Saad Khan is an Indian director, screenwriter and acting teacher and Improv comedian who works in films and web series. He is the founder and creative head of FirstAction Studios that recently merged with
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 ...
-based media conglomerate
Rainshine Entertainment.
Khan is known for his Kannada-English feature film ''
Humble Politician Nograj'' (2018), which became a hit and the first
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 ...
film to achieve world-wide digital audience presence on
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...
's
PrimeVideo platform.
As a writer & director, Khan’s short film ''Another Kind of Black'' (2008) was screened at the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
. During the first
Covid lockdown, Khan created a
Hindi
Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
web series and was also the chief writer for ''Ankahi Ansuni''- a
horror-thriller which is streaming on
Disney+ Hotstar.
In addition to his directorial ventures - Station,
Love & She, an
indie
Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Gaming
*Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies
*Indie game, any game (board ...
Hollywood feature film on
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...
,
and
Humble Politician Nograj, Saad is also the host and creator of the live improvisational comedy show called
The Improv
The Improv is a comedy club franchise. It was founded as a single venue in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City in 1963, and expanded into a chain of venues in the late 1970s.
History
Originally, it was a single venue founded in 1 ...
, which became a platform for many stand-up and improv comedians in the country.
Early life
Khan was born 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 ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, and was raised in
Bangalore
Bangalore (), List of renamed places in India, officially Bengaluru (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan area, metropolitan population of a ...
. Khan is an alumnus of St. Joseph's College, eventually graduating as a mechanical engineer from
M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology. While studying to be an engineer, he developed an interest in theatre at the age of 17 and started writing and directing plays, also spearheading a theatre group which then produced over 12 plays in a span of 4 years.
Khan decided to pursue a career in film and media. After graduating from college, Khan left for the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
to continue his education in filmmaking. He got a degree certificate in filmmaking from
Tisch School of the Arts
The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University.
Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...
,
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, th ...
where he was also awarded a study scholarship and assistantship. Khan's determination to excel in filmmaking then took him to the
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette, University of Louisiana, ULL, or UL) is a public research university in Lafayette, Louisiana. It has the largest enrollment within the nine-campus University of Louisiana System and the s ...
where he was awarded his master's degree in Communication and Media.
He then returned to New York to complete the summer degree program in directing at Tisch.
Career
Right after completing college, Saad Khan wrote and directed two short films, ''Another Kind of Black'' and ''On My Mind''. The former was selected at the Short Film Corner of the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
, and the latter was shot in the south of the US and was screened at the Acadiana Film Festival. On his return to
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, Khan assisted Ashutosh Gowariker in the Bollywood film
Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey
''Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey'' () is an Indian Hindi-language historical action-adventure film directed by Ashutosh Gowariker and released on 3 December 2010. Starring Abhishek Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Sikandar Kher, it was based on Manini ...
almost immediately. After a 2-year stint in Mumbai, he founded his media company Firstaction Studios in
Bangalore
Bangalore (), List of renamed places in India, officially Bengaluru (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan area, metropolitan population of a ...
, which received recognition for content creation, ad films and commercials for brands, acting, communication and media workshops, producing stage shows, managing casting for films, ads, television commercials, viral videos and provides opportunities across India. Khan’s production of the live comedy show
The Improv (India)
''The Improv'' is an improvisational comedy show which was started in May 2012 in Bangalore, India. The show has no script and is totally improvised, as its name suggests. The audiences give suggestions, situations and scenarios to the host and t ...
became a popular feature for the Bangalore audience. Unscripted and unrehearsed, the show has Khan and 4 improv comedians perform improv comedy on the spot by taking scenarios from a live audience. The Improv was the first national act which was presented by Black Dog Easy Evenings in
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, in the northern part of Southern India ...
, after they toured with performers such as
Russell Peters
Russell Dominic Peters (born September 29, 1970) is a Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, and producer. He began performing in Toronto in 1989 and won a Gemini Award in 2008. In 2013, he was number three on ''Forbes'' list of the world's highe ...
,
Robert Schneider
Robert Peter Schneider (born March 9, 1971) is an American musician and mathematician. He is the lead singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer of rock/pop band the Apples in Stereo and has produced and performed on albums by Neutral Milk H ...
, and the team of
''Whose Line Is It Anyway?''' In addition to performing across major Indian metro cities, The Improv has toured internationally with well received shows in
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
,
Abu Dhabi, and
Sweden.
Khan then moved into ideating and creating something with
Danish Sait that changed the face of Kannada filmmaking- Humble Politician Nograj. The movie was a satirical take on a narcissistic and crazy politician's ambition to go from a small time corporator to an influential MLA. Humble Politician Nograj also created a strong buzz by becoming the first Kannada feature film to find its place on the international OTT platform - Amazon PrimeVideo. With web series and online shows catching up with the audiences, Khan and team decided to give it an online push with a web series.
Instead of a film sequel to Humble Politician Nograj, Khan and Sait made the sequel as a web series in association with Applause Entertainment and the first season focused on Nograj's journey after he became an
MLA.
Khan also stated that the idea to push it online was creatively focused.
The
Nograj web series has been written and directed by Khan in association with Danish Sait and executed by FirstAction Studios. The primary producer is
Sameer Nair
Sameer Nair (born 1965) is an Indian media executive and business professional currently serving as CEO of Applause Entertainment Limited. He helped revamp the Star India, Star One, Star Utsav, Star Gold, Star Vijay and Channel V television ne ...
, the CEO of Applause Entertainment and the content publisher of shows such as
Scam
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers hav ...
,
Criminal Justice (Indian TV series)
''Criminal Justice ''is an Indian Hindi-language crime thriller legal drama web series for Hotstar Specials, based on the 2008 British television series of the same name, written by Shridhar Raghavan and was directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia and V ...
,
Hostages (Indian TV series)
''Hostages'' is an Indian Hindi-language crime thriller web series for Hotstar Specials, which is an official remake of an Israeli series of the same name. Written by Nisarg Mehta, Shiva Bajpai and Mayukh Ghosh, the series is directed by Sudhir ...
and Maaz Khan of FirstAction Studios. The show released on Voot in 2022 to rave reviews.
Khan's venture with Danish Sait – FirstAction, under which the movie Humble Politician Nograj
was created has recently given significant stakes to Mumbai-based Rainshine Entertainment in a strategic move.
Khan has also conducted numerous acting workshops and mentored many artists. Some of his students include famous comics such as
Sumukhi Suresh
Sumukhi Suresh (born 18 October 1987) is an actor, stand-up comedian, writer and director from India. She is popularly known for her humorous sketches which she writes and stars in for live performances as well as online platforms. In an online art ...
,
Kenny Sebastian
Kenneth Mathew Sebastian (born 31 December 1990) is an Indian stand-up comedian, musician and filmmaker. He first rose to prominence through a YouTube channel that broadcasts clips of his stand-up shows, devotional song covers, in addition to o ...
, and actors
Samyukta Hornad, Ria Nalavade, Medha Rana,
Fahmaan Khan
Fahmaan Khan (born 4 September 1990) is an Indian actor and model who predominantly works in Hindi television. He is best known for playing Dr. Veer Pratap Singh Rajawat in Zee TV's drama '' Apna Time Bhi Aayega'' (2020-21) and Aryan Singh Rathore ...
, Ayn Zoya and many more. Khan has written and created the web series ''Ankahi Ansuni'', a thriller about a Sub Inspector caught in the web of myths and superstitions as he tries to solve strange crimes in a small north Indian town. It was released 15 July 2021 on
Disney+ Hotstar.
Also featured on the same OTT platform is ''Chattis Aur Maina'', a story about a dancer girl (a Nachaniya) and what happens when she falls in love with a decent man who has a heart of gold and the soul of a poet, conceptualized by Khan and Saishree D.
Khan's upcoming film ''Sangeet'' is a romantic comedy-drama written and directed by Saad Khan himself and produced by Chandru Manoharan of
Lahari Music and Nikhil Kumarswamy. It will mark FirstAction's foray into full-length features and theatrical releases in the Telugu industry.
Web series
Humble Politician Nograj
Saad had his debut
OTT release with ''
Humble Politician Nograj Season 1'' produced by
Applause Entertainment in association with FirstAction Studios and it premiered on
Voot Select in January 2022. Written and directed by Saad, the series begins with a moving tribute to the Kannada actor
Puneeth Rajkumar
Puneeth Rajkumar (17 March 1975 – 29 October 2021), colloquially known as Appu, was an Indian actor, playback singer, television presenter, and producer, who worked in Kannada cinema. He was the youngest son of actor and matinee idol Dr. Raj ...
(Appu) who died in 2021. It is a sequel to the 2018 film
Humble Politician Nograj, in which Puneeth had played a cameo.
The first season has total 10 episodes and each episode with the running time duration of 30 minutes. The Show deals with the horse-trading after a fractured mandate and the desire to hold on to power.
Reviews
Subha J Rao of ''
Firstpost
''Firstpost'' is an Indian online news and media website. The site is a part of the Network 18 media conglomerate owned by Reliance Industries, which also runs CNN-News18 and CNBC-TV18.
The ''Network 18'' group was originally owned by Ragh ...
'' stated "The show, produced by Sameer Nair, Maaz Khan, Danish Sait and Saad Khan, is deeply irreverent, and it is refreshing to see no one being spared. We should all learn to laugh and lighten up a bit. When Nograj can, can’t we?"
A critic for ''Cinema Express'' said "Nograj is back and chutzpah is intact!."
Personal life
Khan has a younger brother, Maaz Khan, who is a partner and producer at FirstAction studios. His mother, Sabiha Zubair and sister Safa Khan have been cited as a strong influence on Khan.
Awards and honours
* Young Achiever in Media by
Whistling Woods International
__NOTOC__
Whistling Woods International is a film, communication and creative arts institute located in Mumbai, India. The institute is promoted by the Indian Filmmaker Subhash Ghai, Mukta Arts and Film City Mumbai. In July 2014, ''The Holly ...
* Award in Recognition for Excellence in Media by
Symbiosis International University
Symbiosis International (Deemed University), is a multi-campus private deemed university located in the city of Pune, India. The university has more than 30 academic institutions spread over various campuses in Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, In ...
* Awarded Outstanding Alumnus by the
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette, University of Louisiana, ULL, or UL) is a public research university in Lafayette, Louisiana. It has the largest enrollment within the nine-campus University of Louisiana System and the s ...
, Department of Communication
* Karnataka Award - department of youth empowerment and sports.
* Nominated for South Indian International Movie Awards">SIIMA Award for Best Debut Director (
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 ...
) at the 8th South Indian International Movie Awards
Filmography
Director
References
External links
First Action Media*
Saad Khanspeaking at
TEDxMAIS
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Saad
Film directors from Mumbai
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Film producers from Mumbai
Film directors from Bangalore
Hindi-language film directors
21st-century Indian film directors