Manisha Koirala is a Nepalese actress who works in Indian films, predominantly in Hindi films and has also worked in Nepali and English films. Known for her work in both commercial and independent cinema, she is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards. In 2001, the Government of Nepal awarded her with the Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu.
Anoushka Shankar is a British-American sitar player and music artist. She was the youngest and first woman to receive a British House of Commons Shield; she has had nine Grammy Awards nominations and was the first musician of Indian origin to perform live and to serve as a presenter at the ceremony. She performs across multiple genres and styles - classical and contemporary, acoustic and electronic.
Indian is a 1996 Indian Tamil-language vigilante action film written and directed by Shankar and produced by A. M. Rathnam. The film stars Kamal Haasan in a dual role opposite Nedumudi Venu, Sukanya, Manisha Koirala and Urmila Matondkar. The music composed by A. R. Rahman, while cinematography was handled by Jeeva. The film focuses on an ex-freedom fighter turned vigilante bent on rooting out corruption, and his son, who is at the other end of the spectrum by facilitating corrupt practices leading to some unfortunate events. He is well trained in Varma kalai, an ancient lethal martial art used for close-quarters combat.
Bharathiraja is an Indian film director and actor who works mainly in the Tamil film industry. Making his debut in 1977 with 16 Vayathinile, he is known for realistic and sensitive portrayals of rural life in his films. As of 2017, he has won six National Film Awards, four Filmfare Awards South, two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and a Nandi Award. He has also directed films in Telugu and Hindi. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri award, India's fourth-highest civilian honour, in 2004 for his contribution to the film industry. In 2005, he was conferred with the Doctor of Letters from Sathyabama University.
Sadhana Sargam is an Indian singer known for her playback career in Indian cinema predominantly in Hindi, Bengali, Nepali, Telugu and Tamil language films. She is a recipient of the National Film Award and Filmfare Awards South. She has also won five Maharashtra State Film Awards, four Gujarat State Film Awards, and one Orissa State Film.
Mamta Mohandas is an Indian actress, film producer and a playback singer who predominantly works in Malayalam,Tamil and Telugu films.She has won several accolades including two Filmfare Awards South for Best Female Playback Singer in Telugu in 2006 and for Best Actress in Malayalam in 2010 and also Kerala State Film Award for Second Best Actress in 2010. She has launched her own film production company under the banner Mamta Mohandas Productions.
Paruthiveeran is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Ameer. The film stars Karthi in his feature film debut as the title character, with Priyamani as the female lead and Ponvannan, Saravanan, Ganja Karuppu, Sampath Raj, and Sujatha Sivakumar playing supporting roles. Produced by Studio Green, it features a soundtrack and score composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, cinematography by Ramji and editing by Raja Mohammad. The film was remade into Bengali Bangladesh as PoraMon 2 (2018).
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is a Pakistani-Canadian journalist, filmmaker and activist known for her work in films that highlight gender inequality against women.
Elizabeth Freya Garbus is an American documentary film director and producer. Notable documentaries Garbus has made are The Farm: Angola, USA,Ghosts of Abu Ghraib,Bobby Fischer Against the World,Love, Marilyn,What Happened, Miss Simone?, and Becoming Cousteau. She is co-founder and co-director of the New York City-based documentary film production company Story Syndicate.
Pooveli is a 1998 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by Selva. An unofficial remake of A Walk in the Clouds (1995), the film stars Karthik, Abbas, Kausalya and Heera Rajagopal. It was released on 5 December 1998. The film was remade in Telugu as Alludugaaru Vachcharu (1999) with Kausalya, Abbas and Heera reprising their roles.
Thanga Meenkal is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Ram in his second directorial venture after Kattradhu Thamizh. The story was written by Ram and his daughter Shri Sankara Gomathy Ram, with the former, besides, played the lead role as well alongside newcomers Sadhana and Shelly Kishore. The film is jointly produced by Gautham Vasudev Menon and J. Satish Kumar under the banners Photon Kathaas and JSK Film Corporation, respectively.
Engaeyum Eppothum is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy drama road film written and directed by M. Saravanan in his Tamil debut, he had earlier directed the Telugu film Ganesh (2009). Starring Jai, Sharwanand, Anjali and Ananya, it was produced by A. R. Murugadoss in association with Fox Star Studios, marking the studio's entry into Tamil cinema.
Banaz: A Love Story is a 2012 documentary film directed and produced by Deeyah Khan. The film chronicles the life and death of Banaz Mahmod, a young British-Iraqi woman of Kurdish origin killed in 2006 in South London on the orders of her family in a so-called honour killing. The film received its UK premiere at the Raindance Film Festival in London September 2012.
Grain Media is a British film, television and commercials production company in South London, established in 2006 by Jon Drever and Orlando von Einsiedel.
Iru Mugan is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language science fiction action film written and directed by Anand Shankar. Produced by Thameens Films, the film stars Vikram in a dual role as the hero and villain, Nayanthara and Nithya Menen while Nassar, Thambi Ramaiah and Karunakaran feature in pivotal roles.
Peranbu, is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language film written and directed by Ram and produced by P. L. Thenappan under Shree Rajalakshmi Films. It stars Mammootty, and Anjali. The film's score and soundtrack album is composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, with cinematography and editing handled by Theni Eswar and Surya Pradhaman respectively. It follows the story of a confused father, who is dejected after his wife abandons him and their child, who has cerebral palsy, struggles to take care of his daughter while society constantly rejects him.
Ryan White is a documentary producer and director best known for his Netflix documentary film Pamela, a Love Story, Amazon Prime's Good Night Oppy, which won five Critics Choice Awards including Best Documentary and Best Director, and his Emmy-nominated Netflix series The Keepers. White's previous films include the HBO movie The Case Against 8, which won Sundance's Directing Award and was nominated for two Emmys, the documentary film Ask Dr. Ruth, and Coded, which was shortlisted for the Academy Award.
Kausalya is a prominent Indian anti-caste activist. She became a cause célèbre after her former husband V. Shankar was hacked to death by killers hired by her family. They were opposed to her, a Thevar, marrying Shankar who belongs to Pallar caste. Her case, known as Udumalai Shankar murder case became emblematic of the endemic issue of "honour killings" of intercaste couples as well as the enduring issues of caste violence in Tamil Nadu. On 9 December 2018, she wedded Mr. Sakthi in Coimbatore. Her decision to get remarried was received well with wishes pouring in from many sections.
Kanni Maadam is a 2020 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by Bose Venkat in his directorial debut. The film stars newcomers Sriram Karthik, Chaya Devi, and Vishnu. The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics.
Shankar murder case is a very prominent case in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Kousalya, an Engineering student from the dominant Thevar community, loved and married Sankar Velusamy, who studied in the same college and belonging to the Dalit community. The pair were married for 8 months when they both were attacked in daylight on 13 March 2016 near the Udumalaipet Town Bustand by a gang of three armed men. While Sankar died on the spot, Kousalya sustained injuries and survived. The Sessions court sentenced six people including Chinnaswamy, the father Kousalya. The court found it to be a case of honour killing by the father of Kousalya, who married a lower caste man against his wishes. The Court also ordered a compensation of ₹11.95 lakhs as a compensation to be equally split between Kousalya and Velusamy, Sankar's father.
