Akshay Hari Om Bhatia, known professionally as Akshay Kumar, is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as "Khiladi Kumar", through his career spanning over 30 years, Kumar has appeared in over 150 films and has won several awards, including two National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards. He received the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour, from the Government of India in 2009. Kumar is one of the most prolific actors in Indian cinema. Forbes included Kumar in their lists of both highest-paid celebrities and highest-paid actors in the world from 2015 to 2020. Between 2019 and 2020, he was the only Indian on both lists.
Priyadarshan is an Indian film director and screenwriter known for his involvement in Indian cinema. Over a career spanning nearly three decades, Priyadarshan has directed a portfolio of over 90 films in multiple Indian languages, predominantly Malayalam and Hindi, alongside notable works in Tamil and Telugu. His career has been decorated with several accolades, including three National Film Awards, multiple Kerala State Film Awards, and the Padma Shri in 2012.
Hera Pheri is a 2000 Indian Hindi-language heist comedy drama film directed by Priyadarshan and written by Neeraj Vora, starring Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal, Tabu, Om Puri and Gulshan Grover. The film is a remake of 1989 Malayalam film Ramji Rao Speaking which itself was inspired by the 1971 American TV movie See The Man Run. It is the first instalment of the Hera Pheri franchise. The plot revolves around two tenants, Raju and Shyam, and their landlord, Baburao Ganpatrao Apte, who are in desperate need of money. They chance upon a ransom call through a cross-connection and hatch a plan to claim the ransom for themselves.
Paresh Rawal is an Indian actor, comedian, film producer and politician known for his works primarily in Hindi films. He has appeared in over 240 films and is the recipient of various accolades. In 1994, he won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in the films Woh Chokri and Sir. For the latter, he received his first Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role. This was followed by Ketan Mehta's Sardar, which saw him playing the lead role of freedom fighter Vallabhbhai Patel, a role that got him national and international acclaim. He was honoured with Padma Shri from the Government of India in 2014.
Garam Masala is a 2005 Indian Hindi-language comedy romance drama film written and directed by Priyadarshan. The film stars Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Paresh Rawal, Rimi Sen, Neha Dhupia and Rajpal Yadav. The story revolves around Makarand "Mac" Deendayal Chatpatiya (Kumar) and Shyam "Sam" Salgaonkar (Abraham), two photographer friends, who like to flirt with women constantly. After a trip abroad, Shyam decides to disrupt Makarand's life when he sees him enjoying the company of three ladies. The film is a remake of Priyadarshan's own 1985 Malayalam comedy Boeing Boeing which in turn was based on the 1960 French play of the same name.
Mukesh Madhavan, known mononymously as Mukesh, is an Indian actor, film producer, television presenter, and politician who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil-language films. In a film career spanning four decades, he has acted in over 275 Malayalam films.
Vandanam (transl. Greeting) is a 1989 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by Priyadarshan, written by V. R. Gopalakrishnan, and produced by P. K. R. Pillai. The film stars Mohanlal and Girija Shettar, while Mukesh and Nedumudi Venu appear in supporting roles. The songs were composed by Ouseppachan, while the background score was by Johnson. The film is based on the 1987 American film Stakeout.
Thenmavin Kompath is a 1994 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Priyadarshan. It was produced and edited by N. Gopalakrishnan. The film stars Mohanlal, Shobana, and Nedumudi Venu, with Kaviyoor Ponnamma, K. P. A. C. Lalitha, Sukumari, Kuthiravattam Pappu, Sreenivasan, Sankaradi, and Sharat Saxena in supporting roles. The background score was composed by S. P. Venkatesh, while the Berny-Ignatius duo composed the songs. K. V. Anand was the cinematographer.
Boeing Boeing is a 1985 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Priyadarshan. The story was based on the 1960 French play of the same name. The plot follows Shyam (Mohanlal) who is dating three flight attendants at the same time, and the scenario gets complicated with the arrival of his friend Anilkumar (Mukesh) along with other obstructions.
De Dana Dan is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Priyadarshan. Its story is a partial adaptation of the Hollywood film Screwed; some scenes were taken from Vettam, Priyadarshan's Malayalam film. The film has an ensemble cast led by Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty, Katrina Kaif, Paresh Rawal and Sameera Reddy. Released on 27 November 2009, it was moderately successful at the box office.
Nirnayam (transl. Decision) is a 1991 Indian Telugu-language action drama film directed by Priyadarshan in his Telugu debut, produced by D. Kishore on Jayabheri Art Productions banner, presented by M.Murali Mohan, starring Nagarjuna, Amala Akkineni and music composed by Ilaiyaraaja.
Vikram K. Kumar is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu and Tamil cinema. In 1998, he directed his breakthrough non-feature film, Silent Scream, for which he won the National Film Award For Best Instructional Film. He made his directorial debut in Telugu cinema industry with Ishtam in 2001, and then directed the Tamil movie, Yavarum Nalam.
Akshay Kumar is an Indian actor, television presenter, and film producer who works in Hindi-language films. He had a minor role in the 1987 Indian film Aaj. He debuted in a leading role with the film Saugandh (1991) before his breakthrough with Khiladi (1992), first film of the Khiladi series. In 1994, Kumar featured in 14 releases, including the successful Elaan, Mohra, Main Khiladi Tu Anari, Suhaag and the romantic drama Yeh Dillagi, which earned him a Filmfare Award for Best Actor nomination. He also found success with Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi (1996) and Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), which earned him a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination. However, several other of his 1990s releases performed poorly at the box office, leading to a brief setback in his film career.
Geethaanjali is a 2013 Indian Malayalam-language horror film directed by Priyadarshan and written by Abhilash Nair, with dialogue by Dennis Joseph. It is a spin-off of the 1993 film Manichitrathazhu and an official remake of the 2007 Thai film Alone. Mohanlal reprises his role from the original. The film also features Keerthy Suresh as the dual title characters, Nishan, Siddique, Madhu, Swapna Menon, Innocent, and K. B. Ganesh Kumar. In the film, psychologist Dr. Sunny Joseph arrives at a mansion to treat Anjali, who is haunted by her deceased twin sister Geetha, and investigates the paranormal activities.
Aamayum Muyalum is a 2014 Indian Malayalam-language comedy drama film written and directed by Priyadarshan, and co-produced by Jaison Pullikkottil under the banner Full House Entertainment. It is a remake of the director's own Hindi movie Malamaal Weekly which itself was a remake of Waking Ned. The film has a cast of Jayasurya, Piaa Bajpai, Innocent, Nedumudi Venu, Anoop Menon, Harisree Ashokan and Mamukkoya in prominent roles. The music is composed by M. G. Sreekumar.
Hera Pheri is a series of Indian comedy films. The first film is directed by Priyadarshan and produced by A.G. Nadiadwala, the second film was directed by Neeraj Vora while third will be directed by Farhad Samji and produced by Firoz A. Nadiadwala. The first film of the series was the remake of the Malayalam film Ramji Rao Speaking while the second film's central plot takes inspiration from Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and the circus sequences were taken from the Charlie Chaplin film The Circus. The series stars Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty and Paresh Rawal in lead roles. The third installment of the series is in development.
Oppam (transl. Along) is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller film directed by Priyadarshan from a story by Govind Vijayan. The film, produced by Antony Perumbavoor for Aashirvad Cinemas, stars Mohanlal and Samuthirakani. The songs were composed by the group 4 Musics, while the score was composed by Ron Ethan Yohann. The cinematography and editing were handled by N. K. Ekambaram and M. S. Ayyappan Nair and the story of the film is influenced by the basic threads of the 2011 Korean film Blind and the English film Cape Fear which itself was adapted from a novel.
Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea is a 2021 Indian Malayalam-language epic historical drama action film directed by Priyadarshan. Set in the 16th century Kozhikode, the film is based on the fourth Kunjali Marakkar named Muhammad Ali, the admiral of the fleet of the Zamorin. Priyadarshan scripted the film with Ani Sasi. The film is produced by Antony Perumbavoor's Aashirvad Cinemas. Marakkar features Mohanlal as Marakkar and Pranav Mohanlal as young Marakkar in the titlular roles, with ensemble cast Arjun Sarja, Suniel Shetty, Prabhu, Ashok Selvan, Nedumudi Venu, Mukesh, Siddique, Manju Warrier, Keerthy Suresh, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Suhasini Maniratnam, Innocent, Mamukkoya, Hareesh Peradi, Santhosh Keezhattoor and K. B. Ganesh Kumar. In the film, upon being terrorised by an oppressive Portuguese regime, legendary naval chieftain Kunjali Marakkar IV wages an epic war against the Europeans and their allies. This film was Keerthy Suresh's comeback to Malayalam cinema after a gap of seven years and the Malayalam debut of Ashok Selvan.
Hungama 2 is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Priyadarshan and jointly produced by Ratan Jain, Ganesh Jain, Chetan Jain and Armaan Ventures. It is the spiritual sequel of Priyadarshan's own 2003 film Hungama. It is loosely based on Priyadarshan's own 1994 Malayalam film Minnaram with a comedy sequence borrowed from his other Malayalam film Vandanam (1989) both starring Mohanlal. The film stars Paresh Rawal, Shilpa Shetty, Meezaan Jafri and Pranitha Subhash.
Anaswara Rajan is an Indian actress who primarily works in Malayalam films. She made her acting debut as a child artist in Udaharanam Sujatha (2017). Anaswara received praises for her performance in Super Sharanya (2022) and Neru (2023), winning Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Malayalam for the latter, which became her breakout role.
