Out of the Box Directors

Shyam Benegal

Parallel cinema in Bollywood gains its origin from the Bengali film industry and so does film-maker and screenwriter, Shyam Benegal. He has brought to life a few stories that have redefined the basic identity of cinema. A few of his notable works consist of Ankur (1973), Nishant (1976), Bhumika (1977), Junoon (1979), Nehru (1984), The Making of the Mahatma (1996), Zubeidaa (2001) and Well Done Abba (2009). Not only a Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan Awardee, Benegal has also swept away the highest award for Indian cinema, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in the year 2005. The man is nothing less than a legend who shall have his name written in gold in the history of Indian cinema.

The Indo-Canadian film director Deepa Mehta has been a force to reckon with in the industry. She has attributed to the cinematic industry movies such as the Elements trilogy, Fire (1996), Earth (1998) and Water (2005), Bollywood Hollywood (2002), The Forgotten Woman (2008), Midnight's Children (2012) and Exclusion (2014). The Elements trilogy was critically acclaimed worldwide, and lauded by all and sundry. Apart from the Member of the Order of the Ontario Award and the Officer of the Order of Canada Award, Mehta has been the recipient of Canada's highest honour in the performing arts, the Governor General's Performing Arts Award. Mehta has added a number of achievements to the credit of women's contribution to the film industry.

Indian film-director, Ketan Mehta is a name than needs no introduction. He has to his credit various feature films, documentaries and television serials - Captain Vyom and Mr. Yogi. He has worked upon a diverse range of genres, including comedy, satire, romance, violence and rebellion. Mehta has directed various films including Bhavni Bhavai (1980), Holi (1984), Hero Hiralal (1988), Mirch Masala (1985), Maya Memsaab (1992), Sardar (1993), Oh Darling! YeH Hai India (1995), Mangal Pandey: The Rising (2005) and Rang Rasiya (2005). He has been awarded with the National Film Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration two times, the Order Des Arts Et Des Lettres by the French Government and the Filmfare Award for the Best Documentary in 1993. He brought immense pride to India when he received a lifetime membership to the International Film and Television Club of Asian Academy of Film and Television by Sandeep Marwah.

Indian director, producer, screenwriter and actor, Nagesh Kukunoor forayed into making art films at a very early age. He started his career by directing the short film One Culture at a Time (1995), but he gained worldwide appreciation with Hyderabad Blues (1998), a movie that was both, a commercial and a critical success. Thereafter, there was no looking back. Rockford (1999), Bollywood Calling (2001), Hyderabad Blues 2 (2004), Iqbal (2005), Dor (2006), Aashayein (2010) and Mod (2011) are among his notable works. Iqbal was a cult film that set Indian cinema's holding in an altogether new dimension. Kukunoor has a list of accolades like the National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues, Audience Award for Best Film at the International Film Festival in Atlanta and Rhode Island, The Grand Prix, Generation Kplus International Jury for the Best Feature-length Film at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival and the Filmfare Award for Best Story.

Anurag Kashyap is an Indian director, screenwriter and producer who has made it big due to his forte in realistic movies. After working for a few newspapers and television serials, Kashyap forayed into Bollywood by co-writing Ram Gopal Varma's crime drama Satya (1998). He has proven his mettle with movies like Paanch (2003), Black Friday (2007), Dev D (2009), Gulaal (2009), That Girl in Yellow Boots (2011), Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 1 (2012) and Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 2 (2012). His work on Gangs of Wasseypur was applauded heartily by everyone and managed to set a new benchmark for film-makers. The trailer of his next directorial venture Bombay Velvet has created a lot of buzz, as the film is being awaited with great excitement.

The youngest among the batch of the experienced veterans is director, editor, writer and producer, Onir. After working as an assistant to Kalpana Lajmi in 2001, he moved on to make his directorial debut My Brother Nikhil (2005) that talked about a sensitive issue such as AIDS. The movie received critical appreciation at a large scale and Onir went on to give movies like Bas Ek Pal (2006), Sorry Bhai! (2008) and I Am (2011). His movies have been acclaimed at various International festivals, and he is slated to do bigger things at the directorial front.

 

Writer: Pooja B.

Editors: Nisha M. and Sonia R. 

Graphics: Shikha A.