Taking a look at some of the most interesting filmmakers who dared to make their debut in regional cinema
Indian cinema is not confined to Hindi cinema (or Bollywood,). And given the successful run -- with experimentations galore -- regional cinema is having as of now is a testament in itself. Several young and not-so-young filmmakers, with younger ideas, are at work and driven enough to prove themselves different from the crowd. Here’s taking a peek at a few of them...
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Umesh Kulkarni
Notables: Deool (Marathi) (2011)
About: An active ingredient of the ongoing New Wave in Marathi cinema, Umesh has been part of celebrated Marathi films like Valu (2008), Vihir (2009) and Pune-52 (2013). The writer, director and producer is currently in the pre-production stage of his next titled Highway which is a multi-lingual project.Shakti Shetty
Gyan Correa
Notables: The Good Road (Gujrati) (2013)
About: Since an ad filmmaker turning to mainstream cinema is considered to be a natural progression, Gyan made the most of it. Moreover, being a Goan who doesn’t speak Gujarati didn’t stop him from making his directorial debut with a film which is India’s official entry to Oscars in the Foreign Language category
Ravi Jadhav
Notables: Balak Palak (Marathi) (2012)
About: Seldom does one hear of a make-up artist moving towards behind the camera. And Ravi did so in style. Natarang (2010), with its riveting storyline, not only gained applause but also moolah. The director repeated his success saga again with Balak Palak.
Anik Dutta
Notables: Bhooter Bhabishyat (Bengali) (2012)
About: With his directorial debut being one of the most successful Bengali films in recent memory, Anik made a grand entry. The film is being remade in Hindi as Gang of Ghosts by Satish Kaushik. Anik later directed Aschorjo Prodip (2013) with Saswata Chatterjee (of the Kahaani fame) in lead.
Rajeev Ravi
Notables: Annayum Rasoolum (2013)
About: He’s currently shooting Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet and has cinematographer’s credit for films like Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), Gulaal (2009) and Dev.D (2008). And this year, he happened to make his directorial debut with one of the most beautifully shot Malayalam films of the present century.
Q
Notables: Tasher Desh (Bengali) (2013)
About: Having your very first film banned by the Censor may not sound like a compliment but in Q’s case, it turned out to be so. After all, Gandu (2010) — despite its explicit content -- was appreciated across the globe. The Bengali director subdued a bit in his second offering by presenting a modern outlook on Tagore.
A Sarkunam
Notables: Vaagai Sooda Vaa (Tamil) (2011)
About: Sarkunam made his directorial debut with Kalavani, a romcom that garnered positive critical response and went on to become a sleeper hit. His second film did the same. In fact, it even earned the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. His third offering, Naiyaandi, had Dhanush playing the lead role.
Gurvinder Singh
Notables: Anhe Ghore Da Daan (Punjabi) (2012)
About: Just when you thought that Punjabi cinema is unabashedly losing itself to over-the-top Bollywoodish films, Gurvinder came along with his resilient take on feudal India. His directorial debut not only won a National Award but also received a commercial release in several cities.
Aashiq Abu
Notables: 22 Female Kottayam (Malayalam) (2012)
About: Even though veteran filmmakers in Kerala often pinpoint that the current New Wave directors are simply aping the West in terms of technicalities, Aashiq seems to be a rarity. Confronting bold topics with a subtle narrative in tow, the Malayalam filmmaker has churned out six films in the last five years.
Aamir Bashir
Notables: Harud (Urdu) (2010)
About: As of now, this Mumbai-based actor-turned-director is one of the very few filmmakers at work from Jammu & Kashmir. However, he chose to make his directorial debut in Urdu, with the film set entirely in the northern state. Aamir is currently working on his next titled Winter, set in Kashmir, again.
Pawan Kumar
Notables: Lucia (Kannada) (2013)
About: Although the Kannada romcom Lifeu Ishtene (2011) marked his directorial debut, Pawan earned acclaim as well as attention with his psychological thriller. It’s the first crowdsourced feature film ever made in Karnataka. Lucia was also part of the 22 films shortlisted for Oscars.
Where are they?
Some filmmakers from vernacular space who captured our imagination with their work and then oddly enough, altogether disappeared from the scene…
>> Sandeep Sawant is said to have boosted Marathi cinema with his directorial debut Shwaas (2003) but the talented filmmaker hasn’t made a film since.
>> Harishchandrachi Factory was India’s official entry to Oscars but its director Paresh Mokashi hasn’t helmed a film in four years now.
>> As a director, M Sasikumar made a huge entry with Subramaniapuram (2008) and then Easan (2010). Looks like the Tamil filmmaker-actor is busy acting in films nowadays.u00a0
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