Ritwik Kumar Ghatak was a noted Indian film director, screenwriter, actor and playwright. Along with prominent contemporary Bengali filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Tapan Sinha and Mrinal Sen, his cinema is primarily remembered for its meticulous depiction of social reality, partition and feminism. He won the National Film Award's Rajat Kamal Award for Best Story in 1974 for his Jukti Takko Aar Gappo and Best Director's Award from Bangladesh Cine Journalist's Association for Titash Ekti Nadir Naam. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri for Arts in 1970.
Rajiv Mehrotra is an Indian writer, television producer-director, documentary film maker, a personal student of the Dalai Lama for whom he manages as Trustee/Secretary The Foundation for Universal Responsibility (www.furhhdl.org) established with the Nobel Peace Prize. He is best known as the former acclaimed host of one of India's longest running talk shows on public television, "In Conversation", that has been through several incarnations over more than twenty years, aired on the India's National broadcaster, Doordarshan News Channel, Saturdays at 9.30 pm.
Ravi Baswani was an Indian film actor, best known for his role in Sai Paranjpe's Chashme Buddoor (1981) and Kundan Shah's cult comedy Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983), for which he won Filmfare Best Comedian Award in 1984. He was noted for his comic timing and underplaying a character in the true sense of the word. In a career spanning 30 years he acted in some 30 films. He died in Haldwani, on his way to Delhi from Nainital, to where he had travelled to scout for locations for his upcoming debut directorial feature film.
Suresh Bhardwaj is an Indian theatre, film and television director as well as a lighting and scenic designer. He has acted in many plays as lead actor as well. He is the director of (Aakar Kala Sangam) (AKS), a Delhi based theatre group. He has also served as faculty member of the National School of Drama In 2005 he received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for lighting design from the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama.
Ramchandra P. N. is a filmmaker making feature films, short films, documentaries and TV programs. in India. He is a Tuluva based in Mumbai.
Pritish Nandy is an Indian poet, painter, journalist, parliamentarian, media and television personality, animal activist and maker of films, TV and streaming content. He was a parliamentarian in the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra, elected on a ticket from the Shiv Sena. He is the author of forty books of poetry in English and has translated poems by other writers from Bengali, Urdu and Punjabi into English as well as a new version of the Isha Upanishad. Apart from these, he has authored books of stories and non fiction as well as three books of translations of classical love poetry from Sanskrit. He was Publishing Director of The Times of India Group and Editor of The Illustrated Weekly of India, The Independent, and Filmfare in the 1980s, all simultaneously. He has held six exhibitions of his paintings and calligraphy. He founded Pritish Nandy Communications Ltd, the content company, in 1993. He also founded People for Animals, India's first animal rights NGO which is currently run by co-founder Maneka Gandhi as chairperson.
The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) is a film institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India and aided by the Central Government of India. It is situated on the premises of the erstwhile Prabhat Film Company in Pune. It was established in 1960 and its alumni includes technicians, actors and directors in the film and television industry.
Anil Chatterjee was an Indian actor in the Bengali cinema during the early fifties through the mid-nineties and is mostly remembered as a character actor. He acted or performed in about 150 movies, including a few in Hindi. He played different shades, though mostly as a character actor, as well as in leading roles and at times as an antagonist, despite the limited opportunities he received. Irrespective of the roles, he left an indelible impression on the viewers and the critics. He also acted in the leading role in a tele-serial named Naqab in the national network of Doordarshan. He is one of the very few selected actors who worked with Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Tapan Sinha, Tarun Majumdar and Mrinal Sen; with the first three directors, he performed with on more than a number of occasions. His performance in the title role of the film Deshbandhu Chittaranjan [a biopic on the noted and revered freedom-fighter and barrister Chittaranjan Das (1870–1925), who was conferred the title of "Deshbandhu "] won the appreciation of Basanti Devi, the wife of the "Deshbandhu".
Saswata Chatterjee is an Indian actor of television and films based in Kolkata. Born to actor Subhendu Chatterjee, Saswata Chatterjee began his career with a Hindi serial directed by Saibal Mitra, based on Samaresh Majumdar's Kaalpurush. He gained popularity by portraying the character of Topshe in a Feluda-based television series directed by Sandip Ray. His acting in many Bengali films has been praised by the critics, including his portrayal of a Ritwik Ghatak-inspired character in the 2013 film Meghe Dhaka Tara. He enjoyed success at the national level in Sujoy Ghosh's 2012 blockbuster Hindi film, Kahaani, where he played Bob Biswas, an assassin.
DD Odia is a state owned TV channel telecasting from Doordarshan, Cuttack.
Chabiwali Pocket Watch is a 2006 short film written and directed by Vibhu Puri and produced by the Film and Television Institute of India. The film is set in Old Delhi and deals with the story of a romantic Urdu poet, now dying anonymously, and the struggle between his daughter and an opportunist publisher. The film was the official entry from India to the Student Academy Awards. It was also a chosen to be a part of Indian Panorama in 2006.
Anwar Jamal is an Indian documentary filmmaker, based in New Delhi. He has been awarded the National Film Award on several occasions and had made critically acclaimed feature, short and documentary films a wide array of social, political and cultural themes. He has served as jury in many international film festivals including National Film Award Jury.
Navnindra Behl is an Indian theatre and television director, writer and actor.
Uday Shankar Pani is an Indian film maker. He graduated in 1974 from the Film and Television Institute of India. He was an assistant director in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi. A 1974 documentary on the National Film Archive of India made by Pani was screened on that organization's 52nd anniversary. In 2016, he was selected as one of thirteen jurors for that year's International Film Festival of India. He is on the faculty) at Flyking Film Academy.
Lipika Singh Darai is an Indian filmmaker, film director and sound recordist from Odisha. She has won four National Film Awards.
Binapani Mohanty was an Indian Odia language writer and academician. She was well known for her works such as Patadei and Kasturi Mriga. She was a professor in economics before retiring. She had been awarded Padmashree by the Government of India and Atibadi Jagannatha Das Sammana by Odisha Sahitya Akademi. She had earlier won the Sahitya Akademi Award and Sarala Award. She had served as chairperson of Odisha Lekhika Sansad.
Kuntala Kumari Sabat (1901–1938) was an Odia poet during colonial India. She was one of the women poets who came into prominence from Odisha during India's freedom struggle. She was multifaceted personality. She was a physician, writer, poet, editor, leader of nationalist movement and social worker. She was honored with Utkala Bharati in 1925.
Hussain Rabi Gandhi was an Indian Odia writer of the late-twentieth century, a politician, a public intellectual and a cultural activist hailing from the Indian state of Odisha. Being a founder member of Biju Janata Dal, he served as the general secretary of the party from upon its formation in 1998 till 2005. In 1994 the title of Biplabi Loka Kabi was conferred upon him by the Mayor of Cuttack. He was also awarded with the title of Utkala Jyoti in 1996 by the then Deputy chief minister of Odisha, Basant Kumar Biswal on the behalf of Freedom Fighter's Organisation. Gandhi primarily wrote in Odia language and was bestowed with the Secular India Harmony Award in 1993 by the former President of India, Giani Zail Singh and with the Gangadhar Meher Kabita award in 2015 for his notable contributions to the field of Odia poetry. Hussain served as the President of Odisha Sahitya Akademi (2008–2010). He was famously known as the Gandhi of Korei and was regarded as a bridge between Western Odisha and Costal Odisha. He also served as Lead Member of Smt. Nandini Satpathy Memorial Trust (SNSMT).
Chandita Mukherjee was an Indian documentary filmmaker, science communicator and activist. She was the recipient of two National Film Awards. She conceived and directed the TV series Bharat Ki Chhap on the history of science and technology in India. She was the executive director of Comet Media Foundation.
Gauribidanur Suryanarayan Bhaskar familiarly known as G.S. Bhaskar is an Indian cinematographer. His work is predominantly seen in films belonging to the Indian languages, Kannada and Hindi. He is a member of the Indian Society of Cinematographers. Known for his prominent work as a second camera assistant in the magnum opus Gandhi (1980). Karnataka State Film Award for Best Cinematographer has been bestowed upon him twice forNagamandala (1997) and Koormavatara (2011).
