Nag Ashwin Reddy | |
---|---|
![]() Ashwin in 2023 | |
Born | Nag Ashwin Reddy 23 April 1986 |
Alma mater | Manipal Academy of Higher Education (B.A) |
Occupation(s) | Film director, screenwriter |
Years active | 2015–present |
Spouse | |
Children | 1 |
Relatives | C. Aswani Dutt (Father-in-law) Swapna Dutt (Sister-in-law) |
Nag Ashwin Reddy (born 23 April 1986) [1] is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. He is the recipient of a National Film Award, a Nandi Award, and a Filmfare Award.
After working as an assistant director to Sekhar Kammula, he made his directorial debut in 2015 with the coming-of-age film Yevade Subramanyam , which won him the Nandi Award for Best Debut Director. In 2018, Ashwin directed Mahanati , a biopic of actress Savitri. It emerged as the highest-grossing female-led South Indian film and won him the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu and the Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu. He expanded to big-budget cinema with the science fiction film Kalki 2898 AD (2024).
Nag Ashwin was born on 23 April 1986 in a Telugu family to Jayaram and Jayanthi Reddy, who are both doctors. He has a younger sister Nikhila, who is also a doctor. Ashwin's mother hails from Visakhapatnam and runs JJ Hospital, along with his father, in Hyderabad. [2]
Ashwin studied in The Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet, Hyderabad. He was classmates and friends with Rana Daggubati since class one. [3] He got his bachelor's degree in Mass Communication from Manipal Academy of Higher Education. [4] He then did a Film Direction course at the New York Film Academy. [5] He is a relative of D. Nageshwara Reddy, the founder of the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology (AIG).[ citation needed ]
Nag Ashwin began his career as an assistant director for the film Nenu Meeku Telusa? . [6] He then worked as assistant director to Sekhar Kammula in Leader (2010) and Life Is Beautiful (2012) and acted in minor roles in all three films. [7] [8]
He made his directorial debut with Yevade Subramanyam (2015), which received positive reviews. It was a sleeper hit and gained a cult following post-release.
In May 2016, he announced that his next film would be a biopic of the Indian actress, Savitri, titled Mahanati . He spent six months researching about her life by reading articles and books, in addition to meeting old journalists and actors that associated with her. Backed by Vyjayanthi Movies, principal photography for the film began in May 2017 and was completed by March 2018. The film released on 9 May 2018 garnering both critical and commercial acclaim, and went on to win several awards. [9]
Mahanati was showcased in the Indian Panorama Mainstream section at the 49th International Film Festival of India, [10] and has also garnered the "Equality in Cinema Award" at the 2018 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. [11] At the 66th National Film Awards 2019, the film won accolades including the Best Feature Film in Telugu. [12] [13] Nag Ashwin received the Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu at the 66th Filmfare Awards South. [14]
In February 2020, he announced his next project, a science fiction action film, coinciding the occasion of 50th year since the establishment of Vyjayanthi Movies, Prabhas was announced to be the lead actor under the tentative title Prabhas 21 and was later changed to working title Project K. [15] However, the production was delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming began in July 2021, with a futuristic set erected at Ramoji Film City, in Hyderabad. Produced on a ₹600 crore budget, it is the most expensive Indian film till date. Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan were confirmed to be a part of the film. [16] It was the first Indian film to be presented at San Diego Comic-Con's Hall-H on 20 July 2023, where the makers unveiled the official title of the film as Kalki 2898 AD. The film released worldwide on 27 June 2024 opened to positive reviews from critics and audience. Collider in its review stated that "Kalki 2898 AD is a unique sci-fi epic that successfully combines supernatural elements with cutting-edge technology", while appreciating performances of the lead cast particularly Prabhas and Bachchan, and the screenplay by Nag Ashwin. [17] Bunbury of Deadline Hollywood wrote that "It is terrific, cathartic fun – and, given that Vishnu’s next avatar has apparently yet to be born, what is described in the marketing blurbs as the Kalki Cinematic Universe can be expected to rage, burn and rip-roar for a good few editions yet, leaving audiences happily flattened with exhaustion" and praised Nag Ashwin's work. [18]
In December 2015, Nag Ashwin married Priyanka Dutt, the second daughter of producer C. Aswani Dutt of Vyjayanthi Movies. [19] The couple has a son, Rishi. [20]
† | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | Yevade Subramanyam | Yes | Yes | No | ||
2018 | Mahanati | Yes | Yes | No | ||
2021 | Pitta Kathalu | Yes | Yes | No | Segment: xLife | [21] [22] |
Jathi Ratnalu | No | No | Yes | [23] | ||
2024 | Kalki 2898 AD | Yes | Yes | No | [24] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | Nenu Meeku Telusa? | Barmani's assistant | ||
2010 | Leader | Motorcycle rider | Special appearance in "Hey CM" song | [25] |
2012 | Life Is Beautiful | Gold phase guy |
Year | Title | Role | Network | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2024 | Bujji & Bhairava | Creator/Director | Amazon Prime Video | [26] |
Title | Awards | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Yevade Subramanyam | Nandi Awards | Best Debut Director | Won | [27] |
5th SIIMA Award | Best Director – Telugu | Nominated | [28] | |
Mahanati | 66th Filmfare Awards South | Best Director | Won | [14] |
66th National Film Awards | Best Feature Film – Telugu | Won | [13] | |
8th SIIMA Award | Best Director | Nominated | [29] | |
Zee Cine Awards Telugu | Best Director | Won | [30] | |
Ramineni Foundation Awards | Best Director | Won | [31] |
Uppalapati Venkata Suryanarayana Prabhas Raju, known mononymously as Prabhas, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. He is one of the highest-paid actors in Indian cinema and has been featured in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list since 2015. Referred to in the media as the "Rebel Star", he has appeared in over 20 films, and has received seven Filmfare Awards nominations, a Nandi Award, and a SIIMA Award.
The Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu is presented by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Telugu films. The awards were extended to "Best Director" in 1972.
Chalasani Aswani Dutt, also spelled Ashwin Dutt, is an Indian film producer known for his work in the Telugu cinema. He established the film production company Vyjayanthi Movies in 1974, one of the biggest production houses in the Telugu film industry. In a career spanning nearly five decades, he has produced over 40 films with a majority of them in Telugu and a few in Hindi and Tamil languages. He is known for producing big-budget films that have lavish production values.
The genre of science fiction has been prevalent in the Indian film industry since the second half of the 20th century. Beginning in 1952, the English-Tamil film Kaadu was made, which was an Indian-American co-production. The 1963 Tamil film Kalai Arasi, 1965 Telugu film Dorikithe Dongalu, and 1967 Hindi film Chand Par Chadayee also have science fiction in their storyline. The Alien was a science fiction film under production in the late 1960s which was eventually cancelled. The film was being directed by Bengali Indian director Satyajit Ray and produced by Hollywood studio Columbia Pictures. The script was written by Ray in 1967, based on "Bankubabur Bandhu", a Bengali story he had written in 1962 for Sandesh, the Ray family magazine.
Krishnakumar Balasubramanian is an Indian actor and art director who predominantly works in Tamil cinema.
Keerthy Suresh is an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. She is a recipient of various accolades including one National Film Award, four SIIMA Awards and a Filmfare Award South. Keerthy was placed in Forbes India's 30 Under 30 list of 2021.
Malvika Nair is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Telugu films, she worked in few Malayalam and Tamil-language films. Her notable works include Black Butterfly (2013), Cuckoo (2014), Yevade Subramanyam (2015) and Taxiwaala (2018).
Deverakonda Vijay Sai, professionally known as Vijay Deverakonda, is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Telugu films. One of the highest-paid actors of Telugu cinema, he has featured in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list since 2018 and has received several accolades, including a Filmfare Award, a Nandi Award, and two SIIMA Award.
Swapna Dutt Chalasani is an Indian film producer known for her work in Telugu cinema. She is the daughter of C. Ashwini Dutt, a well-known Indian film producer and the founder of Vyjayanthi Movies.
Tharun Bhascker Dhaassyam is an Indian film director, writer, actor, and television presenter who works in Telugu Film Industry. He directed the critically acclaimed romantic comedy film Pelli Choopulu (2016), which won him the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu and Best Screenplay – Dialogues. He later directed Ee Nagaraniki Emaindhi (2018), and made his acting debut in a lead role with Meeku Maathrame Cheptha (2019).
Dulquer Salmaan is an Indian actor, playback singer and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam and Telugu films in addition to Tamil 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. Dulquer is a recipient of several awards including, five Filmfare Awards South and a Kerala State Film Award.
Mahanati is a 2018 Indian Telugu-language biographical drama film based on the life of actress Savitri. It is written and directed by Nag Ashwin, and produced by Priyanka Dutt under Vyjayanthi Movies and Swapna Cinema. The film features Keerthy Suresh as Savitri while Dulquer Salmaan plays Savitri's husband Gemini Ganesan. The film also stars Samantha Akkineni and Vijay Deverakonda, along with Rajendra Prasad, Prakash Raj, and Bhanupriya who appear in supporting roles. Naga Chaitanya and Mohan Babu, among others, play guest appearances. The plot follows Savitri's life, depicting her turbulent rise to prominence, marriage with Ganesan, and subsequent fall from grace, which is viewed from the perspective of a journalist and a photographer, played by Samantha and Deverakonda respectively.
SIIMA Award for Best Director – Telugu is presented by Vibri media group as part of its annual South Indian International Movie Awards, for best film direction done by a director in Telugu films. The award was first given in 2012 for films released in 2011. Trivikram Srinivas is the most nominated with 5 nominations while S. S. Rajamouli is the most awarded director with three wins.
Kalki 2898 AD is a 2024 Indian Telugu-language epic science fiction film directed by Nag Ashwin and produced by Vyjayanthi Movies. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Prabhas, Deepika Padukone and Disha Patani. Inspired by Hindu mythology, it is the first instalment in a planned Kalki Cinematic Universe. Set in a post-apocalyptic world in the year 2898 AD, the film follows a select group on a mission to save Kalki, the unborn child of SUM-80, a lab subject.
Prabhas is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. He is one of the highest-paid actors in Indian cinema. He made his acting debut with the 2002 Telugu action drama Eeswar and attained his breakthrough with the action romance Varsham (2004) for which he received his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu. In 2005, he appeared in S. S. Rajamouli's action drama Chatrapathi, in which he portrayed the role of a refugee, exploited by goons. It had a 100-day run in 54 centers and emerged as the biggest blockbuster of year. It earned him his second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu.
Kalki 2898 AD is the soundtrack album composed by Santhosh Narayanan to the 2024 Indian Telugu-language epic dystopian science fiction action film of the same name, directed by Nag Ashwin, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Prabhas and Deepika Padukone. The lyrics are written by Ramajogayya Sastry, Chandrabose and Krishna Kanth in Telugu, Kumaar and Siddharth-Garima in Hindi, Vivek in Tamil, Varadaraj Chikkaballapura in Kannada and Shyam Muraleedharan in Malayalam. The soundtrack album which consisted of six songs was released on 10 July 2024.
Bujji and Bhairava is an Indian Telugu-language animated science fiction comedy television miniseries created and directed by Nag Ashwin and, written by Sahen Upadhyay. It is produced by Vyjayanthi Animation and Green Gold Animation. The series is a prelude to the 2024 film Kalki 2898 AD, and has a narrative primarily about Bhairava and his AI droid/vehicle companion BU-JZ-1 (Bujji).