Maharaj Krishen Raina (born 10 February 1948), popularly known as M. K. Raina, is an Indian theatre

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

. Raina graduated from

National School of Drama National School of Drama (NSD) is a theatre training institute situated at New Delhi, India. It is an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was set up in 1959 by the Sangeet Natak Akademi and became an indepe ...

in 1970 with the Best Actor award.

Early life

Maharaj Krishna Raina was born on 10 February 1948 in the city of

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...

of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, Union of India. Maharaj completed his college in

and then moved to NSD in Delhi on a state scholarship. Raina, born into a

Kashmiri Pandit The Kashmiri Pandits (also known as Kashmiri Brahmins) are a group of Kashmiri Hindus and a part of the larger Saraswat Brahmin community of India. They belong to the Pancha Gauda Brahmin group from the Kashmir Valley, a mountainous region l ...

family, comes from a family background of doctors and engineers. His father was a political activist this influenced Raina into social activism.

Career and work

Theatre and drama

After graduating from the

in 1970, Raina commenced on his work in Indian parallel cinema '' 27 Down'', in which he also plays the lead role of "Sanjay". He has produced over 150 plays in 12 languages. As an actor, he has worked in more than a hundred plays. He has directed several memorable productions like ''Kabira Khada Bazar Mein'', ''Karmawali'', ''Pari Kukh'', ''Kabhi Na Chooden Khet'' and The Mother, ''Bhanbhatt Ki Atmakatha, Godan, Muavze, Tum Saadat Hasan Manto Ho, Badshah Pather, Stay Yet A While, Baaki Itihaas, Hiroshima, Hatya Ek Aakar Ki, The Great Trial.'' His production encompass the works of Sanskrit classic plays, folk theater and classic international playwrights like Shakespeare, Ibsen, Chekov, Lorca, Brecht. ''

Andha Yug ''Andha Yug'' (Hindi: अंधा युग, ''The Age of Blindness'' or ''The Blind Age'') is a 1953 verse play written in Hindi, by renowned novelist, poet, and playwright Dharamvir Bharati (1926-1997). Set in the last day of the Great Mahabhar ...

'', which he directed, was performed in Berlin and the Festival of India in the USSR. He was a Fellow and also produced ''

Jasma Odan Jasma Odan is a folk deity from medieval Gujarat about a woman who committed ''Sati (practice), sati'' to protect her honor after her husband was murdered by Siddharaj Jaisinh, a king of Chaulukya dynasty. Legend Jasma was a wife of Rooda who was ...

'' at Hawaii University in 1986. His films as actor include ''27 Down'', ''Satah Se Uthta Aadmi'', ''Ek Ruka Hua Faisla'', ''Tamas'', ''Titli'', ''Genesis'', ''Tarang'', ''Ankur Maina aur Kabootar'', ''Taare Zameen Par'', ''Rab Ne Banadi Jodi, Aisha, Noor, Lakshya, Teen Aur Aadha, Exchange Offer (short).'' He has also acted in the acclaimed web series ''The Forgotten Army'' for Amazon Prime.

Cultural activist

Besides being a practicing actor/director in theater and media, he is known also as a cultural activist. Raina believes that culture is a counterpoint to the violence and terrorism around us.

Academia

He has been a visiting director at the

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

Central University, IIT

and

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prade ...

among others. He was the Scholar in Residence at Jamia Milia Islamia. He was also Fellow at the Stanford University (USA).

Awards

He has received the Sanskriti Samman in 1980, the Sahitya Kala Parishad Award in 1981, Best Director of the year by West Bengal Government 1982 and the Best Director's award of Punjabi Akademi, Delhi in 1987. M. K. Raina received the

Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India. History It was set up by the Indian education ministry on 31 May 1952 and be ...

award in 1995 and the Swarna Padak from the Govt. of Jammu and Kashmir in 1996 for his contribution to Indian Theater. He was also awarded one of India's highest theatre awards, the

B. V. Karanth Babukodi Venkataramana Karanth (Kannada: ಬಾಬುಕೋಡಿ ವೆಂಕಟರಮಣ ಕಾರಂತ) (19 September 1929 – 1 September 2002) widely known as B. V. Karanth was an Indian film director, playwright, actor, screenwriter, co ...

award for lifetime achievement in 2007. The Delhi Government awarded him the Hindi Akademi Shikhar Samman in 18.

Filmography

Tanaav ''Tanaav'' () is an Indian Hindi -language action thriller streaming series directed by Sudhir Mishra and Sachin Krishn. The series is created and produced by Sameer Nair under the banner of Applause Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, starring Manav V ...

(2022) *

Gangubai Kathiawadi ''Gangubai Kathiawadi'' is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language biographical crime drama film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and produced by Bhansali and Jayantilal Gada. The film stars Alia Bhatt as the titular character with Ajay Devgn, Shantanu ...

* Prassthanam (2019) as Jaiprakash Kedar * ''Three and Half/Teen Aur Aadha'' (2018) as Old Man * '' Noor'' (2017) as Noor's father * ''

Aisha Aisha ( ar, , translit=ʿĀʾisha bint Abī Bakr; , also , ; ) was Muhammad's third and youngest wife. In Islamic writings, her name is thus often prefixed by the title "Mother of the Believers" ( ar, links=no, , ʾumm al-mu'min, muʾminīn), ...

'' (2010) as Aisha's father * ''

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi ''Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi'' (), also known as ''RNBDJ'', is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Aditya Chopra and produced by him and his father Yash Chopra under their banner of Yash Raj Films. The film stars ...

'' (2008) as Taani's father (Special Appearance) * ''

Taare Zameen Par ''Taare Zameen Par'', also known as ''Like Stars on Earth'' in English, is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language drama film produced and directed by Aamir Khan. The film stars Khan himself, along with Darsheel Safary, Tanay Chheda, Sachet Engineer, Vip ...

'' (2007) as Principal - Boarding School * '' Lakshya'' (2004) as Romi's father (Special Appearance) * ''

Main Azaad Hoon ''Main Azaad Hoon'' () is a 1989 Indian Hindi-language vigilante film adapted from the 1941 Frank Capra film, ''Meet John Doe'', by Javed Akhtar, about an opportunistic journalist who concocts a fictitious man in a fictitious article to boost ne ...

'' (1989) as Newspaper employee * ''

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

'' (1986) as The trader * ''

Ek Ruka Hua Faisla ''Ek Ruka Hua Faisla'' (English: ''A Pending Decision'') is an Indian Hindi-language thriller film, directed by Basu Chatterjee. It is a remake of the Golden Bear winning American motion picture ''12 Angry Men'' (1957) directed by Sidney Lumet ...

'' (1986) as Juror #7 * '' New Delhi Times'' (1986) * ''Aghaat'' (1985) * ''Giddh: The Vulture'' (1984) as Masterji * ''Tarang'' (1984) as Abdul * ''Tasveer Apni Apni'' (1984) (TV) as Office Manager * '' Satah Se Uthata Aadmi'' (1980) as Keshav * '' 27 Down'' (1974) as Sanjay * '' Kasba'' (1991) as Kashinath

References

External links

An article on Raina
* * http://www.koausa.org/Artistes/MKRaina.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20070902175130/http://www.hollywood.com/celebrity/M_K_Raina/1487214 * http://www.koausa.org/BhandPather/index.html *
Teen Aur Aadha
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raina, M. K. 1948 births Indian male film actors Indian male television actors Indian male stage actors Indian theatre directors Kashmiri Pandits Living people Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Hindi theatre Male actors from Jammu and Kashmir Male actors in Hindi cinema People from Srinagar National School of Drama alumni 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian male actors