Kireet Khurana

Last updated

Kireet Khurana
Pranab Mukherjee presenting the Rajat Kamal Award for Best Educational Film (Including sports) "Komal", in Non Feature Films Section to the Producer, Climb Media India Pvt. Ltd., Rep Shri Kireet Khurana.jpg
Kireet Khurana, at the 62nd National Film Awards Function, in New Delhi on 3 May 2015
Born (1967-10-25) 25 October 1967 (age 57)
Alma mater Sheridan College, Canada University of Mumbai
Occupation(s)Filmmaker, animator
Years active1996-present
ChildrenKabeer Khurana
Father Bhimsain

Kireet Khurana (born 25 October 1967) is an Indian filmmaker, animator, [1] and ad-film director. [2] He is known for have received 6 President's National Film Awards for his contribution to the animation industry. [3] [4] [5] He is the director of Climb Media, a company started by his father, filmmaker Bhimsain in the 70s. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Apart from feature films and documentaries, he has also directed and produced 500+ ad films. [11] [12]

Contents

Kireet has been the Festival Director of Animela, [13] [14] India's first Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics festival, in collaboration with Annecy International Animation Film Festival, France. [15] [16]

Work

Kireet joined his father's company after college, doing the animation for India's largest animation series Vartmaan . In 2002, he created India's first animation series to be licensed called The Adventures of Chhota Birbal, which aired on Cartoon Network. [17] The series featured voices of Tabassum and Ravi Baswani.

In 2010, he made his debut with India's first feature film combining live-action and 3D animation, Toonpur Ka Superrhero , starring Ajay Devgan and Kajol. [18] [19]

Kireet has been a loud voice in social issues with activism films like Safar, Pravaasi and Samvaad, where he has used voice-overs of prominent personalities like Taapsee Pannu, Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das and Tisca Chopra. [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25]

His 2016 documentary on Indian parallel cinema auteur Saeed Akhtar Mirza, entitled Saeed Mirza: The Leftist Sufi, released on Netflix. The film featured Mahesh Bhatt, Sudhir Mishra, Kundan Shah, Aziz Mirza, Pawan Malhotra and others. [26] It was named among the top 10 documentaries of 2017 by Vogue India and The Hindu. [27] [28]

His 2018 feature film T for Taj Mahal, produced by Abis Rizvi, was premiered at the London Indian Film Festival. [29] [30] [31] [32] The trailer of the film was launched at the Cannes Film Festival (2018). [33]

His upcoming works include The Storyteller, [34] [35] starring Adil Hussain and Paresh Rawal, [36] and a docu-feature The Invisible Visible, on homelessness and the destitute in India. [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42]

Personal

His exposure to animation films started due to his father, Bhimsain, who was an Animator. [43] [44] Kireet attended the Jamnabai Narsee School and later completed a BA with a major in economics from the University of Mumbai. Soon thereafter, he graduated from Sheridan College, Canada in animation filmmaking. [45] [46] [47]

He lives in Mumbai with his wife Tehzeeb, who is a noted animation educator, [48] [49] and his son Kabeer, who is also a filmmaker. [50] [51]

Filmography

YearTitleDirectorProducerWriterAnimationMiscNotesRef.
1995O (Short)YesYesWinner of National Film Award
1997Locked (Short)Yes
1998Trade (Short)YesYes [52]
2001Laadli (Feature film)YesYesExecutive Producer and Co-director
2002The Adventures of Chhota Birbal (TV Series)YesYesYes
2004 Shaadi ka Laddoo (Feature film)YesAnimation Director
2004 Hum Tum (Feature film)YesAnimation Director
2009 Detective Naani (Feature film)YesAnimation Director
2010 Toonpur ka Superrhero (Feature film)YesYesYesYes [53]
2013Like Sisters (Short)YesYes
2013Education Counts (Short)YesYes
2013Komal (Short)YesYesWinner of National Film Award [54]
2014Dewang (Short)YesYesYes
2014Innocence (Short)YesYesYes
2016Saeed Mirza: The Leftist Sufi (Documentary)YesYesYes [55]
2018T for Taj Mahal (Feature film)YesYes [56]
2020Pravaasi (Short)YesYesYes [57]
2020Safar (Short)YesYesYes [58]
2020Samvaad (Short)YesYesYes [59]
2021The River of Love (Feature film)YesCreative Producer [60]
2022Samvidhaan (Short)YesYesYes [61]
2023The Storyteller (upcoming feature)Yes
2023The Invisible Visible (upcoming documentary feature)YesYesYes [62]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shekhar Kapur</span> Indian filmmaker (born 1945)

Shekhar Kulbhushan Kapur is an Indian filmmaker. Born into the Anand-Sahni family, Kapur is the recipient of several accolades, including a BAFTA Award, a National Film Award, a National Board of Review Award and three Filmfare Awards, in addition to nomination for a Golden Globe Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shabana Azmi</span> Indian actress (born 1950)

Shabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Her career in the Hindi film industry has spanned over 160 films, mostly within independent and neorealist parallel cinema, though her work extended to mainstream films as well as a number of international projects. One of India's most acclaimed actresses, Azmi is known for her portrayals of distinctive, often unconventional female characters across several genres. She has won a record of five National Film Awards for Best Actress, in addition to six Filmfare Awards and several international accolades. The Government of India honoured her with the Padma Shri in 1998 and the Padma Bhushan in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shyam Benegal</span> Indian director and screenwriter

Shyam Benegal is an Indian film director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker. Often regarded as the pioneer of parallel cinema, he is widely considered as one of the greatest filmmakers post 1970s. He has received several accolades, including eighteen National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award and a Nandi Award. In 2005, he was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award in the field of cinema. In 1976, he was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour of the country, and in 1991, he was awarded Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honour for his contributions in the field of arts.

DNEG is a British-Indian visual effects, computer animation and 3-D conversion studio that was founded in 1998 in London, and rebranded as DNEG in 2014 after a merger with Indian VFX company Prime Focus; it was named after the letters "D" and "Neg" from their former name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feroz Abbas Khan</span> Indian theatre and film director, playwright, and screenwriter

Feroz Abbas Khan is an Indian theatre and film director, playwright and screenwriter, who is most known for directing plays like Mughal-e-Azam, Saalgirah, Tumhari Amrita (1992), Salesman Ramlal and Gandhi Viruddh Gandhi.

The Indian Animation Industry encompasses traditional 2D animation, 3D animation and visual effects for feature films. In 1956, Disney Studios animator Clair Weeks, who had worked on Bambi, was invited to Films Division of India in Mumbai to establish and train the country's first animation studio as part of the American technical co-operation mission. He trained a core group of Indian animators, whose first production was a film called The Banyan Deer (1957). Veteran animator Ram Mohan started his career at Films Division's Cartoon Unit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhvani Desai</span> Indian animation filmmaker,curator and poet

Dhvani Desai is an Indian animation filmmaker, curator and poet. She is best known for her artistic animated films Manpasand and Chakravyuh.

<i>Toonpur Ka Superrhero</i> 2010 Indian film

Toonpur Ka Superrhero is a 2010 Indian live-action animated action comedy film written by Raagii Bhatnagar and directed by Kireet Khurana. The film features Ajay Devgn and Kajol in lead roles. The film was India's first live action - 3D animation combination feature film. It was released on 24 December 2010 and emerged as a commercial failure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ram Mohan</span> Indian animator (1931–2019)

Ram Mohan was an Indian animator, title designer and design educator, who was also known as father of Indian Animation and was a veteran in the Indian animation industry, who started his career at the Cartoon Films Unit, Films Division of India, Government of India in 1956. He was chairman and chief creative officer at Graphiti Multimedia, a Mumbai-based animation company which was established in 1995, and later he also established the Graphiti School of Animation in 2006.

Tumhari Amrita is an epistolary play directed by Feroz Abbas Khan. Its original cast includes Shabana Azmi and Farooq Shaikh. It is an Indian context adaptation of A. R. Gurney's American play, Love Letters (1988), and the Hindi/Urdu version was created in 1992 by playwright Javed Siddiqui. After its première at Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai on 27 February 1992, it has been staged at venues across India, Europe, Middle East, US and Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Indian Film Festival</span> Indian Film festival in New York

The New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) is an annual film festival that takes place in New York City, and screens films relating to India, the Indian Diaspora, and the work of Indian filmmakers. The festival began in November 2001 and was founded by Aroon Shivdasani and the Indo-American Arts Council. About 40 films are screened, including features films, shorts, documentaries, and animated films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nickelodeon (Indian TV channel)</span> Indian counterpart of Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon is an Indian children's pay television channel based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is the Indian equivalent of the original American network and is owned by Disney Star, a joint venture between Disney India and Viacom18 under license from Paramount Global. Despite using the "Nickelodeon" branding, it does not air any content from the original channel in recent times as part of a localisation strategy; instead the original Nickelodeon content is only broadcast on the Nickelodeon HD+ channel. As of October 2020, Nickelodeon is the most watched children's channel in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney Channel (Indian TV channel)</span> Indian TV channel

Disney Channel is an Indian pay television channel owned by The Walt Disney Company India. a wholly owned by The Walt Disney Company. The channel is the Indian equivalent to the original American network and was launched on 16 December 2004. Disney Channel is available as a pay television channel on most subscription television providers in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.

Shilpa Ranade is an Indian designer, animator, illustrator, filmmaker and academic. She has been faculty at the Industrial Design Centre at IIT Bombay since 2001. She has directed animated short films for Channel 4, UK and her films have been screened all over the world, winning accolades in some of the most prestigious film festivals. The award-winning animation movie Goopi Gawaiya Bagha Bajaiya was her last full-length feature film which world premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Her other films are Naja Goes to School and Mani's Dying.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Varun Mehta</span> Indian short film and animation filmmaker

Varun Mehta is an Indian short film and animation filmmaker. Mehta is known for his critically acclaimed short films based on social and environmental issues. He is mainly known for his work for internationally acclaimed films like The Unknown World "The Wonder Stone" and "Save Trees".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sulabha Arya</span> Indian actress

Sulabha Arya is an Indian actress in Hindi and Marathi film, television and stage industry. She is married to late veteran Indian cinematographer Ishan Arya and mother of cinematographer Sameer Arya and actor Sagar Arya. She is best known for her role as Shanti Masi in Sasural Genda Phool and Kantaben in the 2003 romantic drama, Kal Ho Na Ho. She also portrayed Lakshmamma in Shyam Benegal's Amaravati ki Kathayein.

<i>Mighty Little Bheem</i> 2019 Indian TV series or programme

Mighty Little Bheem is an animated children's television series, Netflix's first animated series from India and the fourth spin-off of the Chhota Bheem series, following Mighty Raju, Arjun - Prince of Bali and Super Bheem. It follows an innocent but super-strong toddler, Little Bheem, on his mischievous adventures in a small Indian town. The toddler is a baby version of the mythological-inspired 9-year-old character from the popular Indian series action comedy animated series Chhota Bheem which has aired on Turner Broadcasting's Pogo TV channel from 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhimsain</span> Indian animator

Bhimsain was an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and animator. He is best known as the pioneer of Indian animation, along with his mentor Ram Mohan. He was the recipient of 16 President's National Awards for his contributions to Indian cinema.

References

  1. "Advice From Kireet Khurana". Business of Animation. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  2. Khurana, Kireet (7 October 2019). Connecting the dots through stories . Retrieved 5 November 2024 via www.ted.com.
  3. "Origins of Indian Animation: The tribulations and enduring social consciousness of Kireet Khurana -". www.animationxpress.com. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  4. "The Origins of Indian Animation: From Ram Mohan and Bhimsain Khurana to Kireet -". www.animationxpress.com. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  5. TEDx Talks (7 October 2019). Connecting the dots through stories | Kireet Khurana | TEDxIITKharagpur . Retrieved 5 November 2024 via YouTube.
  6. "Renowned Animator Filmmaker Kireet Khurana Takes Students of Animation Game Design Visual Communication Design Behind the Scenes of Animation and Filmmaking in India". WWI. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  7. Coutinho, Roseina (10 August 2024). "When Desi Tradition Meets Animation". www.deccanchronicle.com. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  8. Pandya, Sonal. "How filmmaker Bhimsain's legacy is being kept alive by his family". Cinestaan. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  9. Scroll Staff (18 April 2018). "Ace animator and filmmaker Bhimsain dies at 81". Scroll.in. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  10. WAHStory. "Storyteller | Filmmaker | Animator | Kireet Khurana | WAHStory". WAHStory.com. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  11. "Interview: Kireet Khurana, Animation filmmaker". India Today. 29 October 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  12. admin (29 January 2024). "Kireet Khurana". Mumbai International Film Festival. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  13. "Animela Festival Core Team and Board of Advisors". Animela Festival. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  14. Lang, Jamie (18 January 2024). "Indian Animation, VFX, And Video Games Take Center-Stage This Weekend At Animela Festival In Mumbai". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  15. Ramachandran, Naman (9 February 2023). "Annecy Gives Backing to AniMela, Animation Festival in India (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  16. Rayan Sayyed (3 February 2024). "AniMela Interview: Kireet Khurana Discusses Feedback, Challenges, and More". IGN India. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  17. bureau, afaqs! news. "Adventures of Chhota Birbal on Cartoon Network from October 4". www.afaqs.com. Retrieved 6 November 2024.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  18. "Toonpur is a very hectic place to live in". Indian Express. 23 December 2010. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  19. Beck, Jerry (23 December 2010). "A Bollywood "Roger Rabbit"?". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  20. "Nation Failed Migrants, Says Director Of Viral Short 'Pravaasi'". HuffPost. 12 June 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  21. "Tapsee Pannu narrates the tale of the 'Pravasi'- an animated short directed by Kireet Khurana". www.animationxpress.com. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  22. "Shabana Azmi voices Preamble to Constitution in animated short". The Times of India. 15 August 2022. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  23. "Shabana Azmi voices the preamble of Indian Constitution in a stirring animated short!". Zee News. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  24. "Kireet Khurana sheds light on yet another social issue through 'Samvaad' -". www.animationxpress.com. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  25. "Kireet Khurana's Films Give a Voice to the Marginalized | Roundglass Living". roundglassliving.com. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  26. Khurana, Kireet; Narasimhamurthy, Padmakumar (24 June 2016), Saeed Mirza: The Leftist Sufi (Documentary), Climb Media, N.N. Sippy Productions, retrieved 22 August 2022
  27. Chakraborty, Sucheta (14 July 2017). "Passion for cinema". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  28. "7 Indian documentaries you can't miss on Netflix". VOGUE India. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  29. Raman, Sruthi Ganapathy. "In Kireet Khurana's film 'T for Taj Mahal', butter chicken is served with a social message". Scroll.in. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  30. "Kireet Khurana's T For Taj Mahal Trailer Applauded At Cannes 2018 | Urban Asian". Urban Asian. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  31. Raman, Sruthi Ganapathy (11 May 2018). "In Kireet Khurana's film 'T for Taj Mahal', butter chicken is served with a social message". Scroll.in. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  32. Virone, Oriana (13 June 2018). "Film Review: T for Taj Mahal (2018) by Kireet Khurana". Asian Movie Pulse. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  33. "T FOR TAJ MAHAL Trailer Applauded At Cannes » Glamsham". 10 May 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  34. "'Naseeruddin Shah and Paresh Rawal were convinced by the Satyajit Ray connection'". Cinema Express . 23 May 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  35. "Story by Satyajit Ray to be made into a Hindi film". punemirror.com. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  36. Mahadevan, Anant, The Storyteller (Drama), Jio Studios, Purpose Entertainment, Quest Films, retrieved 22 August 2022
  37. "Exclusive biography of #KireetKhurana and on his life". FilmiBeat. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  38. Kumar, Anuj (23 October 2021). "Kireet Khurana's 'The Invisible Visible': Beggary is not a choice, it's the last resort". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  39. "Reel change agent: Kireet Khurana's 'The Invisble Visible' is a battle to find dignity for the homeless". The New Indian Express. 23 October 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  40. Saritha (10 October 2021). "Director Kireet Khurana announces documentary 'The Invisible Visible'". You and I. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  41. "Filmmaker Kireet Khurana: Conventional Cinema Won't be Around for Too Long". News18. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  42. Seta, Keyur. "The Invisible Visible trailer: Kireet Khurana's movie appeals for the eradication of anti-beggary laws". Cinestaan. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  43. Sanyukta Iyer (19 April 2018). "Father of Indian animation Bhimsain Khurana remembered by Zarina Wahab, Govind Nihalani". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  44. Team, AnimationXpress (13 September 2017). "The Origins of Indian Animation: From Ram Mohan and Bhimsain Khurana to Kireet". AnimationXpress. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  45. "Kireet Khurana | Climb Media" . Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  46. "Broadcast & Film 2021". www.broadcastandfilm.com. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  47. Priya Verma (29 October 2010). "Interview: Kireet Khurana, Animation filmmaker". India Today. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  48. "Tehzeeb Khurana's Toon Club: Animation and teaching children about it -". animationxpress.com. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  49. "Hindi Animation Director Tehzeeb Khurana Biography, News, Photos, Videos". nettv4u. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  50. "Filmmaker". Kabeer Khurana. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  51. "Kabeer Khurana | Director, Writer, Editor". IMDb. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  52. "National Film Board of Canada".
  53. Khurana, Kireet (30 December 2013). "Toonpur Ka Superrhero | Apple TV". Apple TV. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  54. Team, AnimationXpress (19 September 2017). "Origins of Indian Animation: The tribulations and enduring social consciousness of Kireet Khurana". AnimationXpress. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  55. "An ode to the leftist Sufi". Mid-day. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  56. Frater, Patrick (5 April 2018). "Sony Pictures Networks India Backs Socially Conscious Drama 'T for Taj Mahal'". Variety. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  57. "Nation Failed Migrants, Says Director Of Viral Short 'Pravaasi'". HuffPost. 12 June 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  58. "Kireet Khurana's New Short Film Shows The Heart-Wrenching Plight Of Migrant Labourers". Women's Web: For Women Who Do. 17 September 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  59. Shete, Yugandhara (15 September 2020). "Kireet Khurana sheds light on yet another social issue through 'Samvaad'". AnimationXpress. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  60. Pandya, Sonal. "It became a mystical journey, says Akash Khurana of his feature The River Of Love". Cinestaan. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  61. "Shabana Azmi voices the preamble of Indian Constitution in an animated short!". Zee News. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  62. "Director Kireet Khurana's film 'The Invisible Visible,' is a crusade against the draconian Anti-Beggary Law 1959". Tellychakkar.com. Retrieved 23 August 2022.