Pankaj Advani (director)
Encyclopedia
Pankaj Advani (August 1, 1965 – November 11, 2010) was an India
n Film Director, Film Editor, Screenplay Writer, Photographer, Theater Director, and Painter, most known as co-writer of Shah Rukh Khan starrer, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa
(1993) and director of Hindi dark comedy, Sankat City
(2009).
and grew up in the small town of Veraval
in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat state. Even as a young boy he was drawn to the magical world of cinema and as a first step wrote, acted, and directed for his school plays.
He obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in painting from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
. At the Faculty of Fine Arts
, he specialized in photography and built up a portfolio of photographs. While in Baroda he participated in playwright and film-maker, Habib Tanvir
's workshop. He wrote and directed black comedies under his supervision (‘Andher Nagari’ and others) that participated in college festivals. He then went on to do his Diploma in Editing at the Film and Television Institute of India
-Pune, receiving a merit scholarship for his academic excellence.
Pankaj's next attempt was a short film 'Highway’ (19-minute video film shot in Baroda about a woman who asks for a lift from a stranger in a car on a deserted highway) which has participated in the South Asian Short Film Festival in Colombo and also the International Short and Independent Film Festival-Dhaka.
Pankaj was the co-writer of Kundan Shah’s 1993 Shahrukh Khan-Suchitra Krishnamurthy starrer Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa
which went on to bag the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie
. Also a script for an unreleased film Loveria starring Saif Ali Khan and Karisma Kapoor was written during this period.
His first big break in films came when he won a script competition held by Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI) for his film ‘Sunday’. He shot the film in his home town in Saurashtra, Gujarat. ‘Sunday’ won the National Film Award for the Best Short Fiction Film
(Director and Producer CSFI) in 1994 at the 41st National Film Festival. This film also won the National Award for the Best Music Director. It was shown in the Indian Panorama Section of the 25th International Film Festival of India, Calcutta; the Asian Panorama section of 8th International Children's Film Festival, Udaipur and has also participated in various other festivals including Cairo International Children's Film Festival and 11TH Annual Chicago International Children's Film Festival. The same year Pankaj also won an award for his script 'Shadow Boxer' at NFDC but he was unable to get the film into production.
Pankaj faced many hurdles in garnering funds for his unconventional films but continued to work even with low budgets.
He forayed into TV when Shashanka Ghosh
, the then head of Channel [V], who, impressed with his film ‘Sunday’ and ‘quirky’ ideas created a tiny space for him in the channel for experimentation, starting off with the promo - the dark 'Anarkali Petticoat Show' which got a special mention at the Promax Awards
and subsequent shows like Toofan TV and Bheja Fry. His long association with Channel [V] provided him with a platform to showcase his creative ideas albeit on very low budgets.
In 2000 Pankaj received a ‘13 lakhs - 13 days no-holds barred on creative aspect’ offer from Digital Talkies which he grabbed and gave birth to the now iconoclastic, underground, cult classic Urf Professor.
This black comedy got the Best Film Award at the International Digital Film Festival India and, best editing at KaraFilm Fest. (Pakistan). Also screened at Dahlonega Film Festival; Philippines Digital Film; and participated in Inscreen International Film Festival- July 2006. With support of Mr. Shekhar Kapur (guest of honor at International Digital Film Festival of India); Pankaj, Roger Savage (Sound Engineer - Moulin Rouge), and Jill Billcock (Editor - Moulin Rouge) collaborated at 'Sound Firm' - Australia to make a version more suited for an English speaking audience, however the effort came to a naught. This film could not get certification from the Censor Board in India for its explicit content.
Shripal Morakia of iDream Production then gave him a chance to make his stylized, surreal, psychological thriller 'Cape Karma'. Cape Karma, shot in the winter of 2005 in Dundee - Scotland with its non-linear story telling and undercurrents of violence and disconcerting sexual theme proved to be much ahead of its times for an Indian audience and is one of Pankaj's least seen films.
Pankaj’s only film to be released commercially in theatres was, his Sankat City
presented by Moser-Baer in July 2009. Bollywood
too gave its approval and this poorly publicized film got due credit with nominations in half-a-dozen categories coming its way at the Nokia 16th Star Screen Awards 2010, Max Stardust Awards 2010, and 55th Filmfare Awards.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n Film Director, Film Editor, Screenplay Writer, Photographer, Theater Director, and Painter, most known as co-writer of Shah Rukh Khan starrer, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa
Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa
Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa is a 1993 Indian Bollywood film directed by Kundan Shah, and starring Shahrukh Khan, Suchitra Krishnamurthy, and Deepak Tijori. This is one of the rare mainstream Hindi movies in which the hero plays the role of a loser...
(1993) and director of Hindi dark comedy, Sankat City
Sankat City
Sankat City is a dark comedy Bollywood Hindi movie directed by Pankaj Advani starring Kay Kay Menon. The film was released in India on July 10, 2009.-Synopsis:...
(2009).
Early life and education
Pankaj was born in LucknowLucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
and grew up in the small town of Veraval
Veraval
Veraval is a city and a municipality in Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is located 6 km from Somnath.- History :...
in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat state. Even as a young boy he was drawn to the magical world of cinema and as a first step wrote, acted, and directed for his school plays.
He obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in painting from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, commonly referred as M. S. University , is a university in the city of Vadodara, in Gujarat state, India...
. At the Faculty of Fine Arts
Faculty of Fine Arts
The Faculty of Fine Arts, MSU Baroda is one of the top three art colleges in India. It has a reputation for promoting a creative and individualist approach among its students, and has historically adhered to secularist, humanist, and modernist ideals....
, he specialized in photography and built up a portfolio of photographs. While in Baroda he participated in playwright and film-maker, Habib Tanvir
Habib Tanvir
Habib Tanvir was one of the most popular Indian Urdu, Hindi playwrights, a theatre director, poet and actor. He is the writer of plays such as, Agra Bazar and Charandas Chor...
's workshop. He wrote and directed black comedies under his supervision (‘Andher Nagari’ and others) that participated in college festivals. He then went on to do his Diploma in Editing at the Film and Television Institute of India
Film and Television Institute of India
Film and Television Institute of India , is an autonomous Institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India. It is fully aided by Central Government of India. It is situated in the premises of the erstwhile Prabhat Film Company in Pune, India...
-Pune, receiving a merit scholarship for his academic excellence.
Career
After graduating from FTII-Pune, Pankaj returned to Baroda and put up a theatrical production of his black comedy 'Kataria Gul Hui Gawa'.Pankaj's next attempt was a short film 'Highway’ (19-minute video film shot in Baroda about a woman who asks for a lift from a stranger in a car on a deserted highway) which has participated in the South Asian Short Film Festival in Colombo and also the International Short and Independent Film Festival-Dhaka.
Pankaj was the co-writer of Kundan Shah’s 1993 Shahrukh Khan-Suchitra Krishnamurthy starrer Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa
Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa
Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa is a 1993 Indian Bollywood film directed by Kundan Shah, and starring Shahrukh Khan, Suchitra Krishnamurthy, and Deepak Tijori. This is one of the rare mainstream Hindi movies in which the hero plays the role of a loser...
which went on to bag the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie
Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie
The Filmfare Awards are the oldest and most prominent film awards given for Hindi films in India. The yearly awards started in 1953. Movie awards were first given by popular vote...
. Also a script for an unreleased film Loveria starring Saif Ali Khan and Karisma Kapoor was written during this period.
His first big break in films came when he won a script competition held by Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI) for his film ‘Sunday’. He shot the film in his home town in Saurashtra, Gujarat. ‘Sunday’ won the National Film Award for the Best Short Fiction Film
National Film Award for Best Short Fiction Film
The National Film Award - Best Short Fiction Film winners:...
(Director and Producer CSFI) in 1994 at the 41st National Film Festival. This film also won the National Award for the Best Music Director. It was shown in the Indian Panorama Section of the 25th International Film Festival of India, Calcutta; the Asian Panorama section of 8th International Children's Film Festival, Udaipur and has also participated in various other festivals including Cairo International Children's Film Festival and 11TH Annual Chicago International Children's Film Festival. The same year Pankaj also won an award for his script 'Shadow Boxer' at NFDC but he was unable to get the film into production.
Pankaj faced many hurdles in garnering funds for his unconventional films but continued to work even with low budgets.
He forayed into TV when Shashanka Ghosh
Shashanka Ghosh
Shashanka Ghosh is an Indian filmmaker. As a director, he is known for small budget films with powerful performances and a strong story line. As a writer, he penned the story for Aisa Bhi Hota Hai and Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II. He is coming up with a comedy flick called Quick Gun Murugan. The...
, the then head of Channel [V], who, impressed with his film ‘Sunday’ and ‘quirky’ ideas created a tiny space for him in the channel for experimentation, starting off with the promo - the dark 'Anarkali Petticoat Show' which got a special mention at the Promax Awards
Promax Awards
PromaxBDA Awards honor design and marketing work in the advertising and promotions business from a company or individual that is broadcast, published or released in their respective markets....
and subsequent shows like Toofan TV and Bheja Fry. His long association with Channel [V] provided him with a platform to showcase his creative ideas albeit on very low budgets.
In 2000 Pankaj received a ‘13 lakhs - 13 days no-holds barred on creative aspect’ offer from Digital Talkies which he grabbed and gave birth to the now iconoclastic, underground, cult classic Urf Professor.
This black comedy got the Best Film Award at the International Digital Film Festival India and, best editing at KaraFilm Fest. (Pakistan). Also screened at Dahlonega Film Festival; Philippines Digital Film; and participated in Inscreen International Film Festival- July 2006. With support of Mr. Shekhar Kapur (guest of honor at International Digital Film Festival of India); Pankaj, Roger Savage (Sound Engineer - Moulin Rouge), and Jill Billcock (Editor - Moulin Rouge) collaborated at 'Sound Firm' - Australia to make a version more suited for an English speaking audience, however the effort came to a naught. This film could not get certification from the Censor Board in India for its explicit content.
Shripal Morakia of iDream Production then gave him a chance to make his stylized, surreal, psychological thriller 'Cape Karma'. Cape Karma, shot in the winter of 2005 in Dundee - Scotland with its non-linear story telling and undercurrents of violence and disconcerting sexual theme proved to be much ahead of its times for an Indian audience and is one of Pankaj's least seen films.
Pankaj’s only film to be released commercially in theatres was, his Sankat City
Sankat City
Sankat City is a dark comedy Bollywood Hindi movie directed by Pankaj Advani starring Kay Kay Menon. The film was released in India on July 10, 2009.-Synopsis:...
presented by Moser-Baer in July 2009. Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
too gave its approval and this poorly publicized film got due credit with nominations in half-a-dozen categories coming its way at the Nokia 16th Star Screen Awards 2010, Max Stardust Awards 2010, and 55th Filmfare Awards.
Sunday
- 1994: National Film Award for Best Short fiction FilmNational Film Award for Best Short Fiction FilmThe National Film Award - Best Short Fiction Film winners:...
(Director)
Urf Professor
- 2003: Best Editing at Kara Film FestivalKara Film FestivalThe KaraFilm Festival - Karachi International Film Festival is an internationally recognized film festival of Pakistan annually held in Karachi....
, Karachi, Pakistan. - 2001: Best Film at the International Digital Film Festival, India.
Sankat City
- 2010
- 55th Filmfare Awards55th Filmfare AwardsThe 55th Filmfare Awards were held on February 27, 2010 at the Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai. The awards given for 30 categories, out of which there were 3 special awards, 3 critics awards and 24 main awards for Hindi films released in 2009. There were 60 nominations for the top 10 categories, which...
- Most Promising Debut Director: Nominated
- Best Screenplay: Nominated
- 55th Filmfare Awards
- 2010: Nominated for Best Director, Searchlight Awards, Max Stardust Awards.
- 2010: Nominated for Best Film, Searchlight Awards, Max Stardust Awards.
- 2009: Nominated for Most Promising Debut Director, Nokia 16th Star Screen Awards.
- 2009: Nominated for Best Ensemble Cast, Nokia 16th Star Screen Awards.
- 2009: Nominated for Best Screenplay Nokia 16th Star Screen Awards.
Honours
- 2010: Honorable Member of Animation Jury at the 20th Cairo International Children’s Film Festival in 2010.
Career Graph
| FEATURE FILMS | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Sankat City | Director, Writer |
| 2006 | Naina | Consulting Editor |
| 2005 | Cape Karma | Director, Writer |
| 2001 | Urf Professor | Director, Editor, Writer, and Associate Producer |
| 1993 | Sunday | Director, Editor, Writer, and Executive Producer |
| 1993 | Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa | Co-writer. (Story and Screenplay) |
| ---- | Loveria | Co-writer |
| SHORT FILMS | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Highway | Director,Writer, Producer |
| TELEVISION | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Bheja Fry- Channel [V] | Director, Writer |
| 1997 | Toofan TV-Channel [V] | Director, Writer |
| 1995 | Aan Ban & Break Ke Baad[Zee Cinema](film based shows) | Director, Writer, Editor |
| 1994 | Photo studio [BiTV] | Director, Writer |
| DOCUMENTARY | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | V.K.Krishnamenon By G.Aravindan | Editor |
| MUSIC VIDEOS | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Kal Ki Haseen Mulaquat | Director |
| STAGE & THEATRE | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Kataria Gul Hui Gawa | Director, Writer, Producer |