Amal Neerad | |
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Born | |
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Years active | 2004–present |
Organization | Amal Neerad Productions |
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Amal Neerad is an Indian film director, cinematographer and producer who mainly works in Malayalam cinema. He attended the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata (first batch). He was awarded the National Film Award for Best Cinematography (special mention) in 2001 for his diploma film Meena Jha (short feature section).
He started his career shooting music videos, documentaries and advertising. It was his diploma film that brought him to the attention of Ram Gopal Varma and his team. Amal Neerad moved into Hindi cinema with three back to back films; James (2005), Darna Zaroori Hai (2006) and Shiva (2006). In 2004, he also shot the Malayalam film Black starring Mammootty.
Amal Neerad was born in Kollam, Kerala. He attended school and college in Kochi. [1] He was the college union chairman of Maharaja's College, Ernakulam during two consecutive terms, 1992–93 and 1993–94. [2] He married actress Jyothirmayi on 4 April 2015. [3]
Amal joined the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute in 1995. [4] He is a winner of the National Film Awards for best cinematography. After his graduation from the institute he worked as a cinematographer with Ram Gopal Varma's production company for films such as James , Darna Zaroori Hai and Shiva . His debut movie in Malayalam as cinematographer was Black , directed by Ranjith.
In 2007, he made his directorial debut with Big B starring Mammootty and Shereveer Vakil. Even though the movie was an average grosser at the box office, the stylish narrative and technical brilliance that the film possessed apparently gave the movie an iconic stature and cult following. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] His next film was Sagar Alias Jacky starring Mohanlal, a sequel to the 1987 film Irupatham Noottandu . In 2010, he directed Anwar with Prithviraj in the lead role.
Amal Neerad launched his production company Amal Neerad Productions through the 2012 film Bachelor Party directed by himself. In 2013, he produced the anthology film, 5 Sundarikal . Amal directed the segment Kullante Bharya which starred Dulquer Salmaan and handled camera for the segment Aami, directed by Anwar Rasheed. He directed and co-produced (with Fahad Faasil) the period thriller Iyobinte Pustakam starring Fahadh Faasil, Lal, and Jayasurya in 2014. In 2017, he produced and directed Comrade in America starring Dulquer Salmaan. He later directed Fahadh Faasil starred Varathan in 2018. The movie was jointly produced by Neerad and Fahadh Faasil. Amal joined hands with Anwar Rasheed again as a cinematographer for the movie Trance , starring Fahadh Faasil. [10] Later, he joined Mammootty again after 15 years for the movie Bheeshma Parvam which emerged as one of the biggest hits in Mollywood industry.
In a post on the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council’s Jagratha Commission Facebook page, it was claimed that Amal Neerad's blockbuster film Bheeshma Parvam offended Christian sentiments. The KCBC Jagratha Commission alleged that the portrayal of drug use, homosexuality, alcohol, and adultery among key Christian characters was a deliberate attempt to depict them negatively. [11] A formal complaint was also filed against the song "Sthuthi" from the Malayalam film Bougainvillea, directed by Amal Neerad. The complaint said that the song offends religious sentiments by misusing sacred Christian hymns. According to the complainants, the combination of a devotional hymn with modern music is seen as disrespectful and offensive to religious beliefs. [12]
Year | Title | Language | Director | Cinematographer | Producer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2004 | Black | Malayalam | No | Yes | No | |
2005 | James | Hindi | No | Yes | No | |
2006 | Shiva | Hindi | No | Yes | No | |
2006 | Darna Zaroori Hai | Hindi | No | Yes | No | |
2007 | Big B | Malayalam | Yes | No | No | Director debut |
2009 | Sagar Alias Jacky Reloaded | Malayalam | Yes | Yes | No | |
2010 | Anwar | Malayalam | Yes | No | No | |
Tournament | Malayalam | No | Yes | No | A song only (Nila Nila). | |
2012 | Bachelor Party | Malayalam | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
2013 | 5 Sundarikal | Malayalam | Yes | Yes | Yes | Anthology film. Director of "Kullante Bharya". Cinematographer of "Aami" |
2014 | Iyobinte Pusthakam | Malayalam | Yes | Yes | Yes | Winner: Kerala state film award for best cinematography |
2017 | Comrade in America | Malayalam | Yes | No | Yes | [13] [14] |
2018 | Varathan | Malayalam | Yes | No | Yes | Co-produced with Nazriya Nazim |
2020 | Trance | Malayalam | No | Yes | No | |
2022 | Bheeshma Parvam | Malayalam | Yes | No | Yes | Also co-writer |
2024 | Bougainvillea | Malayalam | Yes | No | Yes | Also co-writer |
2025 | Bilal | Malayalam | Yes | No | Yes |
Jyothirmayi is an Indian actress, television presenter, and former model, who worked in Malayalam cinema. Starting her career as a model, she ventured into television, working as an anchor and later starring in numerous television shows. Post second marriage, she had been on a career break and as of 2024, she made a comeback through her husband Amal Neerad's film Bougainvillea.
Gopi Sundar C. S. is an Indian music director, programmer, playback singer, songwriter, actor and performer who works in the Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil film industries.
Abdul Hameed Mohammed Fahad Fazil, professionally known as Fahadh Faasil, is an Indian actor and producer who primarily works in Malayalam and Tamil films. Noted for his diverse portrayals, Fahadh is among the highest-paid and most popular Malayalam actors. Fahadh is a recipient of several accolades including a National Film Award, four Kerala State Film Awards and four Filmfare Awards South.
Sameer C. ThahirISC is an Indian cinematographer, screenwriter, producer and film director, who works primarily in Malayalam cinema.
Dulquer Salmaan is an Indian actor, playback singer and film producer who predominantly works in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in business management from Purdue University and worked as a business manager in Dubai before pursuing a career in acting. Salmaan is a recipient of several awards including, five Filmfare Awards South, a South Indian International Movie Award, a Kerala Film Critics Association Award and a Kerala State Film Award.
Nazriya Nazim Fahadh is an Indian actress, producer and singer who primarily works in Malayalam and Tamil films. Known for her strong women portrayals, Nazriya is a recipient of several accolades including two Kerala State Film Awards, one Tamil Nadu State Film Award and one Filmfare Award South.
New generation films is a Malayalam film movement developed in the early 2010s, characterized by fresh and unusual themes and new narrative techniques. Films of the new wave differ from conventional themes of the past two decades and introduced several new trends and techniques to the Malayalam film industry. While the new generation formats and styles are deeply influenced by global trends, their thematics are firmly rooted in Malayalee life and mindscapes.
5 Sundarikal is a Malayalam romantic anthology film. It contains five short stories on love about five types of women. The stories are directed by Shyju Khalid, Sameer Thahir, Aashiq Abu, Amal Neerad, and Anwar Rasheed, and feature an ensemble cast. The film was produced by Amal Neerad Productions. The music directors were Gopi Sundar, Bijibal, Prashant Pillai and Yakzan Gary Pereira. The film reached theatres on 21 June. A promo song by popular Kochi-based rock band Black Letters was also released.
Vivek Harshan is an Indian film editor who works predominantly in Malayalam and Tamil films. He has frequently collaborated with Amal Neerad, M. Rajesh, and Karthik Subbaraj since the beginning of their careers. Big B (2007), Jigarthanda (2014), Iyobinte Pusthakam (2014), Iraivi (2016), Varathan (2018), and Bheeshma Parvam (2022) are some of his notable works. He won the National Film Award for Best Editing in 2014 for Jigarthanda.
Iyobinte Pusthakam is a 2014 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by Amal Neerad and written by Gopan Chithambaran, with dialogues written by Syam Pushkaran. The film stars Fahadh Faasil, Lal, Jayasurya and Isha Sharvani with Jinu Joseph, Chemban Vinod Jose, Vinayakan and Padmapriya in supporting roles. Aashiq Abu makes a cameo appearance as P.J. Antony. Faasil and Neerad co-produced the film.
Vinayak Sasikumar is an Indian lyricist, who works in Malayalam cinema. Famous for his works in Aavesham, Romancham etc
Varsham (Rains) is a 2014 Malayalam drama film written and directed by Ranjith Sankar. The film stars Mammootty and Asha Sarath in the main roles, T. G. Ravi as the antagonist, along with Mamta Mohandas, Govind Padmasoorya and Master Prajwal in major supporting roles. It features a film score and soundtrack by Bijibal. Varsham released worldwide on 6 November 2014. The film received generally positive reviews from critics.
Dileesh Philip, also known as Dileesh Pothan is an Indian film director, actor and producer, who works in Malayalam cinema. He made his directorial debut with the 2016 comedy drama film Maheshinte Prathikaaram, starring Fahadh Faasil. The film received the Best Feature Film in Malayalam Award at the 64th National Film Awards. Pothan also won the Best Director Award at the 64th Filmfare Awards South.
Shebin Benson is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Malayalam films.
Sushin Shyam is an Indian music composer, instrumentalist, and singer primarily associated with Malayalam cinema. He is also a founding member of the folk metal band The Down Troddence. He is known for his contributions to the films Varathan (2018), Kumbalangi Nights (2019), Minnal Murali (2021), Bheeshma Parvam (2022), Romancham (2023), Kannur Squad (2023), Manjummel Boys (2024) and Aavesham (2024). His work on Kumbalangi Nights earned him the Kerala State Film Award for Best Music Director in 2019.
Varathan (transl. Outsider) is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film written by Suhas-Sharfu and directed by Amal Neerad, who jointly produced with Nazriya Nazim under the banners of Fahadh Faasil and Friends and Amal Neerad Productions. It is an adaptation of the 1971 film Straw Dogs and stars Fahadh Faasil and Aishwarya Lekshmi in the lead roles.
Abdul Hameed Mohammed Fahad Fazil, professionally known as Fahadh Faasil or FaFaa, is an Indian actor and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam and Tamil films. Fahadh is a recipient of several accolades including a National Film Award, four Kerala State Film Awards and three Filmfare Awards South.
Bheeshma Parvam is a 2022 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film produced and directed by Amal Neerad. The film stars Mammootty and features an ensemble cast of Soubin Shahir, Sreenath Bhasi, Shine Tom Chacko, Farhaan Faasil, Nadhiya Moidu, Sudev Nair, Veena Nandakumar, Dileesh Pothan, Jinu Joseph, Anasuya Bharadwaj, Harish Uthaman, Lena, Shebin Benson, Abu Salim, Anagha. The film is written by Amal Neerad and Devadath Shaji with Ravisankar credited as additional screenwriter. RJ Murukan has penned the additional dialogues.
Anto Joseph is an Indian film producer, distributor and cinema exhibitor, who works predominantly in the Malayalam Film Industry. He began his career in Malayalam Cinema in the early 90s as a Production associate.
Bheeshma Parvam is the soundtrack album for the 2022 Indian film of the same name. The soundtrack album was composed, produced and arranged by Sushin Shyam, distributed by 123 Musix and released on 7 March 2022. The album received positive feedback from music listeners and critics.