Paresh Mokashi (born 6 February 1969) is an Indian

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

, producer, actor and Theatre director-producer; working predominantly in

Marathi cinema Marathi cinema is an Indian film industry of Marathi-language motion pictures. It is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Based in old Mumbai, it is the oldest film industry of Indian cinema. The first Marathi film to be released in India was '' ...

and

Marathi theatre Marathi theatre is theatre in the Marathi language, mostly originating or based in the state of Maharashtra in India, and elsewhere with Marathi diaspora. Starting in the middle of the 19th century, it flourished in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, ...

. He started working as a backstage worker for theatre and did few minor roles for plays as well as films. Mokashi made his directorial debut for theatre with the Marathi play, ''Sangeet Debuchya Mulee'' in 1999. He continued to work for theatre and made his directorial debut for cinema with the 2009 Marathi feature film, ''

Harishchandrachi Factory ''Harishchandrachi Factory'' (; ) is a 2009 Indian Marathi-language biographical film written and directed by Paresh Mokashi. It is about Dadasaheb Phalke, who made the first Indian feature film ''Raja Harishchandra'' (1913), and starring Nandu ...

''. The film depicts the making of India's first full-length feature film, ''

Raja Harishchandra ''Raja Harishchandra'' () is a 1913 Indian silent film directed and produced by Dadasaheb Phalke. It is often considered the first full-length Indian feature film. ''Raja Harishchandra'' features Dattatraya Damodar Dabke, Anna Salunke, Bhal ...

'' (1913), made by

Dadasaheb Phalke Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (Pronunciation: ̪ʱuɳɖiɾaːd͡ʒ pʰaːɭke, popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke () (30 April 1870 – 16 February 1944), was an Indian producer-director-screenwriter, known as "the Father of Indian cinema". His de ...

. The film was acclaimed critically and won several awards. It was also selected as India's official entry to

82nd Academy Awards The 82nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2009 and took place on March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m ...

in the

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

category.

Personal life

Paresh Mokashi was born to a Maharashtrian family in

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

and was brought up in

Lonavla Lonavala ( ISO: Loṇāvaḷā) is a hill station town and a Municipal Council in the Pune district, Maharashtra, India. It is about west of Pune and to the east of Mumbai. It is known for its production of the hard candy ''chikki'' and is also ...

. He is a grandson of a noted Marathi writer D. B. Mokashi. Mokashi finished his schooling in Lonavla and acquired Bachelor of Arts degree from a Pune-based college. He has also formed his production company, "Mayasabha Productions", which has produced some of his own work including his 2005 Marathi play, ''Samudra'' and 2009 Marathi film, ''Harishchandrachi Factory''. He currently lives in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

and is married to theatre actor-writer Madhugandha Kulkarni, who had also done a minor role in Mokashi's debut film, ''Harishchandrachi Factory''. Mokashi's struggle to make the film is included as one of the twenty inspiring stories in the book "Connect the Dots" by Rashmi Bansal, under the title "Truth Shall Prevail" in "Zubaan" section of the book.

Career

Theatre

Mokashi started as a backstage worker for a theatre group in Pune. He has been associated with Marathi theatre since 1988 and worked as an actor in Pune based organisations like Theatre Academy and Maharashtra Cultural Center. He also participated in the plays made for children by a

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

based theatre group,

Grips-Theater The Grips-Theatre in Berlin (official name: GRIPS Theater) is a well-known and well-respected emancipatory children's and youth theatre, located at Altonaer Straße at Hansaplatz in the Hansaviertel in Berlin's Mitte district. It is “the first ...

. After acting in couple of plays, Mokashi got associated with

Prithvi Theatre Prithvi Theatre is one of Mumbai's best known theatres. It was built by Shashi Kapoor and his wife Jennifer Kapoor in memory of Prithviraj Kapoor, Shashi's father, who had dreamt of having a "home" for his repertory theatre company, Prithvi Th ...

. While working as an organiser for their theatre festivals, Mokashi directed his first play ''Sangeet Debuchya Mulee (Debu's Daughters: The Musical)'' in

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

for 1999 Prithvi Theatre festival. The play was also written by Mokashi himself. He directed few more plays including ''Mukam Post Bombilwadi (Bombilwadi: The Village)'', ''Sangeet Lagnakallol (The Roaring Marriage: The Musical)'' and ''Samudra (The Ocean)''. All his plays got critical acclaim and won several awards on release. ''Sangeet Debuchya Mulee'' made satirical comments on the current communal harmony in India, through the daughters of a saintly social reformer in Maharashtra, Debuji Zhingraji Janorkar, popularly known as

Gadge Maharaj Gadge Maharaj (23 February 1876 - 20 December 1956; also known as Sant Gadge Maharaj or Sant Gadge Baba) was an Indian mendicant-saint and social reformer from the Indian state of Maharashtra. He lived in voluntary poverty and wandered to differ ...

. The play's narrative format used Kirtans,

call-and-response Call and response is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience in which the speaker's statements ("calls") are punctuated by responses from the listeners. This form is also used in music, where it falls under the general category of ...

chanting or

responsory A responsory or respond is a type of chant in western Christian liturgies. Definition The most general definition of a responsory is any psalm, canticle, or other sacred musical work sung responsorially, that is, with a cantor or small group si ...

, which were popularised by the 13th-century

Hindu 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 ...

saint,

Dnyaneshwar Sant Dnyaneshwar (Marathi pronunciation: ̪ɲaːn̪eʃʋəɾ, also referred to as Jnaneshwar, Jnanadeva, Dnyandev or Mauli or Dnyaneshwar Vitthal Kulkarni (1275–1296), was a 13th-century Indian Marathi saint, poet, philosopher and yogi ...

and another 16th-century

Varkari Warkari ( Marathi: वारकरी; Pronunciation: �aːɾkəɾiː Meaning: 'The one who performs the ''Wari) is a sampradaya (religious movement) within the bhakti spiritual tradition of Hinduism, geographically associated with the In ...

saint,

Tukaram Sant Tukaram Maharaj (Marathi pronunciation: ̪ukaːɾam was a 17th-century Marathi poet, Hindu ''sant'' (saint), popularly known as Tuka, Tukobaraya, Tukoba in Maharashtra. He was a Sant of Varkari sampradaya (Marathi-Vaishnav tradition) ...

. His 2001

comedy play Comedy is a genre of dramatic performance having a light or humorous tone that depicts amusing incidents and in which the characters ultimately triumph over adversity. For ancient Greeks and Romans, a comedy was a stage-play with a happy endin ...

, ''Mukam Post Bombilwadi'', showcased tumultuous events upon

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

's accidental landing in a small village in coastal Maharashtra. The 2004

musical play Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

, ''Sangeet Lagnakallol'', was set in early 1900s referencing the characters and situations from

Shripad Krushna Kolhatkar Shripad Krushna Kolhatkar ( mr, श्रीपाद कृष्ण कोल्हटकर) (1871-1934) was a Marathi writer from Maharashtra, India. He was born on June 29, 1871 in Buldana. While in high school, he wrote a play named ''Sukh ...

's book, ''Sudaamyaache Pohe'' (1910) and

Ram Ganesh Gadkari Ram Ganesh Gadkari (26 May 1885 – 23 January 1919) was a Marathi poet, playwright, and humorist from Bombay Presidency, India. Ram Ganesh Gadkari was one of the writers the in new age transformation in Marathi literature. He wrote poetry und ...

's book, ''Sampoorna Baalakraam'' (1925). His other plays like ''Mangalawarache Mundake'' (2001) discussed environmental concerns and ''Samudra'' (2005), starring

Atul Kulkarni Atul Kulkarni (born 10 September 1965) is an Indian actor, producer and screenwriter who works in Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, English, Odia and Telugu language films. Kulkarni won the National Award for the Best Supporting A ...

, explored a mystery based upon ancient Vedic mythological history.

Feature films

Mokashi did a few small-time roles for Hindi TV serials and feature films, including

Sanjay Leela Bhansali Sanjay Leela Bhansali (; born 24 February 1963) is an Indian filmmaker, director, screenwriter, and music composer who is known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of several awards, including four National Film Awards, ten Filmfar ...

's ''

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam ''Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'' () is a 1999 Indian Hindi-language romantic musical film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. It was released internationally as ''Straight From the Heart''. The film stars Aishwarya Rai, Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn. B ...

'' (1999) but soon he turned to writing and directing. Mokashi came across a biography of

, also known as the father of

Indian cinema The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, ...

, written by Bapu Watve. With an idea of making film on Phalke, Mokashi started his research with the help of National Film Archive of India, Pune and finished the script by March 2005. As Mokashi did not undergo any formal training for film-making and did not assist any other film directors earlier, he found it difficult to find producers for the film and it took three years to raise finances for the film. Declining the suggestions of making the film in Hindi, casting big stars, adding at least one title track, Mokashi decided to produce the film by himself through his production company, "Mayasabha Productions". Made with the budget of , Mokashi had to mortgage his house to complete the film. Mokashi made directorial debut with his much acclaimed feature film, ''

''. The film shoot was completed in December 2005 and post production work was finished in eight months in 2008. In an interview with Rediff.com, Mokashi told that the film "had a technical release in the remote places of Maharashtra so tcould participate in various festivals across the country." The film made in

Marathi language Marathi (; ''Marāṭhī'', ) is an Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by Marathi people in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the official language of Maharashtra, and additional official language in the state of Goa. It is one of t ...

depicts the struggle of Dadasaheb Phalke in making of India's first full-length feature film, ''

'' (1913). Unlike typical biopic films, Mokashi used light humoured adventure style for the film. The film gathered wide critical acclaim and Mokashi was praised for the narrative storyline of the film. The film also participated in several national and international film festivals. The film was selected as India's official entry to

in the

category along with

62nd British Academy Film Awards The 62nd British Academy Film Awards, given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, took place on 8 February 2009 and honoured the best films of 2008. Winners and nominees Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema * Pinewood ...

and

66th Golden Globe Awards The 66th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television of 2008, was broadcast on January 11, 2009, from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, United States on the NBC TV network. The broadcast was watched by approx ...

but was not listed among the final five nominations. Mokashi's next feature film '' Elizabeth Ekadashi'' was released on 14 November 2014. The film received critical acclaim and commercial success and was selected as the opening film of 'Indian Panorama' at The International Film Festival of India (IFFI). The film won

National Film Award for Best Children's Film The National Film Award for Best Children's Film is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several awards ...

at the

62nd National Film Awards The 62nd National Film Awards ceremony was an event during which the Directorate of Film Festivals presents its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2014 in the Indian cinema. The awards were announced on 24 March 2015 and the ...

in 2015.

Other work

After Mokashi's film competed for Academy Awards, in July 2010, he launched Shailaja Dekhmukh's Marathi book "...And The Oscar Goes To..." about Academy award-winning films and its history. In January 2011, he inaugurated 5th National Book Exhibition at Nagpur and mentioned that if he hadn't read Dadasaheb Phalke's biography in 2005, he would not have made the film. In March 2011, UTV World Movies launched a short film contest, "Premier: The Short Film Festival", for amateur and professional film makers. Mokashi was on the jury panel along with writer-director

Sooni Taraporevala Sooni Taraporevala (born 1957) is an Indian screenwriter, photographer and filmmaker who is the screenwriter of '' Mississippi Masala'', '' The Namesake'' and Oscar-nominated ''Salaam Bombay!'' (1988), all directed by Mira Nair. She also adapte ...

and director

Raj Kumar Gupta Raj Kumar Gupta is an Indian film writer and director, known for his work in Hindi cinema. He made his directorial debut with the critically acclaimed '' Aamir'' (2008). He then went on to write and direct ''No One Killed Jessica'' (2011), base ...

. The top three winners were given a chance to work with Mokashi. In November 2011, Mokashi was made part of

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

and PVR Cinemas' joint initiative "My City My Parks", which focused on encouraging children about urban greenery. Mokashi inaugurated the event along with

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

actor Abhay Deol and director

Amole Gupte Amole Gupte (born c. 1962) is an Indian screenwriter, actor, and director, known for his work on the 2007 Bollywood film ''Taare Zameen Par (Like Stars on Earth)'' as creative director and screenwriter. He conceived the film along with his wif ...

. The child participants of the event were asked to create a project on the topic of environmental conservation, in the form of a film, photo-journal, murals or a theatre performance. Gupte and Mokashi also worked as mentors for the shortlisted participants.

Seminars and discussions

Mokashi has attended several seminars and discussions about Indian cinema. In August 2010, Film and Television Institute of India in collaboration with Film Writers Association, India organised a two-day seminar on film scripts, "The Uniqueness of the Indian Script", at

. Mokashi was part of seminar session, "The Road Ahead: Globalism, the Digital Revolution and Other Attractions", with actor Kamal Haasan as its chairperson. The session also included other filmmakers like

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra (born 7 July 1963) is an Indian film director, occasional actor and screenwriter. He is best known for writing and directing ''Rang De Basanti'' (2006) and ''Bhaag Milkha Bhaag'' (2013). He is the writer and director of ...

, Rohan Sippy and

Vikramaditya Motwane Vikramaditya Motwane (born 6 December 1976) is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter who works in Hindi cinema. He is known for films like '' Udaan'' (2010), ''Lootera'' (2013) and '' AK vs AK'' (2020). His directorial debut '' ...

. In May 2011, Mokashi was seen explaining and exploring the myths about Indian history in an event organised by actor Nandu Madhav, who had portrayed Dadasaheb Phalke in Mokashi's film. At 84th

Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan (All India Marathi Literary Conference) is an annual conference for literary discussions by Marathi writers. Marathi is the official language of Maharashtra State. The first Marathi Sahitya Sammelan was h ...

in December 2011, he opened a discussion about

with fellow participants like actor Mohan Agashe, actress

Mrinal Kulkarni Mrinal Deo-Kulkarni (born 21 June 1971) is a senior film, TV actress and director of India. She is better known for her role as Meerabai in doordarshan's Meerabai seriel and angel in Hindi TV serial '' Son Pari''. She has acted in Marathi langu ...

Smita Talwalkar Smita Talwalkar (5 September 1954 – 6 August 2014) was a Marathi film actress, producer and director. She won two National Film Awards as producer of the films ''Kalat Nakalat'' (1989) and ''Tu Tithe Mee'' (1998). Career Born as Smita Govilk ...

and director

Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni is a Marathi film director. He is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India ( FTII), Pune. He is known for Marathi films such as '' Valu'' (The Wild Bull), '' Vihir'' (The Well), ''Deool'' (The Temple) a ...

. He mentioned that Marathi film industry should experiment with new subjects, however he also said that these experimentations may not guarantee favourable audience responses. In May 2012, Mokashi participated in the centenary of Indian cinema celebration organised by P. L. Deshpande Arts Academy in Mumbai. He was accompanied by another Marathi film director,

Chandrakant Kulkarni Chandrakant Kulkarni (born 1963) is an Indian director, script writer and actor associated with Marathi theatre and film. He is known for his works of directing the plays ''Wada Chirebandi'', ''Dhyanimani'', ''Gandhi Virudh Gandhi'' and most r ...

, and was involved in two discussions, "Dadasaheb Phalke's cinematic journey" and "Hundred Years of Indian Cinema".

Creative work

Awards

;Plays * 2004 – Alpha Gaurav Awards: Best Direction – ''Sangeet Lagnakallol'' ;Feature films * ''

'' :* 2008 –

56th National Film Awards The 56th National Film Awards, presented by Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in India to celebrate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 2008. Three committees were ins ...

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Marathi The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Marathi is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of severa ...

:* 2008 – John Abraham National Awards in the fourth edition of SIGNS :* 2009 – Ahmedabad International Film Festival: Best Feature Film :* 2009 – 18th Aravindan Puraskaram: Best Debutant Director :* 2009 – Balasaheb Sarpotdar Award: Best Feature Film :* 2009 –

Gollapudi Srinivas Award Gollapudi Srinivas Award is a national-level private award given to a first-time director in Indian Cinema every year. It is given out in the memory of Gollapudi Srinivas (3 March 1966 – 12 August 1992). He was the youngest son of veteran Telugu f ...

: Best Debutant Director :* 2009 – 14th

International Film Festival of Kerala The International Film Festival of Kerala (abbreviated as IFFK) is a film festival held annually in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. This film festival started in 1996 and is hosted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy ...

: Hassan Kutty Award for Best Debut Indian Film :* 2009 – 46th

Maharashtra State Film Awards Maharashtra State Film Awards, one of the prestigious awards of Marathi cinema, are awarded by the Government of Maharashtra to Marathi language films and artists. They were first awarded in 1963. Winners 2000 This year's award ceremony took plac ...

: Best Feature Film :* 2009 – 46th Maharashtra State Film Awards: Best Director :* 2009 – 1st International Film Festival Kolhapur: Public Choice Award :* 2009 – Marathi International Film and Theatre Awards: Best Screenplay :* 2009 – Pune International Film Festival: Best Director (Marathi Section) :* 2010 –

Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) is an annual film festival held in Los Angeles, California. Established by Christina Marouda in 2003, as a nonprofit organization devoted to paving the way for a greater appreciation of Indian cinema

: Audience Choice Awards * '' Elizabeth Ekadashi'' :* 2015 – 13th Pune International Film Festival: Government of Maharashtra "Sant Tukaram" Best International Marathi Film :*2015 – Salaam Pune Awards: Best Film :*2015 –

;Other awards * 2009 – Maharashtra Ratna: Jewel of Maharashtra * 2010 – Majha Sanman Puraskar: Excellence in art * 2010 – Acharya Atre Foundation, Pune: Excellence in cinema * 2011 – P. B. Bhave Memorial Trust: Excellence in cinema * 2012 – The Maharashtra Chapter of the Federation of Film Society of India: Contribution to the

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mokashi, Paresh 1969 births Film directors from Mumbai Indian male screenwriters Marathi film directors Living people Film producers from Mumbai Male actors from Mumbai Male actors in Marathi theatre 21st-century Indian film directors 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Screenwriters from Maharashtra Marathi film producers 21st-century Indian male writers Directors who won the Best Children's Film National Film Award 21st-century Indian screenwriters