Nagesh Kukunoor
Encyclopedia
Nagesh Kukunoor is an Indian
filmmaker and screenwriter
. He is known for movies such as Hyderabad Blues
(1998), Rockford (1999), 3 Deewarein
(2003) and Iqbal (2005).
, Hindi, and English films in the theatres of his neighbourhood, Narayanguda
. He then did his intermediate from Little Flower Junior College, Hyderabad and went ahead to do Chemical Engineering at Osmania University
in Hyderabad, and graduated with a Bachelor's degree. He moved to Atlanta, Georgia in the United States in 1988, and completed his Master's degree in Chemical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology
. He studied Acting & direction at the Warehouse Actor's Theater in Atlanta.
. It is based on a 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 lakh
s (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.
which was based on Shawshank Redemption(2003) was premiered at the Kolkata Film Festival
. In contrast to his earlier work, it had a budget of and featured established actors including Naseeruddin Shah
, Juhi Chawla
and Jackie Shroff
.
His film Iqbal (film), 2005 which was brilliantly written by Vipul K Rawal
featuring Shreyas Talpade
and Naseeruddin Shah
won a lot of critical acclaim for both for the simple yet heart rendering script and the acting by all actors. It was after this film he was started to be taken a little seriously as a film maker.
8x10 Tasveer (2009), features Akshay Kumar
in the lead role and Ayesha Takia
as the female lead it is a thriller with a touch of Hollywood style cinematography, but fared poorly at the box office. It is considered to be Nagesh's most self reflective work to date. "I like to cast characters who are close to me. And this one gets as close to me as possible. I was once an environmental consultant. Akshay plays the part of an environment protection officer," Kukunoor said in an April 2009 interview.
His latest movie Mod
sank without a trace at the box office.
Demographics of India
The demographics of India are inclusive of the second most populous country in the world, with over 1.21 billion people , more than a sixth of the world's population. Already containing 17.5% of the world's population, India is projected to be the world's most populous country by 2025, surpassing...
filmmaker and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. He is known for movies such as Hyderabad Blues
Hyderabad Blues
Hyderabad Blues is a Bollywood movie directed by Nagesh Kukunoor. The film is about a NRI vacationing back home in Hyderabad, India and finding himself a foreigner in his own land.-Plot:...
(1998), Rockford (1999), 3 Deewarein
3 Deewarein
3 Deewarein is a 2003 Hindi film written, directed and co-starred by Nagesh Kukunoor. Jackie Shroff, Juhi Chawla, Naseeruddin Shah and Gulshan Grover form the rest of the cast. The film narrates the story of three prisoners and a documentary filmmaker who, while filming their reformation story in...
(2003) and Iqbal (2005).
Early life
Nagesh Kukunoor was born to Kusuma Sudershan and KS Naidu in Hyderabad. As a kid he loved watching TeluguTelugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
, Hindi, and English films in the theatres of his neighbourhood, Narayanguda
Narayanguda
Naryanguda is a major suburb in Hyderabad, India.There is a YMCA located here and is quite popular for its cultural events and basketball court. There is also a famous church and a major Police station in this locality.-Commercial area:...
. He then did his intermediate from Little Flower Junior College, Hyderabad and went ahead to do Chemical Engineering at Osmania University
Osmania University
Osmania University , , since 1918, is a public university located in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established and named after the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan. It is one of the oldest modern universities in India. It is the first Indian University to have Urdu and...
in Hyderabad, and graduated with a Bachelor's degree. He moved to Atlanta, Georgia in the United States in 1988, and completed his Master's degree in Chemical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
. He studied Acting & direction at the Warehouse Actor's Theater in Atlanta.
Movie career
He invested the money he made from his engineering career in USA in producing the movie Hyderabad BluesHyderabad Blues
Hyderabad Blues is a Bollywood movie directed by Nagesh Kukunoor. The film is about a NRI vacationing back home in Hyderabad, India and finding himself a foreigner in his own land.-Plot:...
. It is based on a 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.
Rupee
The rupee is the common name for the monetary unit of account in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives, and formerly in Burma, and Afghanistan. Historically, the first currency called "rupee" was introduced in the 16th century...
17 lakh
Lakh
A lakh is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand . It is widely used both in official and other contexts in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and is often used in Indian English.-Usage:...
s (1.7 million
Million
One million or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian millione , from mille, "thousand", plus the augmentative suffix -one.In scientific notation, it is written as or just 106...
, 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
Hyderabadi Urdu
Hyderabadi Urdu is a dialect of Urdu spoken in the Indian region of Hyderabad State and its diaspora. It is also known as Deccani Urdu from its former name Hyderabad Deccan...
correctly. It became the most successful independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
in India.The film was featured at Peachtree International Film Festival in Atlanta and Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
International Film Festival.
Later movies
3 Deewarein3 Deewarein
3 Deewarein is a 2003 Hindi film written, directed and co-starred by Nagesh Kukunoor. Jackie Shroff, Juhi Chawla, Naseeruddin Shah and Gulshan Grover form the rest of the cast. The film narrates the story of three prisoners and a documentary filmmaker who, while filming their reformation story in...
which was based on Shawshank Redemption(2003) was premiered at the Kolkata Film Festival
Kolkata Film Festival
The Kolkata Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Kolkata, India, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1995, it is second oldest international film festival in India. The festival is organized by West Bengal Film Centre under...
. In contrast to his earlier work, it had a budget of and featured established actors including Naseeruddin Shah
Naseeruddin Shah
Naseeruddin Shah is an Indian / Bollywood film actor and director. He is considered to be one of the finest actors of Indian cinema. In 2003, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Bhushan for his contributions towards Indian cinema.-Early life:...
, Juhi Chawla
Juhi Chawla
Juhi Chawla is an Indian actress, film producer and television presenter.After being crowned as the winner of the Miss India beauty contest in 1984, Chawla pursued an acting career...
and Jackie Shroff
Jackie Shroff
Jackie Shroff is an Indian actor. He has been in the industry for more than 28 years and has appeared in over 150 films.-Personal life:...
.
His film Iqbal (film), 2005 which was brilliantly written by Vipul K Rawal
Vipul K Rawal
-Early years:Born on 7th November, 1968 in the former princely state of Wadhwan, Vipul K Rawal did his schooling from a Military School in Dehradun and later in Vapi, Gujarat. It was during his college days in Madras, that the filmy bug really bit him. His college was situated in Kodambakkam, also...
featuring Shreyas Talpade
Shreyas Talpade
-Early life:Talpade was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, in a Marathi family. He attended Shree Ram Welfare Society's High School in Andheri-West. He is married to Deepti Talpade. Shreyas met his wife Deepti when he went to her college as a celebrity...
and Naseeruddin Shah
Naseeruddin Shah
Naseeruddin Shah is an Indian / Bollywood film actor and director. He is considered to be one of the finest actors of Indian cinema. In 2003, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Bhushan for his contributions towards Indian cinema.-Early life:...
won a lot of critical acclaim for both for the simple yet heart rendering script and the acting by all actors. It was after this film he was started to be taken a little seriously as a film maker.
8x10 Tasveer (2009), features Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar is an Indian film actor, producer and martial artist who has appeared in over a hundred Hindi films. When he began his acting career in the 1990s, he primarily starred in action films and was particularly known for his appearances in feature films commonly called the "Khiladi series",...
in the lead role and Ayesha Takia
Ayesha Takia
-Early life:Ayesha was born in Chembur Mumbai, Maharashtra to a Gujarati father, Nishit and a mother of mixed British-Maharashtrian descent, Faridah. She attended St. Anthony's High School in Chembur...
as the female lead it is a thriller with a touch of Hollywood style cinematography, but fared poorly at the box office. It is considered to be Nagesh's most self reflective work to date. "I like to cast characters who are close to me. And this one gets as close to me as possible. I was once an environmental consultant. Akshay plays the part of an environment protection officer," Kukunoor said in an April 2009 interview.
His latest movie Mod
Mod
- General :* Honour Moderations, a first set of examinations at Oxford University* Maximum operating depth, in scuba diving, the depth at which a gas mix exceeds safe limits* Ministry of Defence, the part of a government responsible for matters of military defence...
sank without a trace at the box office.
Filmography
- One Culture at a time (1995) Short film
- Hyderabad BluesHyderabad BluesHyderabad Blues is a Bollywood movie directed by Nagesh Kukunoor. The film is about a NRI vacationing back home in Hyderabad, India and finding himself a foreigner in his own land.-Plot:...
(1998) - Rockford (1999)
- Bollywood CallingBollywood CallingBollywood Calling is an Indian movie directed by Nagesh Kukunoor. The film was released in year 2001. Main casting Pat Cusick as Patrick Stormaire, Navin Nischol as Manu Kapoor, Om Puri as Subramaniam, Perizaad Zorabian as Kajal, Monique Curnen as Karen, Chet Dixon as Abe, Elahe Hiptoola as...
(2001) - 3 Deewarein3 Deewarein3 Deewarein is a 2003 Hindi film written, directed and co-starred by Nagesh Kukunoor. Jackie Shroff, Juhi Chawla, Naseeruddin Shah and Gulshan Grover form the rest of the cast. The film narrates the story of three prisoners and a documentary filmmaker who, while filming their reformation story in...
(2003) - Hyderabad Blues 2Hyderabad Blues 2Hyderabad Blues 2 is a Hindi-English-Telugu language Indian film directed by Nagesh Kukunoor. The film is a sequel to the film Hyderabad Blues.-Plot:...
(2004) - Iqbal (2005)
- DorDor (film)Dor is a 2006 Indian drama film written and directed by Nagesh Kukunoor and features Ayesha Takia, Gul Panag and Shreyas Talpade as the lead actors. The film, which is a remake of the Malayalam film, Perumazhakkalam , was well received by the critics after its release on 22 September 2006...
(2006) - Bombay To BangkokBombay to BangkokBombay to Bangkok is a Bollywood film starring Shreyas Talpade and Lena Christensen in the lead roles. It is written and directed by Nagesh Kukunoor and produced by Elahe Hiptoola and Rahul Puri.-Plot:...
(2008) - 8x10 Tasveer (2009)
- Aashayein (2010)
- ModMod (film)Mod is a movie by director Nagesh Kukunoor, starring Ayesha Takia Azmi and Rannvijay Singh. The cast also includes Raghuvir Yadav, Tanvi Azmi and Anant Mahadevan. The movie was released on 30th September 2011. The music of the movie is by Tapas Relia....
(2011)
Awards
- National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social IssuesNational Film Award for Best Film on Other Social IssuesThe National Film Award - Best Film on Other Social Issues winners:...
- Iqbal - 2006 - Filmfare Award for Best Story - 3 Deewarein3 Deewarein3 Deewarein is a 2003 Hindi film written, directed and co-starred by Nagesh Kukunoor. Jackie Shroff, Juhi Chawla, Naseeruddin Shah and Gulshan Grover form the rest of the cast. The film narrates the story of three prisoners and a documentary filmmaker who, while filming their reformation story in...
- 2004 - Teacher's Achievement Award for Creative and Performing Arts - 2002
- Audience Award for best film at the Peachtree International Film Festival in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
- Hyderabad BluesHyderabad BluesHyderabad Blues is a Bollywood movie directed by Nagesh Kukunoor. The film is about a NRI vacationing back home in Hyderabad, India and finding himself a foreigner in his own land.-Plot:...
- 1999 - Audience Award for best film at the Rhode Island International Film Festival - Hyderabad BluesHyderabad BluesHyderabad Blues is a Bollywood movie directed by Nagesh Kukunoor. The film is about a NRI vacationing back home in Hyderabad, India and finding himself a foreigner in his own land.-Plot:...
- 1999
External links
- Nagesh Kukunoor Filmography and details
- http://hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/07/28/stories/2003072800270100.htm
- http://www.cfsindia.org/in-jury.htm
- Nagesh Kukunoor's next project after Dor
- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1218912.cms