G. Prabha

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G. Prabha
The Director of the feature film 'ISHTI', Shri G. Prabha addressing a press conference on the opening films of Indian Panorama, at the 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2016), in Panaji, Goa.jpg
G. Prabha, IFFI (2016)
OccupationsProfessor, writer, film-maker

Dr. G. Prabha (born 1 May 1956) is an Indian filmmaker, writer, and retired professor of Sanskrit. He is best known for writing and directing Ishti (2016) [1] [2] , which was the first Sanskrit-language feature film to deal with a social theme rather than a mythological or biographical subject [3] [4] .

Contents

Early Life and Education

He pursued higher education in Sanskrit, eventually earning a doctorate from the University of Madras in 2001.

Academic Career

Dr. G. Prabha began his career as a journalist before transitioning into academia. He served as a faculty member at Government Sanskrit College in Tripunithura, Kerala, and St. Joseph's College in Tiruchirappalli. He later joined Loyola College, Chennai, where he served as the Head of the Department of Oriental Languages and Professor of Sanskrit until his retirement in 2014. During his academic tenure, he published 26 research papers and authored several books in Malayalam and Sanskrit.

Filmmaking Career

Prabha's filmmaking often focuses on social reforms within the Namboothiri Brahmin community of Kerala, influenced by the works of reformers like V. T. Bhattathiripad. In 2016, he released his debut feature film, Ishti (English: Search for the Self). Starring Nedumudi Venu, the film explores patriarchy and the denial of education to women in early 20th-century Kerala. Ishti was selected as the opening film for the Indian Panorama section at the 47th International Film Festival of India [5] [6] (IFFI).

His second feature film, Taya (2022), also in Sanskrit, is a feminist narrative based on the historical Smarthavicharam (trial for adultery) of Kuriyedathu Thathri in 1905.

Prior to feature films, Prabha directed two notable documentaries:

Filmography

YearTitleLanguageRoleNotes
2010Akkitham [7] [8] MalayalamWriter,DirectorDocumentary
2014Agnaye [9] [10] MalayalamWriter,DirectorDocumentary
2016Ishti [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] SanskritWriter, DirectorFirst social-themed Sanskrit film
2022Taya [16] [17] [18] SanskritWriter, Director

Literature & Published Works

His literary contributions include research studies, short story collections, and commentaries on classical Sanskrit texts.

CategoryTitleNature of Work
Sanskrit StudyAscarya Cudamani: Text and PracticeResearch-based study.
Short StoriesParamanandam Enna Paulo GabrielMalayalam short story collection.
Short StoriesJenni OrkkunidatheMalayalam short story collection.
Short StoriesKaakkakal KarayunneramMalayalam short story collection.
CommentarySivapadadikesavarna stotramCommentary on devotional text.
CommentarySivakesadipadavarnana stotramCommentary on devotional text.
Literary WorkSri BalabhagavathamRetold version of the classic.
ScreenplayAkkithamDocumentary screenplay.
Edited WorkA.K.G Navathi SmritiEditor.
ScriptAgnayeResearch documentary script.

Awards & Recognition

  1. The Hindu Friday Review - Dr. G. Prabha at the sets of his directorial debut Ishti
  2. Dr. G. Prabha captures a documentary film on Akkitham
  3. Ishti (film)
  4. Dr. G Prabha and Is
  5. Rites and wrongs
  6. Fight against patriarchy
  7. G. Prabha’s Sanskrit film Ishti pits the feminine spirit against patriarchy. http://www.frontline.in/arts-and-culture/cinema/fight-against-patriarchy/article9103842.ece …pic.twitter.com/KuEFn1s4ck
  8. IFFI 2016: Sanskrit Film Ishti to Open Indian Panorama Section
  9. Sanskrit Film ‘Ishti’ to Open Indian Panorama Section of IFFI 2016 Archived 2017-08-08 at the Wayback Machine
  10. A cultural trip in search of Vedic rituals | Chennai News - Times of India || Agnaye
  11. Know Thyself
  13. Visual poetry
  14. കേരളത്തിനു വേണ്ട, ഗോവയിൽ ‘ഇഷ്ടി’ക്ക് കൈയടികളോടെ സ്വീകരണം
  15. Spotlight on orthodoxy
  16. Sanskrit film 'Ishti' opens Indian Panorama at IFFI | Video
  1. ↑ "Spotlight on orthodoxy". The Hindu. 2015-11-19. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2026-01-04.
  2. ↑ "Ishti (film)", Wikipedia, 2025-07-26, retrieved 2026-01-04
  3. ↑ "Ishti director Prabha on the controversies around his Sanskrit film". The Hindu. 2016-04-30. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2026-01-04.
  4. ↑ "Know Thyself". The Indian Express. 2016-09-21. Retrieved 2026-01-04.
  5. ↑ "IFFI 2016: Sanskrit Film Ishti to Open Indian Panorama Section - News18". www.news18.com. Archived from the original on 2024-11-27. Retrieved 2026-01-04.
  6. ↑ "കേരളത്തിനു വേണ്ട, ഗോവയിൽ 'ഇഷ്ടി'ക്ക് കൈയടികളോടെ സ്വീകരണം". ManoramaOnline. Archived from the original on 2016-12-02. Retrieved 2026-01-04.
  7. ↑ "The life and times of Akkitham on celluloid". The Hindu. 2012-03-09. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2026-01-04.
  8. ↑ "Visual poetry". The Hindu. 2010-04-30. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2026-01-04.
  9. ↑ AVA PRODUCTIONS (2016-08-20). Agnaye (For The Fire)-Malayalam Documentary Film . Retrieved 2026-01-04– via YouTube.
  10. ↑ Tandon, Madhavi (2019), "History of Science in India: Focus on Pre-vedic and Vedic Times", Science Education in India, Singapore: Springer Singapore, pp. 3–26, ISBN   978-981-13-9592-5 , retrieved 2026-01-04
  11. ↑ https://www.moviebuff.com/g-prabha
  12. ↑ "Akkitham pens lyrics for Sanskrit movie". @mathrubhumi. 2015-10-27. Retrieved 2026-01-04.
  13. ↑ Ishti, Creative Creations, 2016-11-20, retrieved 2026-01-04
  14. ↑ "Touch of the ancient". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 2026-01-04.
  15. ↑ "Language of art". theweek.in. Retrieved 2026-01-04.
  16. ↑ "Movie Details of 31st Kolkata International Film Festival". kiff.in. Retrieved 2026-01-04.
  17. ↑ NewsDesk, T. N. M. (2017-11-02). "After Ishti, G Prabha plans to make second Sanskrit film" . Retrieved 2026-01-04.
  18. ↑ "Award-winning director to release 2nd Sanskrit movie". https://www.awazthevoice.in . Retrieved 2026-01-04.{{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
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