Rajesh Touchriver (born M. S. Rajesh) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer known for his works in English, Malayalam, Telugu, and Hindi language films. He received various National and International honors for his works. In 2002 he directed '' In the Name of Buddha'' which was later screened in the Spotlight on India section at the

2003 Cannes Film Festival The 56th Cannes Film Festival started on 14 May and ran until 25 May 2003. French opera and theatre director, filmmaker, actor and producer Patrice Chéreau was the President of the Jury. The Palme d'Or went to the American film ''Elephant'' by Gus ...

. In 2013, he scripted, and directed the social problem film ''

Naa Bangaaru Talli ''Naa Bangaaru Talli'' () is a 2013 Indian Telugu-language social problem film written and directed by Rajesh Touchriver. Based on a real-life story, the film stars Siddique, Anjali Patil, Lakshmi Menon, Neena Kurup, and Rathna Shekar. The fi ...

'' which won five International honors, the

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu 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 ...

, and four state

Nandi awards The Nandi Awards are the awards that recognise the excellence in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre and Telugu television, and Lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. Presented annually by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the award is named af ...

including Second Best Feature Film.

Early life

Rajesh Touchriver was born in Arakulam, Idukki district,

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South C ...

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 ...

as the youngest son of Siva Sankaran Nair and Rukmini Amma. He had some early training in Kalaripayattu. He took his bachelor's degree in Design and Direction from the School of Drama and Fine Arts in 1992, Trissur, Kerala.

Early career

He worked with the National School of Drama, New Delhi as a designer in 1995. By the year 1998, he had directed more than 30 plays in Malayalam, English and Telugu languages. Rajesh won the Charles Wallace Trust Award in 2001 and pursued his master's degree in visual language/scenography and direction from the Wimbledon College of Art, London. Rajesh's debut film '' In the Name of Buddha'' (2002) was premiered at the Oslo International Film Festival and won critical acclaim. Controversial in theme, the film is a treatment of the ethnic conflict then raging in Sri Lanka. The film was screened at international film festivals in 2003 and won the Best Foreign Film award at the Beverly Hills International Film Festival, the Newport Beach International Film Festival and at the Wine Country International Film Festival in the same year. Rajesh directed two Telugu films in the interim: 10 the Strangers and Alex, the Blue Fox.

Filmography

Film Craft

Documentaries and short films

Rajesh has made several short films and documentaries on human trafficking, HIV/AIDS and communal riots that support the media advocacy initiatives of the United Nations and NGOs, national and international. His film for the United Nations, ''One Life, No Price'' for social sensitisation against human trafficking was well received by civil society organisations internationally. ''Anamika, the Nameless'' on a similar theme which was shot in the red light areas of India in

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 ...

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

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

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders wi ...

, won the AC award under the "Best Foreign Award – Documentary Short Film" category and the Best Documentary Film Award at the Hyderabad International Film Festival. The film has been included in the curriculum of National Police Academy and National Judicial Academy. ''The Sacred Face'', a short film on child sexual abuse, sent the audience back home unsettled at its screening in Hyderabad. Following the success of in the Name of Buddha, Rajesh directed the music video for "

Sunshowers "Sunshowers" is a song by British musician M.I.A. from her debut studio album, ''Arular''. It was written and produced by Maya "M.I.A." Arulpragasam, Ross Orton, Steve Mackey, August Darnell and Stony Jr. Browder, with additional vocals and pr ...

" for Maya Arulpragasam (M.I.A.).

Music videos – screenplay, direction

* "

" for MIA XL Recording, London, UK (3 mins, English, Super 16 mm, 2004) * "Hire Fire" for Prajwala (music album containing six 4 mins songs against human trafficking, Hindi/Telugu, DV, 2004)

Awards

; National Film Awards * Best Feature Film in Telugu – '' Na Bangaaru Talli'' (2013) ;

Nandi Awards The Nandi Awards are the awards that recognise the excellence in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre and Telugu television, and Lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. Presented annually by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the award is named af ...

* Second Best Feature Film - ''Na Bangaaru Talli'' (2013)

Other honors

*Best Director (Regional cinema) Rajasthan International Film Festiva
2018
*Best Foreign Feature Film Award – Crossing The Screen International Film Festiva
2017
*Award of Excellence from IFFCRM, Indonesia – 2013 *Best Filmmaker of the Year Award IFFCRM, Jakarta, Indonesia – 2013 *Award of Excellence from IFFCRM, Indonesia – 2013 *Best Feature Film Award Trinity International Film Festival – 2013 *Best Documentary Film Award Hyderabad International Film Festival – 2008 *Best Editing Award Festival De Cine De Granada – 2007 *Best Foreign Documentary film Award Action Cut International Film Festival 2006 *Outstanding Alumnus Award – School of Drama- 2003 *Best Film Award Wine country International Film Festival- 2003 *Best Film Award New port Beach International Film Festival – 2003 *Best Foreign Film Award - Beverly Hills International Film Festival- 2003 *The Charles Wallace India Trust Award.- 2001 *Indie International Best Foreign Feature Film – '' Raktham - The Blood'' *Indie International Best Overall Feature Film – Peoples Choice – '' Raktham - The Blood''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Touchriver, Rajesh 21st-century Indian film directors 1972 births Living people Malayali people Telugu film directors Malayalam film directors Tamil film directors Indian documentary filmmakers Indian experimental filmmakers Nandi Award winners Indian production designers 20th-century Indian designers Film directors from Kerala People from Idukki district Screenwriters from Kerala