Born | Cuttack, Odisha, India [1] | 29 October 1981
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Occupation | Author and Screenwriter |
Nationality | Indian |
Alma mater | St. Stephen's College, Delhi |
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Notable awards |
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Satyarth Nayak (born 29 October 1981) is an Indian author and screenwriter, known for his bestselling novel The Emperor's Riddles , authoring the biography of Sridevi [2] and for scripting Sony's historical television epic Porus . The Emperor's Riddles turned out to be a bestselling thriller [3] [4] with the media calling it "a hit with young readers". [5] Porus created by Swastik Productions was one of the most expensive and acclaimed shows on Indian television. [6] Satyarth's biography of screen legend Sridevi titled Sridevi: The Eternal Screen Goddess published in 2019 by Penguin Random House also went on to win high praise. [7] [8] Satyarth has been named one of the Top 50 Indian authors to follow on social media. [9]
Satyarth was born in Cuttack, Odisha. Spending his growing up years across cities like Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Chennai and New Delhi, he's currently settled in Mumbai. Satyarth holds a Masters in English Literature from St. Stephen's College, Delhi. Working as a Correspondent with CNN-IBN from 2007 to 2011, Satyarth was felicitated with the SAARC Heal Award in 2008. During this phase, his short stories won the British Council prize and also appeared in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. In 2011, he quit journalism to become a full-time author and screenwriter.
The idea for The Emperor's Riddles was born out of a random Internet search by Nayak after reading the Dan Brown thriller Angels & Demons to find out if there was something similarly esoteric and mysterious hidden in the history of India. The surfing yielded an obscure but fascinating conspiracy theory involving one of the greatest Emperors of ancient India. Nayak was intrigued by the Emperor's legend and the imperial secret believed to be still alive and functioning and decided to capture this story. [4] The first draft took about six months and was ready in 2011. The manuscript was accepted by Red Ink Literary Agency and subsequently underwent another round of editing. Nayak received publishing offers from Rupa & Co. and Amaryllis and he eventually signed the deal with Amaryllis in 2012. The book was first released at the New Delhi World Book Fair in February 2014. [3] The Emperor's Riddles was met with a positive response. The book earned acclaim from other mystery writers, with Amish Tripathi calling it "a fantastic blend of myth, imagination and mystery", and Ashwin Sanghi describing it as "Intelligent, Intriguing, Imaginative, Intense". While The Times of India called it a "history meets mystery", [4] Hindustan Times called it "a gripping tale of intrigue" and lauded the book for its "taut narration and interesting climax". [10] HT Brunch magazine included the book in its Summer Reading List of 2014, calling it "a celebration of our great Indian civilisation and its scientific genius" and recommending it for those who like "riddles and cool mythological references". [11] Yahoo praised the book as an "extraordinary tale of riddles". [12] The Hindu described it as a "concoction of mystery, thriller, legend" [3] and a "national bestseller" [13] while The Pioneer lauded how "history is being explored by the new-age writers like never before". [14] The New Indian Express declared the thriller "a hit with young readers" and said it "opened a completely different avenue for budding writers to experiment with". [5] While English Vinglish director Gauri Shinde called the book "an acclaimed thriller" via Twitter, the SpectralHues book review said the thriller's "shock twist towards the end makes you feel so ignorant" and that "a Christopher Nolan of the West or our very own Anurag Kashyap can pretty well give it a thought to bring The Emperor’s Riddles to life on screen". [15] Since its release, The Emperor's Riddles has been likened to the mystery novels of Dan Brown. [4] [13] In an interview with The Times of India , Nayak stated that "the fact that the book's earning comparisons with Dan Brown is overwhelming" and "If Brown has codes, my book has riddles." [4]
Satyarth followed The Emperor's Riddles with Venom which also won positive reviews with Times of India stating that "the pure imagination behind the tale is riveting and the different elements of contemporary India the author includes just makes it more than a mytho-fiction." [16] and Free Press Journal saying that the book "slowly (but positively) spreads its poisonous tentacles of a gripping thriller that keeps readers hooked while checking on Google for the mythology references. It’s thrilling!" [17]
In 2019, Satyarth announced his first non-fiction book on India's First Female Superstar Sridevi. [18] The book titled Sridevi: The Eternal Screen Goddess published by Penguin Random House and backed by Boney Kapoor. Upon release, the biography earned high acclaim with The Times of India calling it "a treat for any Bollywood fan" [2] and The Hindu calling it "an eminently readable account". [19] While India Today described it as "rooted in honest love for its subject", [20] The Week described it as "a convincing retelling of the actor's life" [21] and Mid-Day described it as "diligently researched, deeply felt". [22] Vogue India called it "a rare insight into Sridevi" [23] and Firstpost praised it as "that one work of literature one might seek out to decode Sridevi". [8]
In July 2020, Satyarth announced his first book on Indian mythology titled 100 Tales from the Puranas to be published by Westland Press. Deepthi Talwar from Westland Press told the media "We’re very excited about the collection that Satyarth has put together. He takes us through popular legends and lesser known stories from the Puranas, delving into the minds of several characters to psychoanalyse their actions." [24] In October 2020, The Telegraph featured the book on their list of highly anticipated books of 2021 saying "Dabbling into Indian mythology this time, he promises to write stories from the Puranas that still find resonance in today’s time and impart the wisdom that can find relevance in our lives. Deep research has always been the base of Nayak’s books so one can hope that this time too, he will not disappoint." [25] After Westland Press closed down in 2022, [26] the book was then acquired by HarperCollins India who issued the statement that "We at Harper are excited to be publishing Satyarth’s upcoming book based on the Puranas. The magnum opus will be a treat for fans of Indian mythology." [27]
In 2017, Satyarth joined Swastik Productions to write the screenplay for Porus based on the story of Porus (King of Pauravas) and Alexander The Great ( King of Macedonia). [28] The show aired from 27 November 2017 to present on SET India. It is India's most expensive series with a budget of INR 500 crores (US$70 million). [29] It became India's first Global-TV series and also first Indian series to reach Japan. It has been dubbed and subbed in many languages and is already sold to over 11 countries and 14 territories. In Sri Lanka, it airs on Sirasa TV, dubbed into Sinhala under the name Digvijaya. [30] The rights to the drama have also been sold to Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam. [31] It is also dubbed in Tamil as Maaveeran which currently airs on Sun Life channel, Sun TV network from October 2018 onwards. The Malayalam version is titled Porus which currently airs on Surya TV from January 2019.
Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan, known professionally as Sridevi, was an Indian actress who worked in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada language films. Cited as the "first female superstar" of Indian cinema, she was the recipient of various accolades, including a National Film Award, four Filmfare Awards, two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, a Kerala State Film Award, and a Nandi Award. Sridevi's career spanned over 50 years in a wide range of genres. She was known for her reticent and introverted off-screen personality, but headstrong and outspoken on-screen persona, often playing strong-willed women. In 2013, Sridevi was honoured with the Padma Shri, the country's fourth highest civilian honour. She was voted "India's Greatest Actress in 100 Years" in a CNN-IBN national poll conducted in 2013.
Adutha Varisu is a 1983 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written by Panchu Arunachalam and directed by S. P. Muthuraman. The film stars Rajinikanth and Sridevi. It is a remake of the 1972 Hindi film Raja Jani, which itself was loosely based on the 1956 American film Anastasia. The film was released on 7 July 1983.
Priya is a 1978 Indian thriller film directed by S. P. Muthuraman, starring Sridevi in the title role along with Rajinikanth, Aznah Hamid, and Ambareesh. It was simultaneously made in Tamil and Kannada languages. The film shares the same name as a novel by Sujatha, but actually adapts from multiple works by the writer including the aforementioned novel. The Tamil version was released on 22 December 1978, and the Kannada version on 12 January 1979. It was dubbed and released in Telugu as Ajeyudu which released on 10 March 1979 and was also dubbed in Hindi as Love in Singapore in 1983. The soundtrack of this film is recorded using Dolby Stereophonic technology for the first time in Tamil cinema. It was Sridevi's first and only Kannada film as a lead actress.
Manitharil Ithanai Nirangala! is a 1978 Indian Tamil-language film directed by R. C. Sakthi and starring Kamal Haasan, Sridevi and Murali Mohan The film was released on Diwali 1978, coinciding with Sigappu Rojakkal on the same day. Despite the film's clash, this particular picture did well above average business.
Neela Malargal is a 1979 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by Krishnan–Panju. The film stars Kamal Haasan, Sridevi and Major Sundarrajan. It is a remake of the Hindi film Anuraag (1972). The film was released on 19 October 1979.
Sigappukkal Mookkuthi is a 1979 Indian Tamil language film, directed by Valampuri Somanathan, starring Sridevi in the lead role. Kamal Haasan and Vijayakumar play other prominent roles.
Rani Mera Nam is a 1972 Indian Hindi-language masala film directed by K. S. R. Das. The film stars Vijayalalitha in lead role. Premnath, Ajit, Madan Puri are in supporting roles. Vinod Mehra, Ashok Kumar and Om Prakash have given special appearance. It is also Sridevi's Hindi debut film as a child artist. It is a remake of the 1970 Telugu film Rowdy Rani.
Solva Sawan is a 1979 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Bharathiraja. The film stars Sridevi and Amol Palekar, with Dina Pathak and Kulbhushan Kharbanda in supporting roles. It is a remake of Bharathiraja's own Tamil film 16 Vayathinile (1977), which also starred Sridevi. The film marked Sridevi's debut as a leading actress in Hindi cinema following an already successful and established career in South Indian cinema. She was 16 years old during the film making. Unlike the original, the film was a critical and commercial failure.
Kumara Sambhavam is a 1969 Indian Malayalam-language Hindu mythological film directed and produced by P. Subramaniam. Based on the epic poem of the poet Kalidasa of the same name, it stars Gemini Ganesan, Padmini, Srividya and Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair. The film won the first ever Kerala State Film Award for Best Film. The film stood apart in technical quality when compared to previous Malayalam films and is hence regarded as a landmark in the history of Malayalam cinema. It also marked Sridevi's first Malayalam film. The film was dubbed in Tamil under the same title.
Poompatta (transl. Butterfly) is a 1971 Indian Malayalam-language children's film, directed by B. K. Pottekkad and produced by V. M. Sreenivasan. Based on a short story by Karoor Neelakanta Pillai, the film stars Sridevi, Prema, Sankaradi and T. R. Omana. It was released on 12 March 1971. Sridevi won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Child Artist for her performance in this film.
Indian actress Sridevi made her debut as a child in the 1967 Tamil film Kandhan Karunai at the age of four, and began playing lead roles as a child in M. A. Thirumugam’s 1969 mythological Tamil film Thunaivan. Her first role as an on-screen adult came in 1976 at age 13, in the Tamil film Moondru Mudichu. She then starred in 16 Vayathinile (1977) which proved to be a major breakthrough for Sridevi. Following this she appeared in the critically acclaimed thriller Sigappu Rojakkal (1978) and the satirical drama Varumayin Niram Sivappu (1980), establishing herself as a leading female star of South Indian Cinema. Subsequently, she played a woman who suffers from Amnesia in the critically and commercially successful classic Moondram Pirai (1982). She also achieved success by starring as a female lead in the successful dramas Padaharella Vayasu (1978), Meendum Kokila (1981), Premabhishekam (1981), Vazhvey Maayam (1982) and Aakhari Poratam (1988).
Aalinganam (transl. Embrace) is a 1976 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by I. V. Sasi and written by Sherif. The film stars Raghavan, Sridevi, Rani Chandra and Vincent, with music by A. T. Ummer. Sasi remade it in Tamil as Pagalil Oru Iravu (1979), with Sridevi returning.
Thulavarsham is a 1976 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by N. Sankaran Nair and produced by Sobhana Parameswaran Nair. The film stars Prem Nazir, Hema choudhary, Sridevi, Sudheer, Kaviyoor Ponnamma, and Prema. The film has musical score by V. Dakshinamoorthy and Salil Chowdhary. This was the first Malayalam film where Sridevi played a leading role.
Angeekaaram is a 1977 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by I. V. Sasi and produced by Ramachandran. The film stars Prameela, Sridevi, Vincent, Sukumaran, K. P. Ummer and Prathapachandran. The film has musical score by A. T. Ummer. It is the first film to feature Sridevi in dual roles.
Kanimuthu Paappa is a 1972 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by S. P. Muthuraman in his directorial debut, and produced by S. Subramaniya Reddiyar. The film stars Jaishankar, R. Muthuraman, Lakshmi and Jaya. It was released on 26 May 1972.
The Emperor's Riddles is a mystery thriller debut novel by Indian author Satyarth Nayak. The novel consists of a present-day trail of cryptic riddles scattered across India that must be solved one by one to unveil an ancient Indian secret. This journey plays out in the context of an esoteric legend involving one of the most iconic Emperors of the history of India. The book was first released at the New Delhi World Book Fair in February 2014. It turned out to be a bestselling thriller with the media calling it "a hit with young readers".
Sabatham (transl. Challenge) is 1971 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy drama film, directed by P. Madhavan and written by Bala Murugan. Music was by G. K. Venkatesh. The film stars K. R. Vijaya, Ravichandran, Nagesh and T. K. Bhagavathi, with V. K. Ramasami and Anjali Devi in supporting roles. It was released on 14 April 1971.
Taxi Driver is a 1978 Indian Tamil-language film directed and written by N. S. Manian. The film stars Jaishankar, S. A. Ashokan, M. R. Radha and Sridevi. It was released on 18 August 1978, and emerged a success.
Sridevi: The Eternal Screen Goddess is a biography by author and screenwriter Satyarth Nayak that chronicles the life and career of Indian actress Sridevi. Consisting of ten chapters, it describes her birth in 1963 in Egmore, her acting career in both the North and South Indian film industries, her marriage in 1996 to the film producer Boney Kapoor, with whom she has two daughters, and her death by accidental drowning in 2018. Published by Random House on 16 December 2019, the book was a success both commercially and critically, and reviewers commended it for the writing and comprehensiveness.
Deiva Kuzhandhaigal is a 1973 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by S. P. Muthuraman and written by V. C. Guhanathan. The film stars Jaishankar, R. Muthuraman and Jaya, with Sridevi, Master Ramu and Jayaseelan in supporting roles. It was released on 14 September 1973, and failed at the box office.