Best Indian Directors

This presentation gives you the full view about the BEST INDIAN DIRECTORS

1. BEST INDIAN DIRECTORS

2. Shyam Benegal Born on 14 December 1934 Occupation Film Director, Screenwriter Awards 1976 Padma Shri 1991 Padma Bhushan 2005 Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2013 ANR National Award

3. At the age of 12, he makes his first film with a normal camera given to him by his photographer Father. He went on to win National Film Award for best feature film  in Hindi for 7 times. He was also awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for lifetime achievement for his contribution to Indian cinema in 2005. Early Life Of Shyam

4. He spend the first few years of his career in Advertising agencies in Bombay. Till 1974 he made hundreds of ad films and documentaries and then best thing that brought him in limelight among the industry and media.   Ankur, his first feature film about economic and sexual exploitation from his home state Andhra Pradesh. A year after he made  Nishant  which won the National film award in best feature film category. Year after year he kept on making cult films . Manthan , Bhumika , Junoon , Arohan  and the list goes on when we talk about the great movies in 70’s and 80’s era which were also nominated at several International film awards. Career

5. He also directed a television serial “Bharat Ek Khoj ” based on Jawaharlal Nehru’s book,  Discovery of India .In 1982 he made a movie based on the life of legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray  which won the National award for Best biographical film. Though he is considered as one of the best directors of parallel cinema he also tried his hands in mainstream cinema with making of Zubeidaa  which again bagged the National film Award for best feature film in the year 2001. career

6. In 2008 when “ Welcome to Sajjanpur ” was released an India times review said, “Shyam Benegal has always been accredited as a mesmerizing storyteller known for making ‘meaningful’ cinema. This time he also caters to commercial consumers, coming up with his most ‘entertaining’ attempt, by far”.   Though it couldn’t perform well at box office it was much critically acclaimed by media houses. Now the maverick filmmaker is ready with his new project “ Well Done Abba ” which is currently being screened at some of the prestigious film festival across the world will  be released very soon. At the age of 75 and with more than 70 films to his credit he is still the same man who believes in his own style of filmmaking , no matter it earns money or not but at the end it earns applause from all savvy segments. Reviews

7. Satyajit Ray Born:  May 2, 1921, Kolkata Died:  April 23, 1992, Kolkata Books:  Our Films, Their Films, The Emperor's Ring, more Awards:  Bharat Ratna, Dadasaheb Phalke Award, more Children:  Sandip Ray

8. Early Life Of Satyajit Ray He use to earn Rs. 80 / month working as a junior visualizer. His book “Our films their films” which came in 1976 was a classic literary work highlighting the difference between Indian and Hollywood cinema and other International filmmakers . He was one of the greatest filmmakers who bought most international honours to our country for his contribution to parallel and realistic cinema . In 1992 he earned a Honorary award for Lifetime Achievement from Oscar Academy . He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema.

9. Career He started his film career as a director with his  first film,  Pather Panchali  (1955) which won eleven international prizes, including Best Human Document at the Cannes film festival. Followed by making of  Aparajito  (1956) and  Apur Sansar  (1959), the three films form The Apu Trilogy . Though he faced many financial hurdles while making Apu Trilogy , he never compromised with the script and his way of filmmaking. Ray directed thirty-seven films, including feature films, documentaries and shorts.

10. Works One film that influenced him deep inside was “ Bicycle Thieves ” which attracted him towards independent filmmaking. He was also greatly influenced by Rabindra Nath Tagore and made a documentary on him. So his work revolved mainly around poverty, children and apathy in a women’s life.

11. Awards In 1962, Ray directed  Kanchenjungha , which was his first original screenplay and colour film. won   32 Indian National Film Awards . win Golden Silver bear more than once. Ray is the second film personality after Chaplin to have been awarded honorary doctorates by Oxford University . He was awarded Bharat Ratna shortly before his death in 1992. He also got the  Akira Kurosawa  Award for Lifetime Achievement in Direction at San Francisco International Film Festival after his death.

12. In 1992, the ‘Sight & Sound Critics’ Top Ten Poll ranked Ray at no.7 in its list of “Top 10 Directors” of all time, making him the  highest-ranking Asian filmmaker  in the poll . In 2002, the ‘Sight & Sound critics’ and directors’ poll ranked Ray at no.22 in its list of all-time greatest directors. Thus making him the 4th highest-ranking Asian filmmaker in the poll . In 1996, Entertainment Weekly magazine ranked Ray at no.25 in its “ 50 Greatest Directors ” list . In 2007, Total Film magazine included Ray in its “ 100 Greatest Film Directors Ever ” list.

13. His Words Akira Kurosawa, once said, “ Not to have seen the cinema of Ray means existing in the world without seeing the sun or the moon. ”

14. GURU DUTT Born:   July 9, 1925, Bangalore Died:   October 10, 1964,  Mumbai Occupation: Actor, Producer, Director, Choreographer

15. Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone , better known as  Guru Dutt , was an Indian film director, producer and actor. He made 1950s and 1960s classics such as  Pyaasa ,  Kaagaz Ke Phool  ,  Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam  and  Chaudhvin Ka Chand. He is most famous for making lyrical and artistic films within the context of popular Hindi cinema of the 1950s, and expanding its commercial conventions, starting with his 1957 film,  Pyaasa . He has worked as a choreographer and Actor at one time . His first movie introduced a new technical concept in Indian cinema ,Close up shots with 100mm lens which later was referred on his name in filmmaking .

16. British film magazine  Sight & Sound  poll ranked him at 73 in its list of all-time greatest directors, thus making him the  Eighth highest-ranking Asian filmmaker  in the poll. Guru Dutt  credited with several cult movies in Indian cinema was the legendary filmmaker behind movies like  Sahab,Biwi aur Gulam   and Chaudhvin Ka Chand . Pyaasa  and  Kaagaz ke Phool  are included in all time 100 best.

17. He worked with Prabhat Film company , Pune for 3yrs till 1947. After coming to Mumbai he assisted two directors . In 1951 his first film as director,  Baazi was released . This movies was produced under the banner of  Dev Anand’s  company Navketan . His second film Jaal was also a super hit flick.He also introduced  Waheeda Rehman  to Hindi cinema under his production in C.I.D starring Dev Anand . He and Dev anand were very close friends for many years . His film Sahab,Biwi aur Gulam won the filmfare award in Best film category directed by Abrar Alvi . C areer

18. Though his movies could not earn enough money at box office he earned the status of a legendary filmmaker making cult movies one after the other. He acted in 16 films and Picnic was his last film in 1964 . He died the same year after consuming alcohol and sleeping pills at night . Once Dev Anand quoted Guru Dutt as “My only true friend in the film industry. We got close to each other while working for Prabhat Film company.

19. The Great Indian Filmmaker (IV): Ismail Merchant Ismail Merchant  (25 December 1936 – 25 May 2005) was an Indian-born film producer and director.

20. Ismail Merchant   Indian filmmaker. Born and brought up in Mumbai he went to New York for higher studies . His very first short film as producer was nominated for Oscar Awards in 1960. His first film as director won National awards from Indian Govt . His partnership with World’s famous director  James Ivory  has been placed in the  Guinness Book of World Records  for the longest partnership in independent cinema history . He was an actor, writer, producer, director as well as a great cook. His movie was nominated 4 times for Oscar.   About

21. In 1961 He founded a production house  Merchant Ivory Productions  in association with director James Ivory. Together they made close to 40 films and their films won six Oscar award and several other prestigious award . He books on making of his film . Works

22. “ A Room with a View ” , “ Howards End ”, “ “ The Remains of the Day ” “ The Creation of Woman ” were nominated for Oscars . “ Mahatma and the Mad boy” as director. “ Shakespeare Wallah ” and “ Bombay Talkie ” as producer were his other famous work. Film

23. He also wrote couple of books on food and cooking like “ Ismail Merchant’s Indian Cuisine ”, “ Ismail Merchant’s Passionate Meals” “ Ismail Merchant’s Paris: Filming and Feasting in France ” . His last book  My Passage from India: A Filmmaker’s Journey from Bombay to Hollywood and Beyond . Books

24. BOLLYWOOD Hindi Cinema better known as Bollywood across the globe started its journey with the production of Raja Harish Chandra which is the first silent feature film made in India in 1913   directed and produced by  Dadasaheb Phalke. By 30’s film factory was producing close to 200 films per annum.

25. 1931 saw a revolutionized change as Alam Ara, first Indian sound film  was produced and was a major hit commercially . After 6 years of black and white production director of Alam Ara Ardeshir Irani,once again gave a important gift to film industry by producing first colored Hindi feature film, Kisan Kanya  but the color concept became popular after 1955. In 1957   Mother India  directed by Mehboob khan    Legend Filmmakers  Satyajit Ray ( The Apu Trilogy)   and Guru Dutt   ( Pyaasa (1957)) were known as best Asian film makers. Their Movies  featured in  Time magazine’s “All-TIME” 100 best movies . Actors like Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor had a huge fan following at that time .

26. The most internationally acclaimed Hindi film of the 1980s was  Mira Nair ‘s  Salaam Bombay!  (1988), which won the  Camera d’Or  at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival  and was nominated for the  Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film . In 21st century Directors like  Nandita Das , Anurag Kashyap  and  Madhur Bhandarkar are continuing the legacy of realistic cinema with movies like  Fire ,  Gulaal  and  Page3 . Slumdog Millionaire  gave a new meaning and life to Hindi Film Industry which is expected to cross a turnover of 4 billion $.

27. Frozen   is the first Black and white film after a millennium by Shivajee Chandrabhushan filmed  at  Ladakh , India . Frozen is an epitome of Indian cinema’s maturity. It was featured at the various International   film festivals, including the 2007  London Film Festival . W on awards at Durban Film festival for best cinematography Nominated for other prestigious global awards and now it has been released in India recently.

28. Golden Age The late 1940s to the 1960s is regarded by film historians as the "Golden Age" of Hindi cinema. Critically acclaimed Hindi films were produced during this period. Films expressed social themes mainly dealing with working-class urban life in India are Guru Dutt  films  Pyaasa  (1957) Kaagaz Ke Phool ( 1959) Raj Kapoor  films  Awaara  (1951) Shree 420  (1955).

29. epic films of Hindi cinema Mehboob Khan's  Mother India  (1957), which was nominated for the  Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film , K . Asif's  Mughal-e- Azam  (1960 ). Madhumati  (1958), directed by Bimal Roy and written by Ritwik Ghatak, popularized the theme of  reincarnation in  Western popular culture . Other acclaimed mainstream Hindi filmmakers Kamal Amrohi  and  Vijay Bhatt

30. Successful Actors Dev Anand,  Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Guru Dutt. Successful A ctresses Nargis,  Vyjayanthimala ,  Meena Kumari ,  Nutan ,  Madhubala, Waheeda Rehman  and  Mala Sinha.

31. T he 1950s new   Parallel Cinema   movement   was mainly led by  Bengali cinema , it also began gaining prominence in Hindi cinema. Hindi films in this movement Chetan Anand 's  Neecha Nagar (1946 )  and Bimal Roy's  Two Acres of Land  (1953). Hindi filmmakers involved in the movement Mani Kaul ,  Kumar Shahani ,  Ketan Mehta,  Govind Nihalani ,  Shyam Benegal  and  Vijaya Mehta

32. 1950s and early 1960s The   social realist  film  Neecha Nagar  won the  Grand Prize  at the  first Cannes Film Festival . Hindi films were frequently in competition for the  Palme d'Or  at the  Cannes Film Festival  throughout the 1950s and early 1960s. 1980s Guru Dutt , while overlooked in his own lifetime, had belatedly generated international recognition much later in the 1980s.  Dutt is now regarded as one of the greatest  Asian filmmakers  of all time, alongside the more famous Indian Bengali filmmaker  Satyajit Ray . 2002 s The Sight & Sound  critics' and directors' poll of greatest filmmakers ranked Dutt at #73 on the list.

33. The film of Dutt (now included among greatest films) Pyaasa  (1957) being featured in  Time magazine's "All-TIME" 100 best movies   list . Pyaasa  and  Kaagaz Ke Phool  (1959) tied at #160 in the 2002  Sight & Sound  critics' and directors' poll of all-time greatest films. Several other Hindi films from this era were also ranked in the  Sight & Sound  poll, including  Raj Kapoor 's   Awaara  (1951),  Vijay Bhatt 's  Baiju Bawra  (1952), Mehboob Khan 's  Mother India  (1957) and  K. Asif 's   Mughal-e- Azam  (1960) all tied at #346 on the list .

34. Modern cinema L ate 1960s and early 1970s R omance movies and action films starred actors like  Rajesh Khanna ,  Dharmendra ,  Sanjeev Kumar  and  Shashi Kapoor  and actresses like  Sharmila Tagore ,  Mumtaz and   Asha Parekh . In the mid-1970s R omantic confections made way for gritty, violent films about gangsters (see  Indian mafia ) and bandits.  Amitabh Bachchan , the star known for his "angry young man" roles, rode the crest of this trend with actors like  Mithun Chakraborty  and  Anil Kapoor , which lasted into the early 1990s. Actresses from this era included  Hema Malini ,  Jaya Bachchan  and Rekha .

35. 70s The rise of commercial cinema in the films such as  Sholay  (1975), which solidified Amitabh Bachchan's position as a lead actor. The devotional classic  Jai Santoshi Ma  was also released in 1975.  Another important film from 1975 was  Deewar , directed by  Yash Chopra  and written by  Salim-Javed . 80s The most internationally-acclaimed Hindi film of the 1980s was  Mira Nair 's  Salaam Bombay!  (1988), which won the  Camera d'Or  at the  1988 Cannes Film Festival  and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film .

36. Late 1980s and early 1990s Family-centric romantic musicals are back with the success of such films as  Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak  (1988),  Maine Pyar Kiya  (1989 ), Hum Aapke Hain Kaun  (1994) and  Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge  (1995), This makes stars out of a new generation of actors (such as  Aamir Khan ,  Salman Khan  and  Shahrukh Khan ) and actresses (such as Sridevi ,  Madhuri Dixit ,  Juhi Chawla  and  Kajol ) . Action and comedy films were also successful. The entry of new performers in  arthouse  and independent films. Satya  (1998 ) succeeded commercially directed by  Ram Gopal Varma  and written by  Anurag Kashyap .

37. Bollywood release that give Box Office Hits Lagaan (2001 ),   Devdas  (2002),  Koi ... Mil Gaya  (2003),  Kal Ho Naa Ho  (2003),  Veer- Zaara  (2004),  Rang De Basanti  (2006),  Lage Raho Munnabhai  (2006),  Krrish  (2006),   Dhoom 2  (2006),  Om Shanti Om  (2007 ), Chak De India  (2007),  Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi  (2008),  Ghajini (2008 ),  3 Idiots  (2009),  My Name is Khan  (2010),  Raajneeti  (2010) &  Dabangg  (2010)

38. Lagaan  won the Audience Award at the  Locarno International Film Festival  and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the  74th Academy Awards . Devdas  and  Rang De Basanti  were both nominated for the  BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Language Film . New generation of popular actors ( Hrithik Roshan ,  Abhishek Bachchan ) and actresses ( Aishwarya Rai ,  Preity Zinta ,  Rani Mukerji ,  Kareena Kapoor  and  Priyanka Chopra ), and keeping the popularity of actors of the previous decade.

39. Mrinal Sen Mrinal Sen  (also spelled  Mrinal Shen ) is a  Bengali   Indian  filmmaker.  Born on 14 May 1923,

40. Early Life His interest in films started after he stumbled upon a book on film aesthetics. However his interest remained mostly intellectual, and he was forced to take up the job of a medical representative, which took him away from Calcutta. This did not last very long, and he came back to the city and eventually took a job of an audio technician in a Calcutta film studio, which eventually launched his film career.

41. His directorial debut Mrinal Sen made his first feature film,  Raatbhor , in 1955. It had iconic Uttam Kumar who wasn't a star then. The movie was a let-down. His next film,  Neel Akasher Neechey  (Under the Blue Sky), earned him local recognition. His third film,  Baishey Shravan  (the day when rabindranath tagore died) was his first film that gave him international exposure.

42. Sen and New Cinema in India After making five more films, he made a film with a shoe-string budget provided by the  Government of India . This film,  Bhuvan Shome  (Mr. Shome), finally launched him as a major filmmaker, both nationally and internationally.  Bhuvan Shome  also initiated the "New Cinema" film movement in India.

43. Experimentation, recognition and acclaim During this period, he won a large number of international awards . H is films show the development of ideas from  existentialism ,  surrealism ,  Marxism ,  German expressionism ,  French   Nouvelle Vague and   Italian neorealism . Sen's cinema do not provide a happy ending or a definitive conclusion. The director invites and provokes the audience into a shared process of forming multiple conclusions, that are at the same time unique and different.

44. In 1982, he was a member of the jury at the  32nd Berlin International Film Festival. Mrinal Sen never stopped experimenting with his medium. In his later films he tried to move away from the narrative structure and worked with very thin story lines. After a long gap of eight years, at the age of eighty, he made his latest film,  Aamaar Bhuvan , in 2002.

45. Awards National Film Awards Best Director 1969  Bhuvan Shome 1979  Ek Din Pratidin 1980  Akaler Sandhane 1984  Khandhar Best Screenplay 1974  Padatik 1983  Akaler Sandhane 1984  Kharij Filmfare Awards Critics Award for Best Film 1976  Mrigayaa Best Screenplay 1984  Khandhar

46. International awards Moscow International Film Festival  - Silver Prize 1975  Chorus 1979  Parashuram Karlovy Vary International Film Festival  - Special Jury Prize 1977  Oka Oori Katha Berlin International Film Festival Interfilm Award 1979  Parashuram 1981  Akaler Sandhane Grand Jury Prize 1981   Akaler Sandhane

47. Cannes Film Festival  -  Jury Prize 1983  Kharij Valladolid International Film Festival  -  Golden Spike 1983  Kharij Chicago International Film Festival  - Gold Hugo 1984  Khandhar Montreal World Film Festival  - Special Prize of the Jury 1984  Khandhar Venice Film Festival  - Honorable Mention 1989  Ek Din Achanak Cairo International Film Festival  - Silver Pyramid for Best Director 2002  Aamaar Bhuvan

48. State honours In 1981, the  Government of India  awarded Padma Bhushan . In 1985, President  François Mitterrand , the  President of France  awarded him the Commandeur de  Ordre des Arts et des Lettres  (Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters ). In 2005, the  Dadasaheb Phalke Award , the highest honor given to an Indian filmmaker awarded by the  Government of India . He was made an Honorary Member of the  Indian Parliament  from 1998 to 2003. In 2000, President  Vladimir Putin  of the  Russian federation  honored him with the  Order of Friendship .

49. Ritwik Ghatak Ritwik (Kumar) Ghatak   (4 November 1925 – 6 February 1976) Bengali  Indian filmmaker and  script writer.

50. Creative Career In 1948, Ghatak wrote his first play  Kalo sayar  (The Dark Lake), and participated in a revival of the landmark play  Nabanna . In 1951, Ghatak joined the Indian People's Theatre Association (  IPTA  ). In 1957, he wrote and directed his last play  Jwala  (The Burning ). Ghatak entered the film industry with Nemai Ghosh's   Chinnamul  (1950) as actor and assistant director. Ghatak's first commercial release was  Ajantrik  (1958), a  comedy-drama  film with  science fiction  themes.

51. Ghatak's greatest commercial success as a script writer was for  Madhumati  (1958 ). Ritwik Ghatak directed eight full-length films. His best-known films,  Meghe Dhaka Tara  ( The Cloud-Capped Star ) (1960),  Komal Gandhar  ( E-Flat ) (1961), and  Subarnarekha  ( Golden Lining ) (1962 ). Ghatak moved briefly to  Pune  in 1966, where he taught at the  Film and Television Institute of India  (FTII). During his year at FTII, he was involved in the making of two student films, viz.,  Fear  and Rendezvous .

52. Making films became difficult because of his poor health due to extreme alcoholism and consequent diseases. His last film was the autobiographical  Jukti Takko Aar Gappo  ( Reason, Debate And Story ) (1974). IMPACT AND INFLUENCE At the time of his death (February 1976), Ghatak's primary impact would seem to have been through former students. Though his stint teaching film at FTII was brief, one-time students  Mani Kaul ,  John Abraham , and especially  Kumar Shahani  (among many others), carried Ghatak's ideas and theories, which were further elaborated upon in his book  Cinema And I , into the mainstream of  Indian art film .

53. Work Director and screenwrite r Nagarik  ( The Citizen ) (1952) Ajantrik  ( The Unmechanical ,  The Pathetic Fallacy ) (1958) Bari Theke Paliye  ( The Runaway ) (1958) Meghe Dhaka Tara  ( The Cloud-Capped Star ) (1960) Kamol Gandhar  ( E-Flat ) (1961) Subarnarekha  (1962/1965) Titash Ekti Nadir Naam  ( A River Called Titash ) (1973) Jukti Takko Aar Gappo  ( Reason, Debate and a Story ) (1974)

54. Screenwriter Musafir  (1957) Madhumati  (1958) Swaralipi  (1960) Kumari Mon  (1962) Deeper Nam Tiya Rong  (1963) Rajkanya  (1965) Actor Tothapi  (1950) Chinnamul  (1951) Kumari Mon  (1962) Subarnarekha  (1962) Titas Ekti Nadir Nam  (1973) Jukti , Takko , aar Gappo  (1974)

55. Short films and documentaries The Life of the Adivasis  (1955) Places of Historic Interest in Bihar  (1955) Scissors  (1962) Fear  (1965) Rendezvous  (1965) Civil Defence  (1965) Scientists of Tomorrow  (1967) Yeh Kyon  ( Why / The Question ) (1970) Amar Lenin  ( My Lenin ) (1970) Puruliar Chhau  ( The Chhau Dance of Purulia ) (1970) Durbar Gati Padma  ( The Turbulent Padma ) (1971)

56. G. Aravindan Govindan Aravindan   born 21 January 1935 in  Kottayam  — died 15 March 1991 in  Trivandrum ) P opularly known as  G. Aravindan  was a  national award  winning film director, screenwriter, musician and cartoonist from  Kerala .

57. Biography G. Aravindan was the son of famous comedy writer M. N. Govindan Nair. Started his professional life in as a cartoonist in   Mathrubhumi   journal. He established himself in early 1960s with his cartoon series  Cheriya Manushyarum Valiya Lokavum . (Char. Ramu & Guruji ). He has also worked in other journals as cartoonist. Aravindan diverted his attention to theatre and music. He played a major role in establishing theatre and music clubs namely  Navarangam  and  Sopanam . Several plays like  Kaali   and  Avanavan Kadamba were created when Aravindan got associated with artist Devan , playwright Thikkodiyan and writer Pattathuvila Karunakaran.

58. Works The first film directed by Aravindan,  Uttarayanam (1974 ), produced by Karunakaran and the story was written by  Thikkodiyan . Aravindan's second film  Kanchana Sita  was released three years later in 1977. The film was retake on the  Ramayana . Aravindan's next film  Thampu (1978) dealt with realism and told the story of suffering in a circus troupe. His 1979 films Kummatty  and  Esthappan  were also ran through different streams. His next film  Pokkuveyil (1981) starred poet  Balachandran Chullikkad .

59. works In 1985 film  Chidambaram  was produced by Aravindan himself under the banner  Suryakanthi . In 1986  Oridathu  came which handled the problems faced by the people of a hamlet where electricity in unavailable, when electric supply finally reaches there. In this period Aravindan also did a number of documentaries and short films. Aravindan's final project  Vasthuhara ( 1991) about refugees in Bengal  was based on C. V. Sreereman's short story in the same name. The film had  Mohanlal  and  Neena Gupta  in major roles. Even before the release of  Vasthuhara , Aravindan died on 15 March 1991.

60. Awards National Film Awards 1974: Award for the Best Feature Film on the 25th Anniversary of India's Independence -  Uttarayanam 1974: Best Feature Film in Malayalam -  Uttarayanam 1978: Best Direction -  Kanchana Sita 1979: Best Direction -  Thampu 1986: Best Film -  Chidambaram 1987: Best Direction -  Oridathu 1991: Best Feature Film in Malayalam -   Vasthuhara

61. Kerala State Film Awards 1974:  Best Film,  Best Director, Best Screenplay  -  Uttarayanam 1978:  Second Best Film, Best Director  -  Thampu 1979:  Best Film,  Best Director  -  Esthappan 1979:  Best Children's Film  -  Kummatty 1981:  Best Director -   Pokkuveyil 1985:  Best Film , Best Director  -  Chidambaram 1985:  Best Documentary  -  The Brown Landscape 1986:  Best Film,  Best Director  -  Oridathu 1986:  Best Documentary  -  The Catch 1988:  Best Music Director  -  Ore Thooval Pakshikal 1990:  Best Film , Best Director -  Vasthuhara

62. Adoor Gopalakrishnan Moutatthu "Adoor" Gopalakrishnan Unnithan   is an Indian  film director ,  script writer , and  producer . (born 3 July 1941)

63. BIOGRAPHY At the age of 8 he started his artistic life as an actor in amateur plays. Later he shifted his base to writing and direction and wrote and directed a few plays . H e worked as a Government officer near   Dindigul  in  Tamilnadu  . In 1962, he left his job to study screenwriting and direction from the  Pune Film Institute .

64. Works With his classmates and friends, Adoor established  Chithralekha Film Society and Chalachithra Sahakarana Sangham . The organization was the first film society in Kerala and it aimed at production, distribution and exhibition of films in the co-operative sector . Adoor has scripted and directed 11 feature films and 30 short films and documentaries . Adoor's national award winning film   Swayamvaram (1972 ) (Malayalam). The films that followed namely  Kodiyettam ,  Elippathayam , Mukhamukham, Anantharam, Mathilukal, Vidheyan &  Kathapurushan   fetched him many awards .

65. Works Adoor's later films are  Nizhalkuthu and   Naalu Pennungal , a film adaptation of 4 short stories by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai . Adoor’s third feature,  Elippathayam  won him the coveted British Film Institute Award for 'the most original and imaginative film' of 1982 . The International Film Critics Prize (FIPRESCI) has gone to him six times successively for   Mukhamukham,   Anantaram ,  Mathilukal,  Vidheyan,  Kathapurushan  and  Nizhalkkuthu . The nation honoured him with the title of  Padma Shri (India's fourth highest civilian award) in 1984 and  Padma Vibhushan (India's second highest civilian award) in 2006 .

66.   Mani Ratnam Mani Ratnam   is an   Indian   filmmaker ,  screenwriter   and   producer . Born on 2 June 1956. Actual Name: Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam Iyer

67. Directing landmark films such as  MounaRaagam  (1986 ), Nayagan  (1987),  Anjali  (1990),  Thalapathi  (1991),  Iruvar  (1997),  Alaipayuthey  (2000 ),   KannathilMuthamittal  (2002),  Yuva  (2004),  Guru  (2007 ). His terrorism trilogy   consisting of   Roja  (1992),  Bombay  (1995) and  Dil Se  (1998 ). He went on to become one of the leading directors in Indian Cinema. His films  Nayagan  (1987) and  Anjali  (1990) were submitted by India in contest for the  Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film . He made his directorial debut with the Kannada film  PallaviAnuPallavi   starring   Anil Kapoor  in 1983 .

68. Career He worked as a management consultant before becoming a filmmaker. He got into  film direction  with the help of his late brother, film producer  G. Venkateswaran . Ratnam is particularly known for his eye for technical detail in the art of film making. Several international papers and books have been published on his critically acclaimed movies.

69. 1980s Mani Ratnam's directorial debut was in 1983, through the  Kannada  film  Pallavi Anu Pallavi . Mani Ratnam managed to persuade acclaimed director and cinematographer  Balu Mahendra  to serve as his cinematographer . His following efforts were the  Malayalam  film  Unaru  (1984), and then two  Tamil  films,  Pagal Nilavu  and  Idaya Kovil .   In 1986, Mani finally attained commercial success in Tamil Nadu through the Tamil language romantic drama  Mouna Ragam  with  Revathi  and  Mohan . Mani's status was elevated further a year later writing  Nayagan , directing the versatile Tamil actor  Kamal Hassan  for the film, which went on to become a legendary success in the industry. This Film was included in  TIME Magazine 's   All-Time 100 Greatest Movies .   The story was inspired by the real life story of underworld king  Varadarajan Mudaliar .

70. Late 1980s and 1990s Ratnam wrote and directed  Agni Natchathiram . The film was notable for use of new techniques in terms of camera framework, especially during the shoot of songs in the film. The film had a successful run in the box office. Mani opted to do his next project in  Telugu , and it was titled  Geethanjali . Ratnam maintained a momentum of making emotional stories of undeserved people through the  Raghuvaran  starring Chennai release  Anjali  in 1990. The film told the story of an autistic child and how she changed the lives of people in colony. Mani later made another underworld-themed Tamil film with  Thalapathi  in 1991 starring  Rajnikanth  and  Mammooty .   Thalapathi  earned both critical acclaim and commercial success upon release.  Roja , a romantic film, tackled themes of terrorism in the regions of Kashmir – starring  Arvind Swamy  and  Madhoo  – was released in 1992 and nominated for the Golden St. George Award at the  Moscow International Film Festival .

71. Mani then took a more light-hearted approach with his next film –  Thiruda Thiruda . Scripted by  Ram Gopal Varma . In 1994, a retrospective of his Tamil films was shown at the  Toronto International Film Festival . Ratnam again teamed up with  Ram Gopal Varma  to provide the screenplay for the latter's Telugu film  Gaayam . In 1995, Ratnam returned to Tamil language drama.  Bombay  starring  Arvind Swamy  and  Manisha Koirala  told the story of a  Hindu - Muslim  couple in the midst of the 1993 religious  Bombay riots  and bombings . Bombay  was financially very successful and well appreciated by the critics. It won the  Special Award from the Political Film Society , the Wim Van Leer In Spirit of Freedom Award at the  Jerusalem International Film Festival  and the Gala Award at the  Edinburgh International Film Festival . Then came his third part of "Terrorism Trilogy" in 1998 named  Dil Se  starring Superstar  Shahrukh Khan  and another movie collaboration with  Manisha Koirala  after  Bombay . The album was again composed by  A R Rahman and gave his next  Filmfare Award  for best Music Direction in 1999. This album also marked the beginning of a famed collaboration between playback singer Lata Mangeshkar and Rahman.

72. 2000–present Ratnam's following effort,  Kannathil Muthamittal . The film was a critically lauded commercial success, winning six  National Film Awards , Filmfare Award South  for directing, In Spirit for Freedom Award at the  Jerusalem Film Festival  and an award at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles . In 2004, Mani made his second Hindi language effort with  Yuva .   Ratnam also made the film simultaneously in Tamil as  Aayutha Ezhuthu , starring  Surya Sivakumar ,  R.Madhavan  and Siddharth  replacing  Ajay Devgan ,  Abhishek Bachchan  and  Vivek Oberoi  respectively. Ratnam also had his first heart attack during shooting for  Yuva . In 2007, Ratnam direct the  Madras Talkies  production  Guru  starring  Abhishek Bachchan . It became one of 2007's biggest hits. In 2010 Ratnam worked on a big-budget bilingual being made in Tamil and Hindi. The films are titled  Raavanan  in Tamil and  Raavan  in Hindi. The Tamil version was dubbed into Telugu as Villain. The film released worldwide on June 18, 2010. Mani Ratnam received the  Glory to the Filmmaker!  Award at the 67th  Venice Film Festival  on September 6, 2010. The ceremony was followed by a screening of  Raavanan  in Tamil.

73. Film-making style : Mani Ratnam often makes movies inspired by real-life events & famous epics. Awards & Honors Mani Ratnam has won several  National Film Awards ,  Filmfare Awards  and International film awards. Geethanjali  won the  National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment .   Mouna Raagam ,  Anjali  and  Kannathil Muthamittal  have won the  National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil .  Roja  and  Bombay  have won the  Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration . Bombay ,  Iruvar  and  Kannathil Muthamittal  have won International film awards and screened at various film festivals. In 2010, he was honoured with   Jaeger- Lecoultre Glory To The Filmmaker at 67th Venice International Film Festival.

74. Girish Kasaravalli Girish Kasaravalli  (born 1950) noted  film director , and one of the pioneers of the  Parallel Cinema  in  Kannada  cinema. He’s a Film Director, producer and script writer.

75. Girish Kasaravalli graduated from  FTII   Pune  in 1975, with a specialization in 'film direction'. He was inspired by Kurosawa, Ray, Ozu , Fellini and Antonioni filmmakers , especially  Ozu . While in his final year, he was chosen to be the Assistant Director for Sri. B. V. Karanth  for the film  Chomana Dudi . He passed out of the  FTII  with a gold medal to his credit. His first film as an independent director, was  Ghatashraddha  in 1977, which won him the  Golden lotus , and also won a few international awards. Career

76. He won his second  Golden Lotus  for  Tabarana Kathe  in 1987. Considered as one of the best edited films in India. In 1997, he came up with ,  Thaayi Saheba  which won him his third  Golden Lotus  award.  Thaayi Saheba  is considered to be the most mature work of the director . He repeated his success with  Dweepa  in 2002 starring late actress  Soundarya . This film won his fourth  Golden Lotus  award. Dweepa  was different from his earlier films. The International Film Festival of Rotterdam held a retrospective of Girish Kasaravalli's films in 2003.

77. National Film Awards Best Film 1977: Ghatashraddha 1986:  Tabarana Kathe 1997:  Thaayi Saheba 2001:  Dweepa Best Film on Family Welfare 2005:  Hasina Best Feature Film in Kannada 1989:  Bannada Vesha 2009: Gulabi Talkies South Asian Cinema Foundation's 'Excellence in Cinema' Crystal Globe Award 2009 Awards

78. Ghatashraddha  (The Ritual) 1977 Won the Presidents Golden Lotus for the Best Indian Film of the year 1977-78 Won the Best Music Award for  B.V. Karanth Akramana (The Siege) 1979 Movie won the "MOITRA AWARD" at the Asian Film Festival at  Jakarta ,  Indonesia Vaishali Kasaravalli  won the Best Actress Award at the State Film Awards . Mooru Dhaarigalu (Three Path Ways) 1981 : [5] Won the Best Cinematograpghy award at the National Film festival . Dweepa  (The Island) 2002 The film won the Presidents Golden-Lotus ( Swarna Kamala) award for the Best Movie of the Nation for the year. H. Ramachandra won the best Cinmematographer .

79. Shekhar Kapur Shekhar Kapur , ( born 6 December 1945) is an  Indian  film director and producer

80. Film career Kapur started his career working with a multinational oil company. He moved to  Great Britain  in 1970, and worked as an accountant and  management consultant . He started his career as an actor in the movie  Jaan Hazir Hai  (1975 )  and later in  Toote Khilone  in  Bollywood. He also appeared in several Hindi TV serials, like  Udaan  opposite  Kavita Chaudhary , and films, but failed to flourish as an actor . He turned director with  Masoom (1983 ). He then directed the 1987  science-fiction  film  Mr. India  which was one of the most successful films of the 1980s.

81. In 1994 he directed the critically acclaimed  Bandit Queen  and also played a cameo in the film as a truck driver. Kapur was also partly involved in the production of several Bollywood films. He partly directed the movie  Joshilay  (1989). In 1992 he direct another science-fiction film titled  Time Machine . Halfway through production, financial problems forced the film to be abandoned. He partly directed  Dushmani , starring  Sunny Deol , Jackie Shroff  and  Manisha Koirala . In 1998, he received international recognition for directing the  Academy Award-winning period film   Elizabeth . A fictional account of the reign of  Queen Elizabeth , the movie was nominated for 7 Oscars.

82. The 2007 sequel,  Elizabeth: The Golden Age , was nominated for 2 Oscars. He was accused of being anti-British by British tabloids for his portrayal of the British Army and the Empire in the 2002 movie  The Four Feathers . Kapur was the executive producer of the film  The Guru . He also established an Indian film company with  Ram Gopal Verma  and  Mani Ratnam , though the group has thus far produced only one film,  Dil Se   (1998). In 2005, Kapur worked with  Okan Quail  on  Hunji ! , a story of a young Indian maid who idolised Sachin Tendulkar. In 2006, Kapur formed  Virgin Comics  and Virgin Animation, an entertainment company focused on creating new stories and characters for a global audience .

83. Awards Padma Shri  in 2000 Bollywood Mantra  in 2005 In an unusual role, Kapur provided the voice of  Mahatma Gandhi  in the  Charkha  Audio books title of  The Story of My Experiments with Truth , alongside  Nandita Das  as narrator. He served as judge on a reality TV series,  India's Got Talent , aired on  Colors . He was a member of the jury at the  2010 Cannes Film Festival  in May 2010.

84. Mira Nair Mira Nair  (born October 15, 1957) is an  Indian   film director  and  producer .   Her production company is  Mirabai Films .

85. Career At the beginning of her career as a film artist, Nair directed four television  documentaries .  India Cabaret , a film about the lives of strippers in a Bombay nightclub, won the Blue Ribbon award at the 1986 American Film Festival.  Salaam Bombay!  (1988), with a screenplay by  Sooni Taraporevala , was nominated for an  Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film  and won many other awards. It is today considered a groundbreaking film classic, and is standard fare for film students. The 1991 film  Mississippi Masala  starred  Denzel Washington  and  Sarita Choudhury , and profiled a family of displaced  Ugandan -Indians living and working in  Mississippi . The screenplay was again by Sooni Taraporevala , and produced by  Michael Nozik .

86. In 1995 her  film adaption  of the book  The Perez Family , by Christine Bell, was released. The film starred  Marisa Tomei ,  Alfred Molina , and  Angelica Huston , and was again produced by  Michael Nozik . In 1998 she made  My Own Country  starring  Naveen Andrews . It was produced for  HBO Films  and adapted from the  memoir  by  Abraham Verghese  by  Sooni Taraporevala . In 2001 she released  Monsoon Wedding  (2001), a film about a chaotic  Punjabi  Indian wedding with a screenplay by  Sabrina Dhawan . It was awarded the  Golden Lion award  at the  Venice Film Festival , making Nair the first female recipient of the award.  After the success of  Monsoon Wedding  Nair collaborated with writer  Julian Fellowes  on her 2004  adaptation  of  Thackeray 's novel   Vanity Fair  starring Reese Witherspoon .

87. Deepa Mehta Deepa Mehta , ( born 1 January 1950 in  Amritsar ,  Punjab ,  India )  is a  Genie Award -winning and  Academy Award -nominated  Indian -born  Canadian  film director and screenwriter

88. Career Mehta started making short documentaries in India, and in time she met Canadian documentarian  Paul Saltzman , who was in India making a film, whom she was to later marry and migrating with to  Canada  in 1973. Once in Canada, she embarked on her film career as a screenwriter for children's films, she also made a few documentaries including , At 99: A Portrait of Louise Tandy Murch  (1975 ).   In 1991 she made her feature-film directorial debut with  Sam & Me  (starring  Om Puri ), a story of the relationship between a young  Indian  boy and an elderly  Jewish gentleman in the  Toronto   neighbourhood of  Parkdale . It won  Honorable Mention  in the  Camera d'Or  category of the 1991  Cannes Film Festival .

89. Mehta followed up with  Camilla  starring  Bridget Fonda  and Jessica Tandy  in 1994. In 2002, she directed  Bollywood/Hollywood , for which she won the  Genie Award for Best Original Screenplay . Mehta directed two episodes of  George Lucas ' television series  The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles . The first episode, "Benares, January 1910", aired in 1993. The second episode was aired in 1996 as part of a TV movie titled  Young Indiana Jones: Travels with Father . Mehta also directed several English-language films set in Canada, including  The Republic of Love  (2003) and  Heaven on Earth (2008) which deals with domestic violence and has  Preity Zinta  playing the female lead. The film premiered at the 2008  Toronto International Film Festival .

90. Elements trilogy Mehta is best known for her  Elements Trilogy ,  Fire  (1996),  Earth  (1998) (released in India as  1947: Earth ), and  Water  (2005), which won her much critical acclaim .   Some notable actors that have worked in this trilogy are  Aamir Khan ,  Seema Biswas ,  Shabana Azmi ,  Kulbhushan Kharbanda ,  John Abraham ,  Rahul Khanna ,  Lisa Ray , and  Nandita Das . These films are also notable for Mehta's collaborative work with author  Bapsi Sidhwa . Sidhwa's novel  Cracking India , is the basis for Mehta's 1998 film,  Earth . Mehta's film,  Water ,  was later published by Sidhwa as the 2006 novel,  Water: A Novel . All three films have soundtracks composed by  A. R. Rahman .

91. Filmography Sam and Me  (1991) Camilla  (1994) Fire  (1996) Earth  (1998) Bollywood/Hollywood  (2002) The Republic of Love  (2003) Water  (2005) Heaven on Earth  (2008) Cooking with Stella  (2008) (co-director) Midnight's Children (upcoming film)  (2012 )  - based on the novel by  Salman Rushdie Komagata Maru  (TBA) based on  Komagata Maru incident Awards : Doctor of Laws ,  University of Victoria , 2009

92. Nagesh Kukunoor Nagesh Kukunoor  (born 30 March 1967) is an   Indian filmmaker  and  screenwriter and also Actor.

93. Movie career He invested the money he made from his engineering career in  USA  in producing the movie  Hyderabad Blues . The script that he wrote in Atlanta dealing with Indians returning home from the United States of America. He directed and acted in the movie. It was a budget of Rs.  17  lakhs (1.7 million, roughly equivalent to  U.S. $ 40,000 /-) and shot in 17 days. It was perceived by Sanjay Arora , an independent film maker, to be realistic and among one of the first movies to use  Hyderabadi Urdu  correctly .   It became the most successful  independent film  in India. The film was featured at Peachtree International Film Festival in  Atlanta  and  Rhode Island International Film Festival. 

94. Later Movies 3 Deewarein  which was based on  Shawshank Redemption(2003) was premiered at the  Kolkata Film Festival. His film  Iqbal (film), (2005) which was brilliantly written by  Vipul K Rawal  featuring  Shreyas Talpade   and  Naseeruddin Shahwon  a lot of critical acclaim for both for the simple yet heart rendering script and the acting by all actors. 8x10 Tasveer  (2009), features  Akshay Kumar  in the lead role and  Ayesha Takia  as the female His latest movie,  Aashayein , was released in 2010 but sank without a trace at the box office mainly due to the lack of a good story. It has received mixed reviews .   His current project  Mod  too is in trouble because it is a straight remake of a taiwanese film and has no good story worth telling .

95. Awards National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues  -  Iqbal  - 2006 Filmfare Award for Best Story  -  3 Deewarein  - 2004 Teacher's Achievement Award for Creative and Performing Arts - 2002 Audience Award for best film at the Peachtree International Film Festival in  Atlanta, Georgia  -  Hyderabad Blues  - 1999 Audience Award for best film at the Rhode Island International Film Festival -  Hyderabad Blues  - 1999

96. THE END