Nila Madhab Panda (born 18 October 1973) is an Indian film producer and

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

. Panda has produced and directed over 70 films, documentaries and shorts based on social issues such as

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

child labor Child labour refers to the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such e ...

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

, water issues,

sanitation Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation syste ...

and many other developmental issues in India. Most of his films draw inspiration from his own life, having won several awards and critical acclaim for his films which have been received as entertaining yet socially relevant.

Early life

Panda hails from Dasharajpur Village, in Subarnapur District of Western

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

, the youngest of five siblings. Education in a rural Indian village meant a school with no building, and walking 4-9 km daily. In 1995, after failing to graduate, Panda left Delhi and landed the job of a camera attendant. There he learnt the intricacies of filmmaking. He is stated to have studied Entrepreneurship at

IIM Bangalore The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) are central government-owned-public business schools for management offering undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral and executive programmes along with some additional courses in the field of busines ...

Career

Nila Madhab Panda is an Odia director and producer involved in making mainstream and parallel

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 ...

films,

documentaries A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in term ...

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

s and public service advertising campaigns. He has served on the juries of national and international film festivals, such as International Film Festival of India (IFFI). He started his career by assisting director Robin Romanov and producer

Barbara Broccoli Barbara Dana Broccoli (born June 18, 1960) is an American film and stage producer, best known internationally for her work on the ''James Bond'' film series. With her half-brother Michael G. Wilson, Broccoli controls the ''James Bond'' film fr ...

. His first feature film '' I Am Kalam'' became an iconic film winning 34 international awards along with a national award. His second feature film '' Jalpari'' (Desert Mermaid) received the MIP Junior award at Cannes. He continued making path breaking films like '' Babloo Happy Hai'' (Babloo is happy) and ''

Kaun Kitne Paani Mein ''Kaun Kitney Paani Mein '' () is an Indian drama film released on 28 August 2015 directed by Nila Madhab Panda starring Saurabh Shukla, Kunal Kapoor, Radhika Apte and Gulshan Grover in lead roles. The film is a satire on various social issues ...

'' (In troubled water). His project '' Kadvi Hawa'' (Dark wind) was highly rated and critically acclaimed globally and received a national award. This is one of the first films that brought climate change into Indian cinema. His feature-length documentary ''God's own people'' narrated by Amitabh Bachchan connects between people's faith with tree and God. '' Halkaa'' (Relief) was his production - a musical film with children. The film narrates a story about the Swachhata Abhiyaan (Clean India Mission) and the importance of

. It won Best Film at the Grand Prix in Poland. In February 2021, Panda announced that his First Odia language film ''Kalira Atita'' had been submitted to the

Oscars The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

2021 in the General Category and was available for Academy screening. However, the film did not make the cut for Oscar nominations.

Direction

Feature films

Film awards

* ''Jalpari'' won MIP Junior award for best film, 2012, Cannes * Viewers' Choice award at IFFLA, 2011 * Best Feature Film ('' I am Kalam'') in Chicago International Children's Film Festival, 2011 * People's Choice Award at the Montreal International Children's Film Festival, 2011 * Best Feature Film award at Silent River Film Festival (SRFF), California, 2011 * Best Director award at Silent River Film Festival (SRFF), California, 2011 * Winner of the Don Quixote Prize of the International Cine Club Federations at the Lucas International Film Festival, Germany, 2010 * Winner of "Best feature film" at the Lucas International Film Festival, Frankfurt 2010 * "Special Jury mention" CineKid International Film Festivals 2010 * "International Jury's Special Mention" at the Ale Kino International Film Festival, Poland 2010 * Bronze Cairo for Best Feature at Cairo International Film Festival for Children, Cairo, 2012 * The Prize of the International Center of Films For Children & Young People (CIFEJ) at the Cairo International Film Festival for Children, Cairo, 2012 * Winner of "Best feature film" from the Indian Panorama by the Young Jury at the 41st International, Film Festival of India 2010 * Best Debut Director – Aravindam Purashkaram, 2011 * Golden Elephant Award for the Best Screenplay at 17th International Children's Film Festival, India,2011 * Best Feature Film in CMS International Film Festival, 2011 * "Audience Favorite choice" at the Barbican London Children Film Festival 2010 * Audience Favorite at Barbican London Children's Film Festival, 2011 * Best Feature Film, Dream Fest – Slatina, 2012 * Best Film ('' Halkaa'') at the Grand Prix in Poland, 2018

Other awards and recognition

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 conf ...

, 2016 * British Council - Creative Futures of India 2006 (Longest Journey award) * UK Environment Film Fellowship 2005 * Heroism in Cinematography, 2003 THP, New York * "Excellence in media" for fighting the cause female foeticide * United Nations Visual Media fellowship 2002 * "Odisha icon" 2011 * "Living Legend" 2012 * "Son of Odisha" 2012 * "Bharat Gaurav (India's pride)" 2015 * Asia Pacific entrepreneurship award * Karmaveer Purasakar * 2021 - Jury member at

52nd International Film Festival of India The 52nd International Film Festival of India opened on 20 November with ''The King of All the World'' (''El Rey de Todo El Mundo'') by Carlos Saura in Goa. Like 51st edition this edition was also held in hybrid format, that combined online an ...

, Goa 2021

References

External links

* *
Smile Foundation India
{{DEFAULTSORT:Panda, Nila Madhab 1973 births Living people People from Subarnapur district Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Hindi-language film directors Film directors from Odisha Film producers from Odisha Indian Institute of Management Bangalore alumni