFT Noida

Careers360 presents you with an interview with Dr Sandeep Marwah, who is the Founder and Chancellor of the Asian Academy of Film and Television (AAFT), Noida. He enlightens about the USPs of the campus, programmes offered and its specialisation, placements, and facilities available at AAFT Noida, and the selection criteria of the programmes. To know more about AAFT Noida, go through the interview.

Careers360: Tell us something about the institute; when it was set up, its vision and mission.

Dr Sandeep Marwah: You know, this all began with a very simple but powerful belief — that India needed a world-class home for the creative arts. When I founded AAFT in 1993 right here at Noida Film City, there was barely an ecosystem for professional training in cinema and media. I could see the potential — thousands of passionate young Indians who wanted to tell stories, who wanted to create — but there was no serious institution that could train them the way they deserved.

So we built one. From the ground up. Right in the heart of what I had also helped establish as Noida Film City, the media centre of South Asia. That location was never accidental — when you study film, you should be breathing it, living in it, walking past active studios on your way to class.

Today, over 33 years later, AAFT is recognised as India's largest creative educational institute. We offer more than 90 professional courses across Cinema, Fashion, Journalism and Mass Communication, Animation, Music, Photography, Interior Design, Hospitality, Digital Marketing, Fine Arts, Drama and Acting — and more. We have students from over 120 countries. A global alumni network of 30,000 plus professionals. That is not just growth. That is a movement.

Our mission has always been to inspire young people to become the leaders of tomorrow — to build a strong sense of unity in the media and arts community and to bring people together to create incredible artistic experiences. We aspire to build strong global communities of media, arts, and culture through powerful collaborations and by promoting intellectual diversity through artistic innovations.

Also See: AAFT Noida Admissions 2026

Careers360: Tell us something about the admission process.

Dr Sandeep Marwah: The process is designed to be clear, accessible, and merit-driven — because we want people who truly want to be here. A student begins by filling out our online application on the admissions portal. Our counsellors then reach out personally, because we believe every student deserves a real conversation, not just a form letter.

After the initial application, there is a personal interview round where we try to understand the student's interests, aptitude, and creative sensibility. This is not a pressure interview — it is a conversation. We want to meet the person behind the form. Following the evaluation, admission letters are rolled out to selected candidates.

We also provide extensive support for education loans and have tie-ups with banks to ensure that financial constraints do not become a barrier for a deserving student. Our academic calendar is well-structured, with degree batches beginning in August and diploma and short-term certificate programs beginning in August and September. The process is transparent, and we are always available to guide families through it.

Careers360: What kind of infrastructure can students expect at the institute?

Dr Sandeep Marwah: Infrastructure, for us, has never been just about buildings. It is about creating an environment where a student can actually become the professional they aspire to be before they ever step into the industry.

We operate across multiple campuses. The main Noida campus is located at Marwah Studios Complex in Film City — a 100-acre complex that is home to 350 active channels broadcasting to 162 countries. Students walk past real production floors every single day. That proximity to live, working media infrastructure is something no other institution in the country can offer.

Our infrastructure includes professional-grade film shooting floors, post-production studios with industry-standard software, Apple Mac Pro labs, recording studios, sound editing suites, radio broadcast facilities — including our own in-house Radio 107.4 FM, the first radio station in Noida — fashion studios, draping workshops, pattern drafting labs, 3D animation workstations, interior design studios, and AI-powered digital classrooms through our AAFT Learnzilla platform.

Beyond Noida, we have our Art and Design Central campus for fashion and animation, the AAFT University campus in Raipur spread across 27 acres, and our Media Management Towers in Sector 125, Noida. Two campuses together cover over 4 lakh square feet. ACADEMIC COLLABORATIONS WITH PARTNERS SUCH AS National Skill Development Council (NSDC), Wizcraft MIME (WMIME), Bombay Stock Exchange Institute (BSE). The idea is simple — you should not have to unlearn anything when you graduate.

Careers360: There is a lot of stress being made with regard to interaction with the industry and companies that recruit. What steps is the institute taking in this direction?

Dr Sandeep Marwah: This is something I have cared about from day one. What is the point of great training if there is no bridge to the real world? We built that bridge deliberately, structurally, and consistently over three decades.

Every school at AAFT has an Industry Dean — Industry Experts who brings their own network and sensibility into the curriculum. Faye D'Souza leads our School of Journalism. Swara Bhaskar heads Drama and Acting. Grammy Award winner Nikkhil Beri guides our School of Music. Padma Shri awardee Sunita Kohli leads Interior Design. Prahlad Kakkar is with Advertising and Events. These are not just honorary titles — these are people who walk into classrooms and talk about what is happening in their industry right now.

Our Career Resource Cell runs a structured program called EDGE — Empowerment and Development for Global Employability — which builds students from their first semester toward internship and placement readiness. We currently have 5,235 plus participating companies, more than 22,000 placements on record, over 3,200 job openings shared per year, and a highest package of Rs. 24 LPA. Companies like Sony, Star Plus, Zara, Colours, Dharma Productions, Aaj Tak, and many more come to us for talent.

We also run more than 1,000 celebrity interactions and industry visits every year. When a filmmaker comes and sits with our cinema students, or a fashion week designer critiques a portfolio, that is not just inspiration — that is industry access. That is what we are here to provide.

Careers360: Internships are now mandatory as per AICTE guidelines. Does the institute help students? If yes, how?

Dr Sandeep Marwah: Absolutely, and we have been doing this long before it became a mandate. For creative professionals, there is no learning more valuable than learning by doing — and internships are how you make real connections and build a real portfolio.

The Career Resource Cell actively facilitates internship placements through our network of over 5,000 industry partners. Our EDGE program specifically prepares students for internship readiness — communication skills, portfolio building, professional conduct. Once placed, students are mentored and supported throughout the internship duration. We track outcomes and make sure the experience is meaningful, not just a checklist.

Many of our internship pathways lead directly to placement. And because we sit inside Film City, a number of students work on live productions as part of their academic training — which is, in many ways, the most authentic internship experience you can get.

Careers360: Can you please share details about any collaboration with universities abroad?

Dr Sandeep Marwah: International collaboration has been a core part of our identity. We have students from more than 120 countries and our reach extends across Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. That tells you something about the global trust we have built.

We have partnered with universities and institutions across multiple countries to create opportunities for student exchanges, international immersion, collaborative learning, and global academic exposure, and our International Immersion Program gives students structured exposure to global learning environments. Through these partnerships, students gain access to international classrooms, collaborative projects with peers from other countries, visiting faculty sessions, and exposure to different creative and professional ecosystems.

I myself have trained over 19,000 media professionals from 145 countries in the world. We have been conferred recognition by the World Book of Records London for being the founder of the fastest-growing film city in the world. The Lifetime Achievement Award I received at Cannes Film Festival in 2019 is as much about AAFT's global standing as it is about my personal journey. These connections — they are built over decades, and they flow into our students' opportunities.

Careers360: Please share placement statistics with information on average package, highest and lowest package, number of students placed, and details of companies that have recruited.

Dr Sandeep Marwah: The numbers tell a strong story. As of our most recent placement cycle, AAFT has facilitated over 22,000 placements with a highest package of Rs. 24 LPA. We have more than 5,235 participating companies and have shared over 3,200 job openings per year with our students.

Our alumni network now stands at 35,000 plus trained professionals across the globe, and they are working at some of the most recognized names in their fields — Sony, Star Plus, Colors, Aaj Tak, Dharma Productions, Zara, DLF, and many more. From directors and scriptwriters to fashion designers and data scientists, our alumni are present across every creative and emerging industry.

For specific average and entry-level package data, I would encourage you to speak with our Career Resource Cell and request our detailed Placement Report, which is updated regularly and available on request. We believe in sharing accurate, verified numbers rather than figures that may mislead aspirants. What I can say with full confidence is that the quality of employment our students find — the kind of work, the organizations, the roles — that speaks louder than any number.

Disclaimer: This content was distributed by AAFT Noida and has been published as part of Careers360’s marketing initiative.