Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of North India, northern, Central India, centr ...

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

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, '' Elippat ...

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 ...

Thenmavin Kombath ''Thenmavin Kompath'' () is a 1994 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Priyadarshan. It was produced and edited by N. Gopalakrishnan. The film stars Mohanlal, Shobana, and Nedumudi Venu, with Kaviyoor Po ...

Chandralekha Chandralekha may refer to: Films * ''Chandralekha'' (1948 film), an Indian Tamil film directed and produced by S. S. Vasan starring M. K. Radha * ''Chandralekha'' (1995 film), an Indian Tamil film directed by Nambirajan starring Vijay * ''Chandra ...

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 appe ...

Kuthiravattam Pappu Padmadalakshan, better known by his stage name Kuthiravattam Pappu (24 December 1936 – 25 February 2000), was a popular Indian stage and film actor. His repertoire of acting was based on his unique style and use of the ''Kozhikodan'' dialect, i ...

Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair (16 October 191611 March 1997) was an Indian poet, playwright, script writer, lyricist, orator, film director and actor, though he is best known as an actor in Malayalam cinema. He is the recipient of Padma Shri from ...

Thilakan Palappurathu Kesavan Surendranatha Thilakan (15 July 1935 – 24 September 2012) was an Indian film and stage actor who appeared in over 200 Malayalam films. Thilakan was known for his elaborate method acting, realistic and spontaneous appearan ...

Jagathy Sreekumar Sreekumar P. K. (born 5 January 1951), better known by his stage name Jagathy Sreekumar or simply Jagathy, is an Indian actor, director and playback singer, who has appeared in over 1500 Malayalam films in a career spanning almost four decad ...

Nedumudi Venu Kesavan Venugopal (22 May 1948 – 11 October 2021), better known by his stage name Nedumudi Venu, was an Indian actor and screenwriter from Kerala, who predominantly worked in Malayalam cinema. He acted in more than 500 films, primarily in ...

Sreenivasan Sreenivasan (born 6 April 1956) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, dubbing artist and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Sreenivasan has starred in over 225 films. Sreenivasan wrote the screenplays of films such as ...

Kaviyoor Ponnamma Kaviyoor Ponnamma is an Indian actress who appears in Malayalam films and television. She began her career performing in theatre dramas before foraying into cinema. She has also acted in TV serials and commercials and has playback singing cre ...

KPAC Lalitha Maheshwari Amma, better known by her stage name K. P. A. C. Lalitha, was an Indian film and stage actress who worked primarily in Malyalam. She started her acting career with K. P. A. C., a theatre collective in Kayamkulam, Kerala. In a caree ...

Revathi Asha Kelunni Nair (born 8 July 1966), better known by her stage name Revathi, is an Indian actress and director, known for her works predominantly in Tamil & Malayalam cinema - in addition to Telugu, Hindi & Kannada films. She has won severa ...

Cochin Haneefa Muhammed Haneefa (22 April 1951 – 2 February 2010), better known by his stage name Cochin Haneefa, was an Indian actor, film director, and screenwriter. He started his career in the 1970s mainly portraying villainous roles, before going on t ...

Maniyanpilla Raju Sudheer Kumar (born 20 April 1955), better known by his stage name Maniyanpilla Raju (Malayalam:മണിയൻപിള്ള രാജു), is an Indian actor and producer who works in Malayalam film industry.Mukesh, Nandhu, Jagadeesh, C.I. Paul, Vineeth,

Ganesh Kumar Keezhoote Balakrishna Pillai Ganesh Kumar (born 25 May 1966) is an Indian actor, television host, and politician. Ganesh Kumar is a proposed cabinet minister for the last 2.5 years in the ongoing 2nd LDF govt in Kerala and he is also the curre ...

and Mamukoya. He is known for adapting Malayalam films into Hindi, from his own work as well as from other films. Most notable such Bollywood films include '' Hera Pheri'', '' Hungama'', '' Hulchul'', ''

Garam Masala Garam masala Hindustani / (''garm masala'', "hot spices")] is a Spice mix, blend of ground spices originating from India. It is common in Indian, Pakistani, Nepalese, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan and Caribbean cuisines. It is used alone or with other ...

'', '' Bhagam Bhag'', '' Chup Chup Ke'', '' De Dana Dan'' and '' Bhool Bhulaiyaa''. His multiple collaborations in Hindi include Tabu,

Paresh Rawal Paresh Rawal (born 30 May 1955) is an Indian actor, comedian, film producer and politician known for his works notably in Hindi films, and Telugu, and a few Gujarati and a few Tamil films. He has appeared in over 240 films and is the recipie ...

, Pooja Batra,

Amrish Puri Amrish Puri (22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005) was an Indian actor, who was one of the most notable and important figures in Indian cinema and Theatre. He acted in more than 450 films, established himself as one of the most popular actor ...

, Johny Lever,

Asrani Govardhan Asrani (born 1 January 1940), popularly known simply as Asrani, is an Indian actor and director whose Bollywood career has spanned five decades. He has acted in over 350 Hindi films. Asrani has played the lead roles, character roles, ...

,

Akshay Kumar Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia (born 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian-born naturalised Canadian Quote: "(Former prime minister Stephen) Harper campaigned in 2011 alongside one of Modi's biggest celebrity backer ...

,

Anil Kapoor Anil Kapoor (born 24 December 1956) is an Indian actor and producer who works primarily in Hindi films, besides television and international films and television. In a career spanning over 40 years as an actor and since 2005 as a producer, Kap ...

, Akshaye Khanna,

Kareena Kapoor Kareena Kapoor Khan (; ''née'' Kapoor; born 21 September 1980) is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi films. She is the daughter of actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita, and the younger sister of actress Karisma Kapoor. Noted for playing a v ...

,

Om Puri Om Prakash Puri (18 October 1950 – 6 January 2017) was an Indian actor who appeared in mainstream commercial Hindi films as well as Bengali, Kannada, English,Punjabi and one Telugu film, as well as independent and art films and also starr ...

,

Tinnu Anand Tinu Anand (born Virender Raj Anand, 12 October 1945) is an Indian actor, director, writer and producer in Hindi cinema and a few Telugu and Tamil films. Early life He is the son of veteran writer Inder Raj Anand, brother of producer Bittu An ...

, Shakti Kapoor, Rajpal Yadav, Manoj Joshi, Sharat Saxena, Arbaaz Khan,

Jackie Shroff Jaikishan Kakubhai Shroff (born 1 February 1957), popularly known as Jackie Shroff, is an Indian actor and former model. He has been in the Bollywood industry for over four decades, and , has appeared in over 220 films in 13 languages namely Hi ...

and

Suniel Shetty Suniel Shetty (born Sunil V. Shetty; 11 August 1961) is an Indian actor, film producer, television personality and entrepreneur who is predominantly active in Hindi films he has also worked in tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and kannada films. In a ...

. Priyadarshan has also directed many advertisement films. His most popular commercials are for

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atla ...

,

American Express American Express Company (Amex) is an American multinational corporation specialized in payment card services headquartered at 200 Vesey Street in the Battery Park City neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. The company was found ...

,

Nokia Nokia Corporation (natively Nokia Oyj, referred to as Nokia) is a Finnish multinational telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation, established in 1865. Nokia's main headquarters are in Espoo, Finlan ...

, Parker Pens, Asian Paints, Kinley and Max New York Life Insurance.

Early life

Priyadarshan received his education at Government Model School, Trivandrum and obtained a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...

in Philosophy from University College Trivandrum. His father was a college librarian, it helped Priyadarshan to develop interest in books. He was a voracious reader during his teenage years, and during his study in college he started writing short plays and skits for

All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All ...

. He was influenced by the films of director

P. Venu P. Venu (8 November 1940 – 25 May 2011), was an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, and lyricist with over 20 films to his name.His directorial venture Udhyogastha in 1967 was the first-ever multi-star cast film of the south Indi ...

. His friends in those days included

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 appe ...

,

M. G. Sreekumar Malabar Gopalan Sreekumar (born 25 May 1957), better known as M.G. Sreekumar is an Indian playback singer, composer, music producer, television presenter and film producer, who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema. He has sung more than 200 ...

, Suresh Kumar, Sanal Kumar,

Jagadish P. V. Jagadish Kumar (born 12 June 1955) known mononymously as Jagadish, is an Indian actor, screenwriter, television presenter and former politician. He has starred in over 375 Malayalam films and 2 Hindi films. He is best known for his co ...

,

Maniyanpilla Raju Sudheer Kumar (born 20 April 1955), better known by his stage name Maniyanpilla Raju (Malayalam:മണിയൻപിള്ള രാജു), is an Indian actor and producer who works in Malayalam film industry.Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of ...

, looking for a chance in films. Priyadarshan, with the help of Mohanlal, got a few chances to work as an assistant scriptwriter in a couple of films and started writing scripts, with some turning into success. Eventually, he had to come back to Kerala.

Film career

Priyadarshan has been working since 40 years in

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, K ...

as a director and screenwriter. He has directed over 95 Films in 4 Indian languages mainly, Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi and Telugu.

1984-1987

In 1984, Priyadarshan, along with his close friends Suresh Kumar and Sanal Kumar, decided to produce a film as Shankar, the saleable hero, helped them in arranging finance from Thiruvenkadam, a top film financier. Mohanlal, who was by then a popular star, was selected as the parallel hero along with Shankar. Thus in 1984, Priyadarshan made his debut as director with ''Poochakkoru Mookkuthi'', which was a surprise hit. A slapstick comedy film shot on a low budget, it completed a successful run of 100 days in Kerala theatres. Priyan continued his fine form for slapstick comedy with the successful ''

Odaruthammava Aalariyam ''Odaruthammava Aalariyam'' () is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language screwball comedy film directed by Priyadarshan and written by Sreenivasan from a story by Priyadarshan. It is about a middle aged family man who is a womanizer and about three col ...

'' and he later made ''

Onnanam Kunnil Oradi Kunnil ''Onnanam Kunnil Oradi Kunnil'' is a 1985 Indian Malayalam-language screwball comedy film written and directed by Priyadarshan. The film stars Mohanlal, Shankar, Sukumari, Prem Prakash and Sankaradi. The film has musical score by Raghu Kumar. ...

'' and the

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 films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada ...

- Shankar family thriller '' Parayanumvayya Parayathirikkanumvayya''. Then he made '' Punnaram Cholli Cholli'', his first film without

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 appe ...

. His successful stinct continued with '' Boeing Boeing'' and '' Aram + Aram = Kinnaram'', both doing wonderful business. He was later criticised for making ''

Rakkuyilin Ragasadassil ''Rakkuyilin Ragasadassil'' is a 1986 Malayalam-language Indian family drama film written and directed by Priyadarshan, starring Mammootty, Suhasini, Adoor Bhasi, Jagathi Sreekumar and Lissy (actress), Lissy in lead roles. Plot The film starts ...

'', a film which was supposed to be made with Shankar and Menaka and many said the lead pair

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 films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada ...

&

Suhasini Suhasini Maniratnam (born 15 August 1961) known mononymously as Suhasini, is an Indian actress, director, producer and writer in the Tamil film industry. She has worked as an actress in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. She made her ...

was miscast and in spite of hit songs, the film flopped. But '' Mazha Peyyunnu Maddalam Kottunnu'', '' Ayalvasi Oru Daridravasi'' and '' Dheem Tharikida Thom'' became hits underlining his consistency. Priyan was accepted as a serious director with the highly successful tragic family drama '' Thalavattam''. His Tamil film ''

Chinnamanikkuyile Priyadarshan (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works predominantly in Malayalam and Hindi films, while also having done six films in Tamil and two films in Telugu. He has done about 31 films in Hi ...

'' remained unreleased, while his success stint continued in Malayalam with '' Cheppu'' being a success.

1988-1998

1988 was a landmark year in Priyadarshan's career. He directed '' Vellanakalude Nadu'', based on a script by

Sreenivasan Sreenivasan (born 6 April 1956) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, dubbing artist and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Sreenivasan has starred in over 225 films. Sreenivasan wrote the screenplays of films such as ...

, with Mohanlal in the lead role. This film revolved around corruption, land mafia and other social issues. This film ended up becoming the biggest hit in Priyadarshan's career to that point. Then came '' Aryan'', an action film based on the

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

underworld scripted by T.Damodaran, which completed 150 days in theatres. '' Chithram'', Priyadarshan's all-time biggest hit, was also released in 1988. ''Chithram'' completed 366 days in theatres and created new records in collections, until they were broken by his own film, '' Kilukkam'' in 1991. '' Oru Muthassi Katha'' and '' Mukunthetta Sumitra Vilikkunnu'' completed his 5 releases of 1988. However, he couldn't deliver hits in 1990 with '' Kadathanadan Ambadi'' and '' Akkare Akkare Akkare''. In the year 1991, Priyadarshan brought out '' Kilukkam'' with Mohanlal, Jagathi Sreekumar and

Revathi Asha Kelunni Nair (born 8 July 1966), better known by her stage name Revathi, is an Indian actress and director, known for her works predominantly in Tamil & Malayalam cinema - in addition to Telugu, Hindi & Kannada films. She has won severa ...

. ''Kilukkam'' broke several collection records and is still considered one of the best films from the Priyadarshan-Mohanlal team. His next three films, '' Abhimanyu'' (1991), '' Advaitham'' (1992), and ''

Thenmavin Kombathu ''Thenmavin Kompath'' () is a 1994 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Priyadarshan. It was produced and edited by N. Gopalakrishnan. The film stars Mohanlal, Shobana, and Nedumudi Venu, with Kaviyoor Ponnamma, ...

'' (1994) successfully completed 100 days in theatres. Both ''

Midhunam The Malayalam Calendar is a sidereal solar calendar used in Kerala. The origin of the calendar has been dated to 825 CE, the beginning of the Kollam Era. There are many theories regarding the origin of the era, but according to recent scholar ...

'' (1993) and '' Minnaram'' (1994) were able to make good response in cinemas. Meanwhile, Priyadarshan was invited by Shri. M. Karunanidhi to direct a film for his son's production house. Priyadarshan thus made his Tamil debut with '' Gopura Vasalile'' . In 1991 he also made a Telugu film '' Nirnayam'' when

Nagarjuna Nāgārjuna . 150 – c. 250 CE (disputed)was an Indian Mahāyāna Buddhist thinker, scholar-saint and philosopher. He is widely considered one of the most important Buddhist philosophers.Garfield, Jay L. (1995), ''The Fundamental Wisdom of ...

approached him to remake his

Malayalam film 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 ...

'' Vandanam'' in Telugu. In the year 1992, Priyadarshan made his debut in

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 ...

with ''Muskurahat'', again remake of his own Malayalam film '' Kilukkam'' which ended up as a disastrous flop. In 1993, he made a comeback in Hindi with ''

Gardish ''Gardish'' () is a 1993 Indian Hindi-language action crime film written and directed by Priyadarshan, starring Jackie Shroff, Aishwarya and Dimple Kapadia. It is a remake of the 1989 Malayalam film '' Kireedam''. The film won two Filmfare ...

'', an adaptation of the Malayalam film '' Kireedom'', written by A. K. Lohithadas. Priyadarshan successfully added ingredients required for Hindi audiences and the film was a huge hit, opening the doors of

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 ...

to him. In 1994, Priyadarshan directed his second and last

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

film till date, '' Gandeevam'', starring Balakrishna. He was also assigned the direction of the Miss World 1996 event that was held in

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

, which made him a known face around the country. In 1996, Priyadarshan came up with his dream project, '' Kalapani'', an epic period film based on Indian struggle for Independence scripted by T.Damodaran. 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 appe ...

, Tabu, Prabhu and

Amrish Puri Amrish Puri (22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005) was an Indian actor, who was one of the most notable and important figures in Indian cinema and Theatre. He acted in more than 450 films, established himself as one of the most popular actor ...

in main roles and outstanding music by Ilaiyaraja, '' Kalapani'' took Priyadarshan's career path to new heights. This film, which was originally filmed in Malayalam, was also dubbed and released in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi simultaneously. ''Kalapani'' brought him several awards for the first time in his career. In 1997, Priyadarshan directed two films, ''

Chandralekha Chandralekha may refer to: Films * ''Chandralekha'' (1948 film), an Indian Tamil film directed and produced by S. S. Vasan starring M. K. Radha * ''Chandralekha'' (1995 film), an Indian Tamil film directed by Nambirajan starring Vijay * ''Chandra ...

'' in Malayalam and '' Virasat'' a Hindi adaptation of Bharathan's Tamil film '' Thevar Magan'', both super hits. The success of ''Virasat'' made Priyadarshan a household name in Hindi cinema. In the year 1998, Priyadarshan directed three films, '' Saat Rang Ke Sapne'', remake of his own ''

Thenmavin Kombathu ''Thenmavin Kompath'' () is a 1994 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Priyadarshan. It was produced and edited by N. Gopalakrishnan. The film stars Mohanlal, Shobana, and Nedumudi Venu, with Kaviyoor Ponnamma, ...

'', then '' Doli Saja Ke Rakhna'', with story adapted from '' Fazil's'' ''

Aniyathi Pravu ''Aniyathipraavu'' () is a 1997 Indian Malayalam-language romance film directed by Fazil and produced by Swargachitra Appachan. It stars debutant Kunchacko Boban and Shalini (thereby, making their cinematic debut in leading roles). The film tel ...

'' and '' Kabhi na Kabhi'', but all three bombed at the box office. Priyadarshan joined with Mammooty after a long gap in 1999 for '' Megham''. During this period Priyadarshan received a couple of offers from

Chiranjeevi Chiranjeevi (born Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad; 22 August 1955) is an Indian actor, film producer and former politician, who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. Chiranjeevi starred in over 150 feature films in Telugu, as well as some film ...

and

Nagarjuna Nāgārjuna . 150 – c. 250 CE (disputed)was an Indian Mahāyāna Buddhist thinker, scholar-saint and philosopher. He is widely considered one of the most important Buddhist philosophers.Garfield, Jay L. (1995), ''The Fundamental Wisdom of ...

, actors of Telugu industry to direct them, but declined them and moved on to his next Hindi project.

2000-2016

In 2000, '' Hera Pheri'' was released in Hindi, which for once and all changed the destiny of Priyadarshan in

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 ...

. ''Hera Pheri'', an adaptation of the Malayalam film ''

Ramjirao Speaking ''Ramji Rao Speaking'' is a 1989 Indian Malayalam-language comedy-thriller film written and directed by the duo Siddique–Lal (in their directorial debut) and produced by Fazil, Swargachitra Appachan, and Ousepachan Vaalakuzhy. It stars Sai ...

'' (1989), was a huge hit at the box office. Starring

Akshay Kumar Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia (born 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian-born naturalised Canadian Quote: "(Former prime minister Stephen) Harper campaigned in 2011 alongside one of Modi's biggest celebrity backer ...

,

Sunil Shetty Suniel Shetty (born Sunil V. Shetty; 11 August 1961) is an Indian actor, film producer, television personality and entrepreneur who is predominantly active in Hindi films he has also worked in tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and kannada films. In a c ...

, Tabu and

Paresh Rawal Paresh Rawal (born 30 May 1955) is an Indian actor, comedian, film producer and politician known for his works notably in Hindi films, and Telugu, and a few Gujarati and a few Tamil films. He has appeared in over 240 films and is the recipie ...

, this film is now considered a landmark in the history of Hindi cinema. The film also gave birth to the Priyadarshan-Akshay Kumar team, which in later years produced several hits. After '' Hera Pheri'',

Paresh Rawal Paresh Rawal (born 30 May 1955) is an Indian actor, comedian, film producer and politician known for his works notably in Hindi films, and Telugu, and a few Gujarati and a few Tamil films. He has appeared in over 240 films and is the recipie ...

became another regular face in Priyadarshan films. This film was followed by a series of films in Hindi including '' Yeh Teraa Ghar Yeh Meraa Ghar'', '' Hungama'', '' Hulchul'', ''

Garam Masala Garam masala Hindustani / (''garm masala'', "hot spices")] is a Spice mix, blend of ground spices originating from India. It is common in Indian, Pakistani, Nepalese, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan and Caribbean cuisines. It is used alone or with other ...

'', and '' Kyon Ki''. In the year 2000, Priyadarshan directed the Malayalam-Tamil bilingual '' Raakilipattu'' ('' Snegithiye'' in Tamil) starring Tabu and

Jyothika Jyothika Saravanan (; born 18 October 1978) is an Indian actress, model and film producer who predominantly appears in Tamil films.

, with story adapted from the

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 * * ...

film ''

Bindhaast ''Bindhast'' (English:''Carefree'') is a 1999 Marathi-language thriller film directed by Chandrakant Kulkarni and produced by Matchindra Chate. The film is known for its all-women cast. The film was remade in Tamil as ''Snegithiye'' and in Mala ...

'', an experimental film with all female characters, which was critically well received. The original plan was to release both versions simultaneously, but due to unknown reasons the Malayalam version was delayed and the Tamil version released first. The Malayalam as well as the dubbed Hindi version, ''Friendship'', released only seven years later in 2007. Priyadarshan's

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to t ...

epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements Epic or EPIC may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and medi ...

period film titled ''

The Last Revolutionary Priyadarshan (born 30 January 1957) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works predominantly in Malayalam and Hindi films, while also having done six films in Tamil and two films in Telugu. He has done about 31 films in Hi ...

'' produced by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film studio, film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm o ...

, based on the life of Indian freedom fighter

Chandrasekhar Azad Chandra Shekhar Tiwari ( (23 July 1906 – 27 February 1931), popularly known as Chandra Shekhar Azad, was an Indian revolutionary who reorganised the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) under its new name of Hindustan Socialist Republican ...

was supposed begin filming in 2001, but the project was shelved due to unknown reasons. During this period, Tamil actor

Kamal Haasan Kamal Haasan (born 7 November 1954) is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, playback singer, television presenter and politician who works mainly in Tamil cinema and has also appeared in some Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Kannada and Bengali f ...

was working on his ambitious film, '' Anbe Sivam''. After finishing the script, Kamal Haasan approached Priyadarshan to direct the film. The pre-production commenced; but after some differences of opinion between the director and the actor; Priyadarshan opted out from the project before the first schedule. This sudden setback led to the whole crew to run out of their schedules. Hence, the producers after convincing Kamal Haasan, quickly roped in Sundar.C to direct the film. Priyadarshan made the comedy film '' Kakkakuyil'' in 2001, bringing back the old combo of

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 appe ...

and Mukesh, which was popular in the 1980s and 1990s. The film was a superhit at the box office. Then his two other films in Malayalam, '' Kilichundan Mampazham'' and '' Vettam'' released in 2003 and 2004 respectively, were average run at box office, which made him concentrate more in Bollywood. But at the same time, in Hindi, Priyadarshan continued his successful run with '' Chup Chup Ke'', '' Bhagam Bhag'', '' Malamaal Weekly'', ''

Dhol Dhol (IPA: ) can refer to any one of a number of similar types of double-headed drum widely used, with regional variations, throughout the Indian subcontinent. Its range of distribution in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan primarily includes nor ...

'', '' Bhool Bhulaiyaa'', '' De Dana Dan'' and '' Mere Baap Pehle Aap''. But his subsequent films '' Billu'', '' Bumm Bumm Bole'', ''

Khatta Meeta ''Khatta Meetha'' () is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language political satire comedy film written and directed by Priyadarshan and produced by Dhilin Mehta and Twinkle Khanna under Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Limited and Hari Om Entertainment. A rem ...

'', '' Aakrosh'' and '' Tezz'' failed to live up to the expectations. His most recent release '' Rangrezz'' also failed at the box-office. In the meantime, Priyadarshan stunned everyone with '' Kanchivaram'', an offbeat film that revolved around the weavers in Kanchipuram. Prakash Raj, who played the central character, won the National Film Award for Best Actor in 2008. Kanchivaram also won accolades at several film festivals. Priyadarshan returned to Malayalam films directing the Mohanlal starrer, '' Arabeem Ottakom P. Madhavan Nayarum in Oru Marubhoomikkadha''. The 2013 film ''

Geethaanjali ''Geethaanjali'' is a 2013 Indian Malayalam-language horror film directed by Priyadarshan and written by Abhilash Nair, with dialogue by Dennis Joseph. Though promoted as spin-off of the 1993 Malayalam film '' Manichitrathazhu'', it was an ...

'' starring Mohanlal as Dr. Sunny Joseph, and the 2014 film '' Aamayum Muyalum'' did not do well at the box-office. Jackky, Priya & Priyadarshan promote ‘Rangrezz’

Jackky, Priya & Priyadarshan promote ‘Rangrezz’

In late 2015, Priyadarshan announced a crime thriller film in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

, 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 appe ...

in the lead role. The production was confirmed and the title '' Oppam'' was announced in December 2015. The director started working on the film ahead of another big-budget film starring Mohanlal, which was delayed due to unfavourable weather in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

, where the film was supposed to be shot. The screenplay and dialogues are written by Priyadarshan himself which is based on the story by debutant writer Govind Vijayan. The film released to positive reviews and emerged as a blockbuster, beating several records and becoming the highest grossing Malayalam film of the year within 16 days of release.

2018-present

In early 2018, he started pre-production on '' Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham'', a Malayalam language epic historical period film set in the 16th century. The film 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 appe ...

in the titular role, is based on the battle exploits of

Kunjali Marakkar IV Kunjali Marakkar (alternatively spelled Kunhali Marakkar) was the title inherited by the Admiral of the fleet of the Samoothiri / Zamorin, the king of Kozhikode / Calicut, in present-day Kerala, India. There were four Marakkars whose war tacti ...

—the naval chieftain of the

Zamorin of Calicut The Samoothiri (Anglicised as Zamorin; Malayalam: , Arabic: ''Sāmuri'', Portuguese: ''Samorim'', Dutch: ''Samorijn'', Chinese: ''Shamitihsi''Ma Huan's Ying-yai Sheng-lan: 'The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores' 433 Translated and Edited ...

. Kunjali Marakkars organised the first naval defense of the Indian coast by safeguarding

Calicut Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second la ...

from Portuguese invasion for almost a century. The film was eventually released on 2 December 2021.

Personal life

He married actress Lissy on 13 December 1990. The couple got divorced in 2016, actress

Kalyani Kalyani may refer to: Film and television * ''Kalyani'' (1940 film), a Hindi film * ''Kalyani'' (1952 film), a Tamil film * ''Kalyani'' (1971 film), a Kannada film * ''Kalyani'' (1979 film), a Telugu film * ''Kalyani'' (1983 film), an Oriya ...

and Sidharth are their children.

Filmography

Awards and honours

Priyadarshan has won awards, given by the State and Central government for his movies. His offbeat film '' Kanchivaram'' was adjudged the best feature film at the 2007 National Film Awards. He made a period epic film titled ''

Kaalapani ''Kaalapani'' () is a 1996 Indian Malayalam-language epic historical drama film co-written and directed by Priyadarshan. Set in 1915, the film focuses on the lives of Indian independence activists incarcerated in the Cellular Jail (or ''Kālā ...

'', in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

, which told the story of freedom fighters in the jail at

Andaman and Nicobar Islands The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a union territory of India consisting of 572 islands, of which 37 are inhabited, at the junction of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. The territory is about north of Aceh in Indonesia and separated ...

; it starred

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 appe ...

, Tabu, Prabhu and

Amrish Puri Amrish Puri (22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005) was an Indian actor, who was one of the most notable and important figures in Indian cinema and Theatre. He acted in more than 450 films, established himself as one of the most popular actor ...

, and received four National Film Awards, including awards for

Santosh Sivan Santosh Sivan (born 8 February 1964) is an Indian cinematographer, film director, producer and actor known for his works in Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi cinema. Santosh graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India and has to date ...

(cinematography) and

Sabu Cyril Sabu Cyril is an Indian film production designer. Having worked in 116 feature films and 2500 add films. He has won four National Film Award for Best Production Design, four state awards, six Filmfare Award for Best Art Direction (including s ...

(art direction). The film was dubbed and released in other languages such as Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. ;Civilian Awards * 2012 –

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is confe ...

Awarded "Padma Shri", by the president of India for his contribution to Indian Cinema. ; National Film Awards: *

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...

– Director of the Best Feature Film – '' Kanchivaram'' (Golden Lotus) *

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...

– Producer of the Best Feature Film – '' Kanchivaram'' (Golden Lotus) *

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

– Director of the Best Feature Film – '' Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea'' (Golden Lotus) ;

Filmfare Awards South Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassin ...

* 2009 – Filmfare Award for Best Director – Tamil – '' Kanchivaram'' ;

FilmFare Awards The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...

: * 1997 – Filmfare Award for Best Film (Critics) – '' Virasat'' ;

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 Ch ...

: * 1994 – Kerala State Film Award for Best Film with Popular Appeal and Aesthetic Value – ''

Thenmavin Kombath ''Thenmavin Kompath'' () is a 1994 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Priyadarshan. It was produced and edited by N. Gopalakrishnan. The film stars Mohanlal, Shobana, and Nedumudi Venu, with Kaviyoor Po ...

'' * 1995 – Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Film – ''

Kaalapani ''Kaalapani'' () is a 1996 Indian Malayalam-language epic historical drama film co-written and directed by Priyadarshan. Set in 1915, the film focuses on the lives of Indian independence activists incarcerated in the Cellular Jail (or ''Kālā ...

'' ;Madhya Pradesh State Film Awards: * 2019 – Prestigious Kishore Kumar Award for contribution to Indian Cinema ;Other Awards : * 2008 – Special Honour Jury Award for Outstanding contributions to Indian Cinema * 2008 – Special Jury Award at Chennai & Jaipur International Film Festival – 'Sila Samayangalil', an art movie on AIDS awareness. * 2010 – Jaihind Rajat Mudra Award *The Films – Kalapani and Thenmavin Kombathu has also won another 6 National Awards for Photography, Sound, Art Direction and Special Effects. *'Excellence Award', by Hindustan University, Chennai – 2013 * Kerala Government's Appointment under Ministry of Culture: * Chairman of Kerala State Chalachithra Academy for the period 2011-2014 * Director of International Film Festival of Kerala for the period 2011–2014. * 2019 – ''

Kishore Kumar Kishore Kumar (born as Abhas Kumar Ganguly (); 4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987) was an Indian playback singer and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest, most influential and dynamic singers in the history of Indian music. He w ...

'' Award by the

Government of Madhya Pradesh Government of Madhya Pradesh also known as the State Government of Madhya Pradesh, or locally as the State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and its 52 districts. It consists of an executive, ...

* 2022 –

Honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad ho ...

( D.Litt) from

Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science (HITS), formerly Hindustan College of Engineering, is a deemed-to-be-university headquartered in Chennai, India. It was founded in 1985 by K.C.G. Verghese and was conferred the "University Statu ...

. ; Asiavision Awards: * 2016 – Best Director – '' Oppam'' ; Sports : * Columnist for Malayala Manorama Newspaper for international cricket matches played in Kerala. * Chairperson of the Committee of Ceremonies for the 35th National Games held in Kerala in 2015. ;Social : * Rising Star Outreach of India – Served as Director from July 2014 till March 2019; Rising star is one of the largest leprosy eradication organization in the world, running welfare centres and educational institutions for leprosy affected people and their family. Government of India's appointment under Ministry of Information & Broadcasting : Priyadarshan served as 'Chairperson', of the Feature Films Jury of the 50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2019. He was the Central Jury Chairperson of 64th National Awards for 2016 (President's Award for the Year 2016 )

References

External links

Official website
* *

{{Authority control Film directors from Thiruvananthapuram Malayalam film directors Film producers from Thiruvananthapuram Hindi-language film directors Kerala State Film Award winners Living people 1957 births Filmfare Awards South winners Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts 20th-century Indian film directors 21st-century Indian film directors Malayalam screenwriters People from Thiruvananthapuram 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Screenwriters from Thiruvananthapuram Directors who won the Best Feature Film National Film Award