Sekhar Kammula
Sekhar Kammula | |
|---|---|
| File:Sekhar kammula.jpg on the sets of Anand film | |
| Born | February 4, 1972 Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, producer, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1999–present |
Sekhar Kammula (Template:Lang-te) is an award-winning Indian Film director, writer and producer from Telugu cinema.
Early life
Sekhar was schooled at St. Patrick's High School, Secunderabad. He completed his intermediate studies from St. Alphonsa's and graduated with a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology affiliated to Osmania University, Hyderabad. He later went to the United States of America to pursue a Graduate degree in Computer Sciences at New Jersey. After a brief stint in the IT industry, he enrolled in the MFA program at Howard University, Washington, D.C.
Career
Sekhar's first film, "Dollar Dreams" was away from the so called 'commercial formula'. Nevertheless, all his movies have been critically very well received and have been commercially successful at the box-office, creating a genre and formula unique to himself. Dollar Dreams[1] was a critical success, and won him the National Film Award for best debutant director. His second film, Anand, was huge hit in 2004. His next film, Godavari, was praised by critics, but was a moderate success. Happy Days, which was released on September 28, 2007, was declared a smash hit.Sekhar's latest film LEADER (2010) released on 19 February 2010, after a gap of two years post his last blockbuster film Happy Days (2007). The film being a political drama, a genre shift from Sekhar, carried huge expectations starring Rana Daggubati, grandson of Dr. D. Ramanaidu. The film is a critically acclaimed success.
Kammula's films pleasantly lack the omnipresent violence in Indian cinema and this makes family viewing possible. He avoids overdramatization, vulgarity and violence. He has a passionate following among the family, college and female audiences. He worked with Polaris before starting films, his brother is still associated with same firm.
Awards
- Indira Gandhi Award for Best First Film of a Director - Golden Lotus Award - Dollar Dreams (2000):
- Godavari (film)
- Second Best Feature Film
- Best Director – Sekhar Kammula
- Anand (2004 film)
- Second Best Feature Film
- Best Director – Sekhar Kammula
- Happy Days (2007 film)
- Best Film – Sekhar Kammula and Chandra S Kammula
- Best Director – Sekhar Kammula
- Dasari Best Film Director Award - Happy Days (2007 film) [2]
Current Project
Sekhar Kammula is going to direct his first Hindi film which is a remake of Happy Days. The Hindi version will be produced by renowned film maker Shekhar Kapoor.[3] The film will feature several new faces and Sekhar Kammula will start scouting for new faces in Mumbai and Pune, through the same process which he employed for the Telugu film . The screenplay for the film is being written by Mumbai based writer Nikhil Mahajan.
Also he is working on a Telugu film "Life is Beautiful" with new stars and is also looking for new talent be it technical or non technical.
Personal life
Sekhar has one daughter and a son. His wife's name is Srividya. He stays with his parents and leads a simple life. His father's name is Seshaiah Kammula.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Language | Technical roles | Other Info. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Dollar Dreams | English/Telugu | Writer, Director, Producer | |
| 2004 | Anand | Telugu | Writer, Director, Producer, Choreography | |
| 2006 | Godavari | Telugu | Writer, Director | |
| 2007 | Happy Days | Telugu | Writer, Director, Producer, Choreography | |
| 2008 | Avakai Biryani | Telugu | Producer | |
| 2010 | Leader | Telugu | Writer, Director | |
| 2011 | Life is beautiful | Telugu | Writer, Director, Producer | Pre-production |
References
- ^ http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2007082350180400.htm&date=2007/08/23/&prd=mp&
- ^ Article from hindu: http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2008050559710400.htm&date=2008/05/05/&prd=th&
- ^ http://searchandhra.com/cinema/shekar-kapoor-to-produce-happy-days-in-hindi