Namrata Singh Gujral | |
|---|---|
 Namrata Singh Gujral on the set of Americanizing Shelley | |
| Born | February 26, 1976 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Film director and producer |
Namrata Singh Gujral (born February 26, 1976) is an American filmmaker, motivational speaker and actor.
Gujral was born in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, but left India at a young age. [1] A devout Sikh by faith, she graduated in 1998 from the University of West Florida. She is a film producer, director and motivational speaker. She is also a former actress.
Gujral also serves as President of Uniglobe Entertainment, a Hollywood based studio, which focuses on socially relevant international projects for the North American market.
Gujral is a breast cancer survivor and blood cancer survivor. She attributes her medical journey to the dramatic shift in her life – a shift that has led her to choose entertainment projects that carry strong humanitarian angles.
Gujral is currently shooting Finding Match, a docu-drama on blood cancer, that traces the journey of humans from pre-historic times and the genetic changes that occurred, which make various ethnic groups more likely to find stem cell matches within their own communities.
Gujral is also wrapping production on America's Forgotten 2 – a sequel to ‘America’s Forgotten’, a docu-drama on the American immigration system, which was shot in several countries. Newsweek released the trailer.
Gujral’s recent venture 5 Weddings, a Hollywood-Bollywood rom-com, features international stars Nargis Fakhri (Bollywood Blockbuster Rockstar ), Rajkummar Rao (Bollywood Blockbuster Stree ), Oscars nominee Candy Clark (American Graffiti) and Golden Globes nominee Bo Derek (10). [2] [3] Film opened theatrically in 54 countries this past October. Film delves into the lives of Hijras, a group of transgender dancers at Indian weddings, who are socially ostracized. [4]
Lifetime TV honored Gujral as one of their “Remarkable Women” making her the first Indian-American to join the ranks of other notables such as Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton. The honor was awarded for WB’s 1 a Minute starring Olivia Newton-John, Melissa Etheridge, Deepak Chopra, Lisa Ray, Mumtaz, Jaclyn Smith, Barbara Mori and Billy Baldwin.
Gujral’s first production Americanizing Shelley starring Beau Bridges and Wil Wheaton was released theatrically in 24 countries with Warner Bros. Film posted higher box office averages than Angelina Jolie’s ‘Changeling’ and Brad Pitt’s ‘The Curious Life of Benjamin Button’ in various territories including Dubai and South Africa.
Gujral also recently directed American Dream, a film starring Satya Bhabha (Deepa Mehta’s Midnight’s Children), Alex Veadov (Act Of Valor) and Omi Vaidya (Bollywood Blockbuster 3 Idiots). The film covered the challenges faced by new immigrants from the third world who migrate to developed countries.
Gujral’s upcoming projects include STILL (a sci-fi feature), currently in casting and Tie That Binds (a war based drama), currently in scripting which focuses on an international NATO mission in the Middle East.
Gujral has been recognized widely for her creative and commercial expertise on co-productions between Hollywood and Bollywood. She often lends her opinions at major networks like CNN, Fox and Times of India. Gujral has spoken on Hollywood-Bollywood co-productions at Stanford University, Nashville Film Fest, Melbourne Film Festival, Connecticut Film Fest and more.
Gujral was the first Indian-American invited by the late Bollywood stalwart Yash Chopra (Founder, Yash Raj Films) to speak on the dynamics of global co-productions at FICCI, India’s highly prestigious entertainment conference, held annually in Mumbai. Gujral has also served as Juror at film festivals and several Miss India-America pageants.
As part of a give back to the world cancer community, Gujral launched The Thrive Channel in June 2017. TTC is a media brand devoted to cancer survivors. Gujral developed the shows Destination Survival, Ultimate Survivor and Thrive with Namrata as a guidebook for cancer survivors to promote a good quality life after cancer treatments. Shows feature experts Dr. Dennis Slamon (Inventor, Herceptin), Dr. Debu Tripathy (MD Anderson) and Dr. Deanna Attai (President, American Society of Surgeons).
Gujral started in the industry as an actress – a career choice she gave up in 2008 after her first cancer diagnosis. As an actress, Gujral’s highlights include ‘Dancin’ In The Clouds, a first time “Country Rock” meets “Bollywood” duet with country music star Steve Azar (“Waitin’ on Joe” w/ Morgan Freeman), recurring role of “Fari Bin Ghori” on CBS’s “The Agency” produced by Wolfgang Petersen (“The Perfect Storm”) and a five-year stint, on NBC’s ‘Passions’ (2001-2005). Gujral also essayed the role of Pakistani-American “Saira Ahmed” in CBS’s Family Law (for which Gujral, along with co-stars Tony Danza and Kathleen Quinlan, were Columbia Tristar’s official nomination for Emmy Awards 2002).
In 2013, she was treated for Burkitt's lymphoma. She was treated with aggressive chemotherapy including intrathecal chemotherapy at City of Hope for six months. The cause of lymphoma was prior chemotherapy from 2008 for breast cancer. In 2013, Gujral was in remission from both cancers. [5]
In 2008, Gujral was treated for early stage, invasive breast cancer. She underwent surgery and chemotherapy. [6] She hosts Thrive! With Namrata, a panel based show with cancer survivors on the Thrive Channel. [7] She is featured in Uniglobe Entertainment's cancer docu-drama titled 1 a Minute released in 600 theaters. This is the largest release to date for a cancer-related film in cinema history. The docudrama is directed and produced by Gujral and also stars breast cancer survivors Olivia Newton-John, Diahann Carroll, Melissa Etheridge, Mumtaz, Jaclyn Smith and cancer survivors Lisa Ray, Barbara Mori and cancer treatment advocates Deepak Chopra, William Baldwin, Daniel Baldwin, Priya Dutt and Nancy Brinker. This marked Gujral's directorial debut. [5]
Gujral made her singing debut with the single "Dancin' In The Clouds", an American country rock meets Bollywood style duet, with country star Steve Azar, currently playing on Country Music Television. The single also features on MTV and VH1. Hollywood composer Jay Ferguson of Spirit and Jo Jo Gunne fame produced the single, reportedly making her the first American artist with Eastern roots to be featured on CMT. [8]
For her role as Saira Ahmed on the CBS series Family Law , Gujral, along with co-stars Tony Danza and Kathleen Quinlan, were Columbia TriStar's official nomination for the 2002 Emmy Awards.
| Year | Video |
|---|---|
| 2007 | "Dancin' in the Clouds" (with Steve Azar) |
Melissa Lou Etheridge is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and guitarist. Her eponymous debut album was released in 1988 and became an underground success. It peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard 200 and its lead single, "Bring Me Some Water", garnered Etheridge her first Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female in 1989. Her second album, Brave and Crazy, appeared that same year and earned Etheridge two more Grammy nominations. In 1992, Etheridge released her third album, Never Enough, and its lead single, "Ain't It Heavy", won Etheridge her first Grammy Award.
Daniel Leroy Baldwin is an American actor. He is the second oldest of the four Baldwin brothers, all of whom are actors. Baldwin played the role of Detective Beau Felton in the NBC TV series Homicide: Life on the Street, and has also starred in Ned Blessing: The True Story of My Life (1992), Mulholland Falls (1996), Vampires (1998), The Pandora Project (1998), Stealing Candy (2002), Paparazzi (2004), Cleaver (2007) and Grey Gardens (2009).
William Joseph "Billy" Baldwin is an American actor. A member of the Baldwin family, he is the second-youngest Baldwin of the four Baldwin brothers. He has starred in the films Flatliners (1990), Backdraft (1991), Sliver (1993), Virus (1999), The Squid and the Whale (2005), Forgetting Sarah Marshall, in which he portrayed himself, and the Netflix show Northern Rescue (2019). Baldwin is married to singer Chynna Phillips.
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, also known by the initialism DDLJ, is a 1995 Indian Hindi-language musical romance film written and directed by Aditya Chopra in his directorial debut and produced by his father Yash Chopra. Released on 20 October 1995, the film stars Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol as Raj and Simran, two young non-resident Indians, who fall in love during a vacation through Europe with their friends. Raj tries to win over Simran's family so the couple can marry, but Simran's father has long since promised her hand to his friend's son. The film was shot in India, London, and Switzerland, from September 1994 to August 1995.
Mujhse Dosti Karoge! is a 2002 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Kunal Kohli and produced by Yash Chopra for his banner, Yash Raj Films. The film stars Hrithik Roshan, Rani Mukerji and Kareena Kapoor in the lead roles, with Uday Chopra in a supporting role. The film follows the love triangle of 3 childhood friends: Pooja (Mukerji), Raj (Roshan) and Tina (Kapoor).
Bárbara Mori Ochoa is an Uruguayan-born Mexican actress, model, producer and writer. She is known for playing the main character in the 2004 telenovela Rubí, one of the most successful telenovelas of all time. Since 2005, she has appeared as the lead character in several Hollywood and Bollywood films such as My Brother's Wife (2005), Violanchelo (2008), Insignificant Things (2008) produced by Guillermo del Toro, Kites (2010), Cantinflas (2014) and Treintona, soltera y fantástica (2016).
Kaante is a 2002 Indian Hindi-language action-thriller film directed by Sanjay Gupta, written by Milap Zaveri, and starring an ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty, Lucky Ali, Mahesh Manjrekar, Kumar Gaurav, Namrata Singh Gujral, Rati Agnihotri, Rohit Roy, Isha Koppikar and Malaika Arora. Set in Los Angeles, the film follows six Indian men who are detained without evidence by the police. Feeling wronged and vengeful, they team up to plot a bank heist that would leave the Los Angeles Police Department penniless. However, once things go out of hand, they start suspecting each other's identities, resulting in violence and chaos.
Mujhse Shaadi Karogi is a 2004 Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by David Dhawan and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. The film stars Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra with Amrish Puri, Kader Khan, Satish Shah and Rajpal Yadav in supporting roles. Set primarily in Goa, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi follows the adventures of two men who try to win a woman's (Chopra) heart.
Mumtaz Askari Madhvani is an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films. Regarded as one of finest actresses of Hindi cinema, Mumtaz is the recipient of two Filmfare Award. Mumtaz made her acting debut at age 11 with Sone Ki Chidiya (1958), and did smaller roles in films like Stree (1961) and Sehra (1963).
Lisa Rani Ray is a Canadian actress. She began her modelling career in India in the early 1990s, appearing for leading Indian brands like Bombay Dyeing and Lakmé. She made her acting debut in 1994 in the film Hanste Khelte. Through her acting career, Ray has demonstrated a penchant for issue-oriented portrayals, most notably in the 2005 Oscar-nominated Canadian film Water and the award-winning South African feature The World Unseen, described by a reviewer as "one of the best-conceived queer films of the past year."
Barsaat is a 2005 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Suneel Darshan. It stars Bobby Deol, Priyanka Chopra, and Bipasha Basu. The plot of the movie is loosely based on the 2002 movie Sweet Home Alabama. Deol also previously acted in a 1995 film of the same name, which was his debut film.
Salaam-e-Ishq also known as Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love, is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Nikkhil Advani, marking his second directorial venture after Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003). An unofficial remake of Hollywood film Love Actually (2003), the film features an ensemble cast of Anil Kapoor, Govinda, Salman Khan, Juhi Chawla, Akshaye Khanna, John Abraham, Priyanka Chopra, Vidya Balan, Sohail Khan, Isha Koppikar, Ayesha Takia and Shannon Esra. It weaves six love stories together and follows the relationships of the people within it.
Chandni (transl. Moonlight) is a 1989 Indian Hindi-language romantic musical directed and co-produced by Yash Chopra from a story written by Kamna Chandra with a screenplay by Umesh Kalbagh, Arun Kaul, and Sagar Sarhadi. The film stars Sridevi in the title role of Chandni Mathur, a young effervescent woman torn between two suitors played by Vinod Khanna and Rishi Kapoor. Waheeda Rehman, Anupam Kher, Sushma Seth, Mita Vashisht, and Manohar Singh feature in supporting roles.
Americanizing Shelley is a 2007 Hollywood romantic comedy film directed by Lorraine Senna and starring Beau Bridges, Namrata Singh Gujral, Shaheen Khan, Wil Wheaton, Noureen DeWulf, Tony Yalda, and Ajay Mehta. The film was the closing film of the 2007 Nashville Film Festival.
1 a Minute is a 2010 American docudrama film written and directed by Indian American actress Namrata Singh Gujral. It is based on her own life and the lives of other women who suffered from cancer.
Pamela Chopra was an Indian playback singer. She was the wife of veteran Bollywood film director Yash Chopra, and was also a film writer and producer in her own right.
Rabba Main Kya Karoon is 2013 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Amrit Sagar Chopra and produced by Moti Sagar. The film features Akash Sagar Chopra, Arshad Warsi, Paresh Rawal, Tahira Kochhar and Riya Sen as main characters.
Angry Indian Goddesses is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Pan Nalin and produced by Gaurav Dhingra and Pan Nalin under the banner Jungle Book Entertainment. It stars Sandhya Mridul, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Sarah-Jane Dias, Anushka Manchanda, Amrit Maghera, Rajshri Deshpande, and Pavleen Gujral with Adil Hussain. It was screened in the Special Presentations section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, where it finished second for the People's Choice Award.
Befikre (transl. 'Carefree') is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy-drama film written, directed, and produced by Aditya Chopra under his banner of Yash Raj Films. It features Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor in the lead roles. The film was shot over a period of 50 days in Paris and Mumbai. It released worldwide on 9 December 2016 and it was an average at the box office.
5 Weddings is a 2018 American film set in the United States and India. Directed by Namrata Singh Gujral, the film features Nargis Fakhri, Rajkummar Rao, Bo Derek, Candy Clark, Anneliese Van der Pol and Suvinder Vicy.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
