Pattabhiramaiah Sheshadri (born 23 November 1963) is an Indian film director who works in
Kannada cinema
Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. The 1934 film ''Sati Sulochana'' directed ...
. He is known for his films ''
Munnudi
'' Munnudi '' ( kn, ಮುನ್ನುಡಿ, ''The Preface'') is a 2000 Indian Kannada language film directed by P. Sheshadri, based on Bolwar Mahammad Kunhi's short story ''Muthucchera'', and starring Tara, H. G. Dattatreya, Shashikumar and ...
'', ''
Atithi Atithi may refer to:
* ''Atithi Devo Bhava'', meaning the Guest is equal to God as per Hindu scripture
* ''Atithi'' (1965 film), a 1965 Bengali film
* '' Atithee'', a 1978 Hindi film
* ''Atithi'' (2002 film), a 2002 Kannada film
* ''Atithi'' (200 ...
'', ''
Beru'', ''
Tutturi'', ''
Vimukthi'', ''
Bettada Jeeva
''Bettada Jeeva'' is a National Award-winning (2011) Kannada film directed by P. Sheshadri starring H. G. Dattatreya, Suchendra Prasad, Rameshwari Varma and others. The story is based on Jnanpith awardee K. Shivaram Karanth's novel. It depicts t ...
'', ''
Bharath Stores
''Bharath Stores'' ( kn, ಭಾರತ್ ಸ್ಟೋರ್ಸ್) is a 2012 Indian Kannada-language film directed by P. Sheshadri, starring Sudharani, H. G. Dattatreya, Chi Guru Dutt, V. Manohar and others. The film deals with issue of Foreign ...
'' and ''
December-1''. He has also worked as a director in various television serials.
Sheshadri became the first director to win a
National Film Award
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate ...
eight times consecutively when his film ''
December-1'' won the
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada
The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organization set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several ...
and the
National Film Award for Best Screenplay
The National Film Award for Best Screenplay is one of the categories in the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in India. It is one o ...
.
Early life and education
![Parents of P](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Parents_of_P._Sheshadri_%28Indian_film_director%29.jpg)
Sheshadri was born on 23 November 1963 in the village of Dandinashivara in
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
to Pattabhiramaiah, a primary school teacher, and Kamalamma. He is the youngest of four siblings.
He completed his Master's degree in Kannada literature and also received a Diploma in journalism.
![P](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/P._Sheshadri_family.jpg)
Career
Before 1990: Journalism
Sheshadri began his career working at ''Navakarnataka Prakashana'', a publishing house, where he designed cover pages for the publication.
His next job was at ''Suddi Sangaati'', a
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
weekly. He wrote film reviews and features on films during his time there which provided him an opportunity to understand the
Kannada film industry
Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. The 1934 film '' Sati Sulochana'' directe ...
. He began attending film festivals where he was exposed to
world cinema
World cinema is a term in film theory that refers to films made outside of the American motion picture industry, particularly those in opposition to the aesthetics and values of commercial American cinema.Nagib, Lúcia. "Towards a positive de ...
for the first time. This inspired him to make his own films.
1990–1995: Entry into films
Sheshadri started working in films and television by writing scripts and
assisting the established Kannada film director
T. S. Nagabharana
Talakadu Srinivasaiah Nagabharana (born 23 January 1953), commonly known as T. S. Nagabharana, is an Indian film director, in the Kannada film industry and a pioneer of parallel cinema. He is one of the few film directors to have straddled t ...
.
1995–2000: Working in television
Sheshadri began to direct television serials as a way to earn a living. His first serial was ''Inchara'' in 1995 followed by ''Kamanabillu'' and ''Kathegaara'' in 1996 and ''Maayamruga'' in 1999.
2000–present: First film and directorial career
During the
31st International Film Festival of India
The 31st International Film Festival of India was held from 10-20 January 2000 in New Delhi. The competitive edition was restricted to "Asian Directors". The follow up 32nd IFFI edition was cancelled due to interim decision.
Winners
* Golden Pea ...
in New Delhi in 2000, Sheshadri watched the Malayalam film ''
Karunam
''Karunam'' is a 2000 Indian Malayalam film, directed and produced by Jayaraj. The film stars Biju Menon, Eliyamma, Madambu Kunjukuttan and Vavachan in lead roles. The film had musical score by Sunny Stephen. The film is the second installment ...
'' which had won the Best Feature Film award at the festival. He learnt during a conversation with the film's director that it was made on a budget of ₹1 million. This gave him the confidence that a film could be made with a small budget.
Sheshadri then decided to adapt
Bolwar Mahammad Kunhi
Bolwar Mahammad Kunhi (born 1951) is an Indian short story writer, novelist, playwright and scriptwriter. He writes in the Kannada language. He is the first Indian writer to introduce Muslim ethos and culture into creative Kannada prose. He is th ...
's book ''Muttuchera'' into a film titled ''
Munnudi
'' Munnudi '' ( kn, ಮುನ್ನುಡಿ, ''The Preface'') is a 2000 Indian Kannada language film directed by P. Sheshadri, based on Bolwar Mahammad Kunhi's short story ''Muthucchera'', and starring Tara, H. G. Dattatreya, Shashikumar and ...
''. He approached numerous producers assuring them he could make the film on a budget of ₹1 million but he was turned down by all of them and was also told that no
Hindus
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
would watch the film as all the characters in the story are
Muslims
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...
and no Muslims would watch the film either since the story speaks up against their beliefs.
It was at this point that the idea to finance the film in a
cooperative
A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...
model struck him and he approached his friends from the film industry who each agreed to invest ₹100,000 each into the project. ''Munnudi'' ended up making a profit of ₹1 million at the end of its run.
Sheshadri and his friends decided to invest those profits into making his next film titled ''
Atithi Atithi may refer to:
* ''Atithi Devo Bhava'', meaning the Guest is equal to God as per Hindu scripture
* ''Atithi'' (1965 film), a 1965 Bengali film
* '' Atithee'', a 1978 Hindi film
* ''Atithi'' (2002 film), a 2002 Kannada film
* ''Atithi'' (200 ...
'' which starred
Prakash Raj
Prakash Raj (born Prakash Rai; 26 March 1965) is an Indian actor, film director, producer, television presenter, and politician. Known for his works in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and Malayalam-language films, he is the recipient of several ...
in the lead role.
Sheshadri has continued to use this cooperative model and has financed five of his films using this method.
Filmography
Films
Television
Awards
![Roopakala Award to P Sheshadri](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Roopakala_Award_to_P_Sheshadri.jpg)
*For his Contribution to Kannada Cinema, awarded Honorary
Puttanna Kanagal Award
The following is the list of Award winners for the Karnataka State Puttanna Kanagal award. Kanagal was among the front runners in Kannada cinema's most successful film directors. In his memory and honor, this award is presented to the directors ...
in
Karnataka State Film Awards
Karnataka State Film Awards are the most notable and prestigious film awards given for Kannada film industry in Karnataka, India. These are considered the highest awards for Kannada language films. They are given annually by the Government ...
2018.
National Film Awards
Karnataka State Film Award
Dhaka International Film Festival
References
External links
Official websiteP. Sheshadri at Youtube*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheshadri, P.
Living people
Film directors from Karnataka
Kannada film directors
Indian male screenwriters
Film producers from Karnataka
Kannada film producers
21st-century Indian film directors
1963 births
People from Tumkur district
Best Original Screenplay National Film Award winners
Directors who won the Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation National Film Award
Directors who won the Best Film on Other Social Issues National Film Award