Rahul Riji Nair | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 21 March 1988 |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2017–present |
| Spouse | Nithya Vijay |
| Parents |
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| Awards |
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Rahul Riji Nair is an Indian film director, scriptwriter, producer and actor active in the Malayalam film industry. His debut feature film Ottamuri Velicham won 4 awards at the 2017 Kerala State Film Awards, including Best Feature Film. [1] Rahul won the 67th National Film Awards for Best Malayalam Film in 2019 for his third feature film Kalla Nottam. [2]
Rahul was born in Kollam, Kerala on 21 March 1988 to Dr. Riji G. Nair and Rajasree Nair. He did his schooling from SN Trusts Central School, Kollam and graduated in Engineering from Amrita School of Engineering in 2009.
He worked as a Software Engineer and then as Marketing Manager with multiple companies in Technopark, Trivandrum before venturing into filmmaking. [3] He is married to Nithya Vijay. [4]
Rahul started his career in the Malayalam film industry in 2017 as the writer, producer and director of the Malayalam feature film Ottamuri Velicham . This film won 4 awards in Kerala State Film Awards 2017, including Best Feature Film of the year. His third feature film, Kalla Nottam won the 67th National Film Award for Best Malayalam Feature Film.
His films have premiered at prestigious film festivals in Mumbai, Kolkata, New York, Stuttgart, Chicago etc. He has also won multiple international wards including the prestigious Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award for Best Feature Film at the 26th Kolkata International Film Festival and German Star of India Award for Best Feature film at the Indian Film Festival of Stuttgart.
Rahul pioneered the production of mainstream Web Series in Malayalam by creating the first Originals for Major OTT platforms like Disney+ Hotstar and Sony LIV. [5] He's noticed for his diverse body of work that has successfully traversed both Independent and Mainstream Cinema.
Rahul founded the production house First Print Studios in 2011 and is currently serving the company as its CEO. As a self taught filmmaker, he ventured into independent filmmaking through Documentaries, Short Films and Music Videos. Rahul's first independent directorial was the documentary The Human Boundaries in 2012 and it was widely screened across India, Europe and the United States. His Tamil Music Video titled Mounam Sollum Varthaigal gave his first major break through as it went viral with over 25 million views.
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Film | Credited As | Language | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Producer | ||||
| 2017 | Ottamuri Velicham | Yes | Yes | Yes | Malayalam |
|
| 2018 | Dakini | Yes | Yes | Malayalam | ||
| 2019 | Kalla Nottam † | Yes | Yes | Yes | Malayalam |
|
| 2020 | Kho-Kho | Yes | Yes | Yes | Malayalam |
|
| 2022 | Keedam | Yes | Yes | Yes | Malayalam | |
| Year | Title | Network | Credited As | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creator | Director | Writer | Producer | ||||
| 2023 | Kerala Crime Files | Disney+ Hotstar | Yes | First Malayalam Originals on Disney+ Hotstar [6] | |||
| 2023 | Jai Mahendran† | Sony LIV | Yes | Yes | Yes | First Malayalam Originals on Sony LIV [7] [8] | |
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Kho-Kho | Vinod | Malayalam | Debut as Actor [9] |
| 2022 | Keedam | Vijay | Malayalam | |
| 2023 | Tholvi F.C. | CEO | Malayalam | |
| Jai Mahendran† | Balagopal / Balu | Malayalam | Digital Debut As Actor [10] | |
| Year | Film | Song Name | Music Director | Singers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Kho-Kho | Theeram Thane Unarum | Sidhartha Pradeep | Nandagopan V | Debut As Lyricist |
| Year | Film | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Mounam Sollum Varthaigal | Tamil | Screenplay & Direction |
| Year | Film | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Survival Stories | Malayalam | Anthology created during the COVID-19 Lockdown [11] |
| 2016 | Troll Life | Malayalam | Platinum Film of the Year - India Film Project 2016 |
| 2016 | Netaji | Malayalam | Musical Short |
| 2015 | Rs. 2 | Malayalam | Audience Choice Winner - 48 Hour Film Project, Mumbai |
| 2015 | MJ | Malayalam | Best Film #9 - India Film Project 2015 [12] |
| 2014 | Malai Kofta | Malayalam | |
| Year | Film | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Human Boundaries | English-Hindi | Widely screened across India, UK & USA |
Malayalam cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Malayalam language, which is widely spoken in the state of Kerala. Malayalam cinema includes the commercial film industry, sometimes known as Mollywood, as well as independent cinema made in Malayalam.
Piravi is a 1989 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by Shaji N. Karun. It stars Premji, Archana and Lakshmi Krishnamurthy. The film is based on the life of professor T. V. Eachara Warrier, whose son, a student in Regional Engineering College, Calicut, was killed in police custody during the National Emergency Period of 1976. The film's music was composed by G. Aravindan and Mohan Sithara. Piravi received widespread critical acclaim upon release. The film was screened and very well received at many film festivals and won at least 31 awards, including the Caméra d'Or — Mention Spéciale at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. It also won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film at the Indian National Film Awards in 1989.
Gayatri Das known professionally as Geetu Mohandas is an Indian former actress and director known for her works in Malayalam cinema. In 2013, she directed the socio political film Liar's Dice which has received two National Film Awards, was premiered at Sundance Film Festival, and was chosen by the Government of India as India's entry for the U.S. 87th Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, but was not shortlisted or nominated.
Kho-Kho may refer to:
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Ottamuri Velicham is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written and directed by Rahul Riji Nair. It is produced under the banner of First Print Studios and has Vinitha Koshy and Deepak Parambol in the lead roles. The film unveils the journey of a newly wed girl who moves into a one-room shack in an isolated village with her husband. The film portrays the social issue of marital rape in India. The film won 4 awards at the 2017 Kerala State Film Awards, including Best Feature Film of the year. The film had its World Premiere at the New York Indian Film Festival on May 11, 2018. The film was released on Eros Now as an Original in November, 2018.
Aedan: Garden of Desire is a 2017 Indian Malayalam film directed by Sanju Surendran. The film stars Abhilash Nair, George Kurian, Prasant, Nandini Sree, Sunny, Jojo George, and Dileep Kumar. Aedan is more of a folktale in its elemental qualities and evocation of eternal human passions. Following the tradition of Indian epic narration, the structure of the film is that of a story within a story. The stories attempt a microscopic examination of human nature. As the story courses through the frustrations of the characters, the idyllic landscape of a beautiful Kerala village takes on diabolic dimensions during night time.
Pauly Valsan is an Indian actress who has been acclaimed for acting in Malayalam films and plays. She debuted in Malayalam film industry with the supporting roles in the 2008 movie Annan Thambi In 2017, she won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Character Actress for her performance in Ee.Ma.Yau directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery and Ottamuri Velicham directed by Rahul Riji Nair.In 2022, she won Kerala State Film Award for Best Dubbing Artist.
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Kho-Kho is a 2021 Indian Malayalam-language sports drama film written and directed by Rahul Riji Nair starring Rajisha Vijayan, Mamitha Baiju and produced by First Print Studios. The film received a TRP of 12.7 points during its World Television Premiere, making it the highest ever for a female-centric Malayalam film. The film also entered the list of Top 15 Malayalam films with the highest TRPs at that time.
Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam is a 2021 Indian Malayalam-language, comedy-drama film written and directed by Senna Hegde. The film won the Best Feature Film in Malayalam at the 68th National Film Awards. It was also chosen as the Second Best Film and Senna Hegde received the award for Best Story at the 51st Kerala State Film Awards. The film was also selected for the 25th International Film Festival of Kerala under the "Malayalam Cinema Today" category. The film was produced by Pushkara Mallikarjunaiah under the banner of Pushkar Films.
Keedam (transl. Pest) is a 2022 Indian Malayalam-language thriller film directed by Rahul Riji Nair and starring Rajisha Vijayan and Sreenivasan. The film was released in theatres on 20 May 2022.
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