Sanjivan Lal

Last updated

Sanjivan Lal
Sanjivan lal.jpg
Born(1965-06-18)18 June 1965
Jamshedpur, Jharkhand
Occupation(s)Film director, writer
Years active1993–present

Sanjivan Lal (born 18 June 1965) is an Indian film director and writer. He did his specialisation in Film Direction from Film and Television Institute of India at Pune. Before making feature films, he had made several documentaries on various topics for Government as well as for the Corporates. He has also made several one-off episodes for various channels like Zee and Star TV.

Contents

He was a jury member of non-feature section of Indian Panorama for IFFI, 2005 at Goa.

In 2011, he made his directorial debut with the film Bubble Gum which was a critically acclaimed film and was also appreciated all over. The film was among the 5 films you should've watched in 2011 [1] by Rajeev Masand. The film was also listed among the best films of 2011 by Hindustan Times.

Sanjivan was also noticed and was among the best Debut Directors List of Yahoo! India.

Early life

Sanjivan Lal was born in Jamshedpur. He had his early education at Loyola School, Jamshedpur and later at Sawan Public School, New Delhi.

Later he did his graduation from Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, where he took part in Dramatic Society – The Players.

After graduation he pursued Chartered Accountancy in Delhi for 2 and a half years only to quit & join 6 months documentary workshop being conducted by CENDIT, New Delhi sponsored by The Indo-German Social Service Society, 1989.

At the end of the workshop he got through Film and Television Institute of India at Pune to specialise in Film Direction. He graduated from FTII in 1993 & shifted to Bombay.

Career

Sanjivan Lal [2] is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune with specialization in Film Direction, 1993. His diploma film The Second Page about the killing of under trails in Police lock ups was screened as part of the Indian Panorama at the International Film Festival of India in Calcutta in 1994.

Starting his own production house, Lumiere Films, Sanjivan directed several one offs telecast on prime television channels like Star Plus's Star Bestsellers, Zee TV's Rishtey, Saturday Suspense and Sahara TV's Raaz and Mujrim Kaun? The episode 'Khazana' in the thriller series 'Mujrim Kaun?' won the prestigious RAPA award for excellence in Radio and Television advertising.

Sanjivan has dealt with a variety of non-fiction subjects as well. From a film on Chau mask making for the Government of Jharkhand, to a film on the Electronic Voting Machine for The Election Commission of India.

His documentary film "Is God Deaf?" about noise pollution in the name of religion was selected for the International Festival of Documentary and Reality Films at New Delhi and the International Film Festival of India, 2004, as part of the Indian Panorama beside host of other film festivals.

His first feature film in Hindi was Bubble Gum which was released on the 29 July 2011. The film was critically acclaimed and was among the best films of 2011. IMDB still rates this film at 7.3/10

In June 2017, Sanjivan established his film company called Eclectic Films.

He is currently in talks with various producers for his next film.

Meanwhile, he is also producing and directing a feature-length documentary film for the international market titled 1947: Brexit India . It looks at the international factors and the economics that dictated a hurried granting of independence to India in 1947. It has been scripted by Ms. Shama Zaidi, the writer of M.S. Sathyu's Garam Hawa and Satyajit Ray's Shatranj Ke Khilari And has Dr. Shashi Tharoor, William Darlymple, Dr. Ishtiaq Ahmed from Pakistan, Dr. Alister Hinds from West Indies, Professor Tom Tomlinson from London, Dr. David Omissi (University of Hull, Britain) and some more.

Activities

Has attended several scriptwriting workshops by Anjum Rajab Ali, British Council and by Script Factory from UK.

Sanjivan attended Rotterdam Lab at Rotterdam, Netherlands, in 2007.

Did freelance journalism on cinema for Delhi-based newspapers: Hindustan Times , The Patriot and The Indian Express .

1947: Brexit India

Sanjivan directed a feature length documentary titled - 1947: Brexit India, which sheds a light on British presence in India from 1609 till 1947. The documentary aims to focus on the factors behind India getting Independence apart from the National Movement led by the National leaders. The Documentary is Anchored and Narrated by Boman Irani and have speakers such as Shashi Tharoor - former diplomat, politician, writer and public intellectual; William Dalrymple - Scottish historian, art historian and curator, as well as a broadcaster, critic and photographer; M. Rajivlochan - Historian and Member of Department of History, Panjab University, Chandigarh; Commodore Chitrapu Uday Bhaskar - retired military officer who served in the Indian Navy; Ishtiaq Ahmed - Swedish political scientist and author of Pakistani descent; Allister Hinds - author of books such as Britain's Sterling Colonial Policy and Decolonization, 1939-1958; Professor Tom Tomlinson - Emeritus Professor, Department of History, School of History; Dr. David Omissi - Senior Lecturer in Modern History, University of Hull; Gurharpal Singh - political scientist.

The documentary is being presented and produced by Swarnjit Singh, a U.S. based doctor in association with Sanjivan Lal's production company - Eclectic Films. The principal photography of the documentary was completed on 25 March 2022 and is currently in post-production and expected to be ready by the end of May/beginning of June 2023. The documentary was shot in United Kingdom - London, Hull and Wales. In India, it was shot in New Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Plassey, Murshidabad and Buxar. The film has been shot by Jogendra Panda while the sound design is by Manas Ranjan Choudhury. The editor of this film is Prashant Naik and the associate director is Arjun Lal.

For research purposes, the team had support from [National Library of India|The National Library of India, Kolkata] and Asiatic Library, Mumbai. Apart from these institutions, numerous books and research papers were also referred by Mr.Swarnjit Singh and Ms. Shama Zaidi. Shama Zaidi is also the writer of the film. She is a writer of films like M.S.Sathyu's Garam Hawa, Satyajit Ray's Shatranj ke Khiladi & Shayam Benegal's Discovery of India. Regarding the archive footage the main sources were British Pathe, AP Archive, Doordarshan and Films Division, Mumbai. The photographs were sourced by various institutions and individuals across the world with a big help coming from Mr. Philip Thornton the founder of the group East India Company & Raj Research Group, 1600-1919 on Facebook.

Filmography

Director

Writer

Fiction

Documentary

Corporate films

Awards and rewards

The episode Khazana in the thriller series Mujrim Kaun? won the prestigious RAPA award for excellence in Radio and Television advertising.

"Is God Deaf?" was selected for PSBT-Prasar Bharti-UNESCO'S International Festival of Documentary & Reality Films at New Delhi, 2004 and was also selected for 35th International Film Festival of India [IFFI 2004] at Goa as a part of the Indian Panorama.

His diploma film The Second Page about the killing of under trails in Police lock ups was selected for the Indian Panorama at the 25th International Film Festival of India, Calcutta 1994.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahesh Bhatt</span> Indian film director, producer, screenwriter (born 1948)

Mahesh Bhatt is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter known for his works in Hindi cinema. He has received several accolades, including four National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards. A notable film from his earlier period is Saaransh (1984), screened at the 14th Moscow International Film Festival. It became India's official entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for that year. The 1986 film Naam was his first piece of commercial cinema. In 1987, he turned producer with the film Kabzaa under the banner, "Vishesh Films", with his brother Mukesh Bhatt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M. S. Sathyu</span> Indian film director

Mysore Shrinivas Sathyu is a film director, stage designer and art director from India. He is best known for his directorial Garm Hava (1973), which was based on the partition of India. He was awarded Padma Shri in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mita Vashisht</span> Indian actress

Mita Vashisht is an Indian actress. Known for her work on screen, stage and television, she has played a wide range of roles. Her most prominent appearances includes; sci-fi television series Space City Sigma (1989-1991), Pachpan Khambe Laal Deewarein, Swabhimaan, Alaan (Kirdaar) to Trishna in Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki and Jethi Maa in Kaala Teeka to film roles with a wide spectrum of directors with different cinema styles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chetan Anand (director)</span> Hindi film producer, screenwriter and director

Chetan Anand was a Bollywood film producer, screenwriter and director from India, whose first film, Neecha Nagar, was awarded the Grand Prix Prize at the first ever Cannes Film Festival in 1946. Later, he co-founded Navketan Films with his younger brother Dev Anand in 1949.

Shama Zaidi is an Indian screenplay writer, costume designer, art director, theatre person, art critic, and documentary film maker. She is married to director M. S. Sathyu. Shama Zaidi Was Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award at ICA - International Cultural Artifact Film Festival in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rajshri Productions</span> Indian film production and distribution company

Rajshri Productions is an Indian film production and distribution company based in Mumbai, India, established in 1947, which is primarily involved in producing Hindi films. The most successful films produced by the company include Dosti (1964), Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se (1978), Nadiya Ke Paar (1982), Saaransh (1984), Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994), Hum Saath Saath Hain (1999), Vivah (2006) and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015). It has produced successful shows like Woh Rehne Waali Mehlon Ki, Yahan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli, and Pyaar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyaara Pyaara.

<i>Train to Pakistan</i> (film) 1998 Indian film

Train to Pakistan is a 1998 Indian Hindi film adapted from Khushwant Singh's 1956 classic novel by the same name set in the Partition of India of 1947 and directed by Pamela Rooks. The film stars Nirmal Pandey, Rajit Kapur, Mohan Agashe, Smriti Mishra, Mangal Dhillon and Divya Dutta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deepak Parashar</span> Indian actor and former model (born 1952)

Deepak Parashar is an Indian actor and former model. He was a contestant on Bigg Boss in 2006. He is a Part of the Web Show Raisinghani v/s Raisinghani on Sonyliv app started on 12th feb 2024

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aribam Syam Sharma</span> Indian film director

Aribam Syam Sharma is an Indian filmmaker and composer from Manipur. He debuted in the first Manipuri film Matamgi Manipur as an actor. In 1974, he directed his first movie Lamja Parshuram. It became the first Manipuri film to run for 100 days in the box office. His 1979 film Olangthagee Wangmadasoo was the first ever and the only Manipuri film to run for 32 weeks. It also broke the local box office records of Sholay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surendra Pal</span> Indian actor

Surendrapal Singh is an Indian film and television character actor who works in Hindi films and TV series. He is best known for his roles of Dronacharya in Mahabharat, Amatya Rakshas in Chanakya, Tamraj Kilvish in Shaktiman and Daksha in Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pallavi Joshi</span> Indian actress (born 1969)

Pallavi Joshi is an Indian actress, writer, and film producer who works primarily in Hindi films and television. In a career spanning across films and television, Joshi is the recipient of such accolades as three National Film Awards, and a nomination for the Filmfare Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solaris Pictures</span> Indian film production company

Solaris Pictures is an Indian film production company based in Mumbai. It was created by Sridhar Rangayan, and Saagar Gupta in 2001. The two have gone on to create several award-winning films under Solaris Pictures' banner, focusing on LGBT issues and HIV/AIDS.

<i>Lahore</i> (film) 2010 Indian Hindi sports film

Lahore is a 2010 Indian Hindi sports film that was released on 19 March 2010. It was directed by Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan and produced by Vivek Khatkar, Jagat Singh Rana & Sunil Sharma, with Sai Om Films Pvt. Ltd.'s, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The movie is loosely based on the American martial arts movie Best of the Best.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nirmal Pandey</span> Indian actor

Nirmal Pandey was an Indian Bollywood actor who was known for his roles of Vikram Mallah in Shekhar Kapur's Bandit Queen (1994), and Dajjal in Television Series Hatim, for portraying a transvestite in Daayraa (1996) for which he won a Best Actress Valenti award in France, Train To Pakistan (1998) and Godmother (1999). He played the role of Kishan Bhatta in Malayalam language film Dubai (2001).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neeraj Pandey</span> Indian film director

Neeraj Pandey is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter who works in Hindi cinema. Pandey made his directoral debut in A Wednesday!, which was largely praised by critics and which later became a recipient of many accolades. His second film was Special 26 (2013), which was followed by Baby (2015), both of them received critical acclaim and became commercial success. He served as a producer in Rustom (2016). Pandey returned to directing in 2016 helming the biopic movie M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story based on Indian cricketer M.S.Dhoni which fared well critically and commercially. Besides being a filmmaker, Pandey is also a writer and has written a novel named Ghalib Danger in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rupal Patel</span> Indian television actress

Rupal Patel is an Indian actress best known for portraying Kokila Modi in Saath Nibhaana Saathiya —one of the longest-running Indian TV series—and Meenakshi Rajvansh in Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke. In 2020, she had reprised her role as Kokila Modi in the Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 2 for promoting the show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nimisha Pandey</span> Indian film director (born 1983)

Nimisha Pandey is a television and Internet content developer and curator. Born in Haryana and raised in New Delhi, she graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune in 2004, majoring in television direction. She was the youngest person to receive the National Award, for her short film “Cradle Song” in 2005. Her documentary “Nice Girls” received the Best Documentary Award at the Digital Film Festival, New Delhi in 2006.

<i>Bubble Gum</i> (film) 2011 Indian film

Bubble Gum is a 2011 Hindi film directed by Sanjivan Lal. This film was released on July 29, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucky Bisht</span> Former Indian Spy & Commando

Laxman Lucky Bisht, also known as Lucky Bisht, is a former NSG commando and intelligence operative. He served as a personal bodyguard to politicians such as L. K. Advani, Chandrababu Naidu, Rajnath Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In 2009, Bisht earned the title of India's Best NSG Commando. In 2011, he faced allegations in connection with the twin murders of Raju Pargai and Amit Arya and was subsequently jailed. He was acquitted of all charges in 2018 due to insufficient evidence. Following this, he left the special forces to pursue a career in the Hindi film industry.

References

  1. "5 films you should've watched this year - Movies News - Bollywood - ibnlive". ibnlive.in.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  2. "Sanjivan Lal". IMDb .
  3. "Bubble Gum: Cast and crew". Bollywood Hungama . Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2012.