Unnikrishnan B (born 14 August 1970) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, distributor and exhibitor who works in the Malayalam film industry.
Early life
Unnikrishnan. B. was born on 14 August 1970 in
Pathanamthitta district
Pathanamthitta District (), is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. The district headquarters is in the town of Pathanamthitta. There are four municipalities in Pathanamthitta: Adoor, Pandalam, Pathanamthitta and Thiruval ...
in
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
, India.
Career
He began his film career in 1999 by writing the screenplay of ''
Jalamarmaram
''Jalamarmaram'' () is a 1999 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by T. K. Rajeev Kumar and co-written with B. Unnikrishnan. The cast includes P. Balachandran and Aswin Thampy in the lead roles.
Cast
* Aswin Thampy
* P. Balachandran
* ...
'' directed by
T. K. Rajeev Kumar
Thazhathupurakkal Karunakara Panicker Rajeev Kumar (born 20 September 1961) is a National Award-winning Indian director of Malayalam films, from Trivandrum. He is the winner of five Kerala State Film Awards for Best Film, Director, Story Writer ...
, which won the
Kerala State Film Award for Best Screenplay
The Kerala State Film Award
The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have bee ...
that year. The film dealt with the politics of water and environmentalism. In 2000, his screenplay '' Cover Story'' directed by
G. S. Vijayan
G. S. Vijayan is an Indian film director who primarily works in Malayalam. He had his debut with the Mammootty-starrer '' Charithram''. His other films include ''Aanaval Mothiram'' and ''Ghoshayathra'', etc.
Vijayan's had started filming an un ...
was released. It was a box office failure. He was the screenwriter of the thriller ''Black and White'', a television serial telecast in
Asianet Asianet may refer to:
Disney Star channels
*Asianet Communications, an Indian media company wholly owned by Disney Star
**Asianet (TV channel), a Malayalam language general entertainment channel
**Asianet Plus, a Malayalam language general entertai ...
in 2004, which won two Kerala State Television Awards. The serial was directed by Viji Thampi. in 2004, he wrote and directed a telefilm titled Antharangal, which won the Kerala state television award for the best telefilm. In 2005, he wrote, produced and directed a telefilm, ''Annum Mazhayayirunnu'' which was aired by Amrita TV. ''
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' wrote "The suspense that is maintained throughout the short movie, despite it being set in a domestic, sylvan setting, goes to the credit of the carefully crafted script". The telefilm won six Kerala State Television Awards, including Best Telefilm and Best screenplay for Unnikrishnan.
He scripted
Shaji Kailas
Shaji Kailas (born 8 February 1965) is an Indian film director and screenwriter known for his works in Malayalam cinema. Shaji got a breakthrough with the comedy film ''Dr. Pasupathy'' (1990).
He is best known for his action films with mainl ...
-directorial action film '' Shivam'' in 2002 and the thriller film ''The Tiger'' in 2005, the latter starring Suresh Gopi was successful. He made his feature film directorial debut in 2006 with the action film '' Smart City''. His second directorial '' Madampi'' starring
Mohanlal
Mohanlal Viswanathan (born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeare ...
was a blockbuster . Unlike his previous films, ''Madampi'' was a family drama that told the story of a money lender in a village. In 2009, he scripted and directed the action police story ''
I. G. – Inspector General
''I. G. – Inspector General'' is a 2009 Indian Malayalam cinema, Malayalam-language Action film, action drama film written and directed by B. Unnikrishnan. The film stars Suresh Gopi in the title lead role followed by Kausalya (actress), Nan ...
'' starring Suresh Gopi. The film talked issues like terrorism and communal politics. In the same year, he wrote and directed the segment ''Aviramam'' in the
anthology film
An anthology film (also known as an omnibus film, package film, or portmanteau film) is a single film consisting of several shorter films, each complete in itself and distinguished from the other, though frequently tied together by a single theme ...
''
Kerala Cafe
''Kerala Cafe'' is a 2009 Indian Malayalam-language anthology film produced by Ranjith and directed by a team of ten directors including Lal Jose, Shaji Kailas, Anwar Rasheed, Shyamaprasad, B. Unnikrishnan, Revathy, Anjali Menon, M. Padmakuma ...
''. In 2010, he scripted and directed the political satire ''
Pramani
''Pramani'' is a 2010 Malayalam film written and directed by B. Unnikrishnan and starring Mammootty, Siddique (actor), Siddique, Fahadh Faasil and Sneha (actress), Sneha. Janardhanan (actor), Janardhanan and Lakshmi (actress), Lakshmi play suppo ...
'' starring
Mammootty
Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (; born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films. He has also appeared in Tamil l ...
as a corrupt panchayat president, which was a box office failure.
His directorial crime thriller '' Grandmaster'' released in 2012 was written by himself starring
Mohanlal
Mohanlal Viswanathan (born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeare ...
as a loner cop who is challenged to investigate a crime. Not only that it was a financial success, but it showed
Mohanlal
Mohanlal Viswanathan (born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeare ...
in a totally different look and style. ''Grandmaster'' was the first Malayalam film produced by UTV and it is also the first Malayalam film to be released in
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
, apart from its theatrical release. It was followed by '' I Love Me'', a romantic thriller written by Sethu, that revolves around a group of youngsters. In 2015, he wrote and directed the heist film ''
Mr. Fraud
''Mr. Fraud'' is a 2014 Indian action thriller film written and directed by B. Unnikrishnan and starring Mohanlal, Siddique, Dev Gill, Vijay Babu, Miya, Manjari Phadnis and Pallavi Purohit. The film was produced by A. V. Anoop under the banne ...
'', starring
Mohanlal
Mohanlal Viswanathan (born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeare ...
, which was a commercial failure.
Unnikrishnan forayed into production and distribution with his company, RD Illuminations, which acquired and released the Malayalam dubbed versions of ''
Sarrainodu
''Sarrainodu'' () is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language action film written and directed by Boyapati Srinu and produced by Allu Aravind's Geetha Arts. The film stars Allu Arjun, Rakul Preet Singh, Catherine Tresa, Srikanth, and Aadhi Pinisetty. Bra ...
Bhaagamathie
''Bhaagamathie'' is a 2018 Indian thriller film written and directed by G. Ashok. The films stars Anushka Shetty in the titular role while Jayaram (in his Telugu debut), Unni Mukundan, Murali Sharma, and Asha Sarath play other pivotal roles ...
'' (2018). He collaborated with
Mohanlal
Mohanlal Viswanathan (born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeare ...
, in 2017, for the crime thriller, ''
Villain
A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...
''. With the film, he introduced
Vishal
Vishal may refer to:
People
* Vishal (name), a common Indian given name
* King Vishal, emperor of the Mahabharata era who founded the ancient city of Vishalapura
* Vishal (actor) (born 1977), Indian film actor, producer and anti-piracy activi ...
into
Malayalam cinema
Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ''Elippathayam' ...
. It was also the first Indian film to be completely shot in
8K resolution
8K resolution refers to an image or display resolution with a width of approximately 8,000 pixels. 8K UHD () is the highest resolution defined in the Rec. 2020 (UHDTV) standard.
8K display resolution is the successor to 4K resolution. TV manuf ...
. After that, he co-produced and distributed the action thriller, ''
Swathandriam Ardharathriyil
''Swathanthryam Ardharathriyil'' (also spelt ''Swathandriam Ardharathriyil'') () is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by Tinu Pappachan and written by Dileep Kurian. It was produced by B. C. Joshi, with Lijo Jose P ...
'' (2018). It was produced by B. C. Joshy,
Lijo Jose Pellissery
Lijo Jose Pellissery (born 18 September 1978) is an Indian filmmaker and actor who works in Malayalam cinema. Known for his unconventional approach in directing, his films are characterized by nonlinear storylines and very long takes. His best ...
, and
Chemban Vinod Jose
Chemban Vinod Jose is an Indian actor, film producer, and screenwriter, who predominantly works in Malayalam films. He is a physiotherapist by profession.Viacom18 Motion Pictures, '' Kodathi Samaksham Balan Vakeel''.It was a commercial success. In 2022. he collaborated with
Mohanlal
Mohanlal Viswanathan (born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor, film producer, playback singer, film distributor, and director who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeare ...
Mammootty
Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (; born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam films. He has also appeared in Tamil l ...
, for a second time with ''
Christopher
Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...
'' written by Udaykrishna, it received mixed to positive reviews from critics and audiences.
Other work
He is the general secretary of Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) since 2008, he was re-elected to the position three times2010, 2013 and 2017. In 2014, he was elected as the general secretary of All India Film Employees Confederation (AIFEC). He is a member in the advisory committee of Cine Workers' Welfare Board and director of Saamskaarika Kshemanidhi in Kerala. In 2016, he opened the multi-cuisine restaurant named Grandmaster's Kitchen in Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram, the restaurant was named after his film ''Grandmaster''. He owns the film distribution company RD Illuminations, that debuted in 2016 by releasing '' Yodhavu'' in Kerala. He was the Managing Director of the film post-production studio Vismayas Max and also the
multiplex
Multiplex may refer to:
* Multiplex (automobile), a former American car make
* Multiplex (comics), a DC comic book supervillain
* Multiplex (company), a global contracting and development company
* Multiplex (assay), a biological assay which measur ...
Aries Plex SL Cinemas, a Double- 4K 64-channel Dolby Atmos theatre in Thiruvananthapuram. It is the first theatre with Double-4K facility in South India.
Filmography
Accolades
;
Kerala State Film Awards
The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Cha ...
* 1999:
Best Screenplay
Best or The Best may refer to:
People
* Best (surname), people with the surname Best
* Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer
Companies and organizations
* Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain
* Best Lock Corporatio ...
– ''
Jalamarmaram
''Jalamarmaram'' () is a 1999 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by T. K. Rajeev Kumar and co-written with B. Unnikrishnan. The cast includes P. Balachandran and Aswin Thampy in the lead roles.
Cast
* Aswin Thampy
* P. Balachandran
* ...
''
;Kerala State Television Awards
* 2003: Best telefilm – Antharangal
* 2005: Best Telefilm – ''Annum Mazhayayirunnu''
* 2005: Best Screenplay – ''Annum Mazhayayirunnu''