Prashanth Neel | |
---|---|
Born | Prashanth Neelakantapuram 4 June 1980 |
Occupations |
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Years active | 2014–present |
Notable work | |
Spouse | Likitha Reddy (m. 2010) |
Children | 2 |
Prashanth Neelakantapuram (born 4 June 1980) popularly known as Prashanth Neel, is an Indian film director and screenwriter of Kannada and Telugu language films. He made his debut with the 2014 Kannada film, Ugramm and later directed the two-part film series: KGF: Chapter 1 (2018), KGF: Chapter 2 (2022), which became the highest-grossing Kannada films, and Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire (2023), his first Telugu film.
Prashanth Neelakantapuram [1] was born on 4 June 1980 [2] into a Telugu family in Karnataka. [1] [3] [4] Born to Subhash and Bharathi, [5] their family hails from Neelakantapuram village, near Madakasira, Andhra Pradesh, and settled in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Neel is also fluent in Kannada. [4] [5]
Neel married Likitha in 2010. The couple has a daughter and son. [6] Neel's sister is married to Kannada actor Sriimurali, who eventually starred in Neel's directorial debut Ugramm . [7] Neel is also a cousin of Telugu film actor, Aadarsh Balakrishna, [8] and is also related to former Andhra Pradesh state minister, Raghu Veera Reddy. [4]
In an interview with a Kannada weekly magazine, Neel said he took to filmmaking initially for the need of money, following which he completed a course in the same, eventually developing interest in it. After having completed the course, he decided to cast his brother-in-law and actor Srimurali in Aa Hudugi Neene, a screenplay that he had written during the time. After the latter expressed his concerns due to his inexperience, Neel changed his mind and began observing Srimurali's mannerisms over a period of time, and came up with the project Ugramm , an action film. [9] The film turned out to be a massive commercial success and emerged as one of the highest-grossing Kannada films of 2014. [10]
Reports emerged in late 2014 and early 2015 of Neel having been signed to direct three films. The first is a sequel to Ugramm, entitled Ugramm Veeram, which would feature Srimurali reprise his role from Ugramm. His next film KGF which stands for Kolar Gold Fields presented Yash in the role of Rocky, an orphan who becomes a don. The sequel KGF: Chapter 2 , was scheduled for a theatrical release on 16 July 2021, but was delayed due to the second wave of the COVID pandemic in India. [11]
On 2 December 2020, Hombale Films announced the film Salaar with Prabhas. The film's shoot began on 29 January 2021. In May 2021, Mythri Movie Makers and N.T.R. Arts have announced a film in collaboration with Neel and N. T. Rama Rao Jr., for his 31st film. [12]
† | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Year | Film | Director | Writer | Language | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Ugramm | Yes | Yes | Kannada | |
2018 | KGF: Chapter 1 | Yes | Yes | ||
2022 | KGF: Chapter 2 | Yes | Yes | ||
2023 | Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire | Yes | Yes | Telugu | |
2024 | Bagheera† | No | Yes | Kannada | Filming |
2025 | Salaar: Part 2 – Shouryaanga Parvam † | Yes | Yes | Telugu | Filming [13] |
Film | Award | Category | Result | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ugramm | 62nd Filmfare Awards South | Best Director (Kannada) | Nominated | [14] |
4th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Debutant Director (Kannada) | Won | [15] | |
K.G.F: Chapter 1 | 8th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Director (Kannada) | Won | [16] |
66th Filmfare Awards South | Best Director (Kannada) | Nominated | [17] | |
Zee Kannada Hemmeya Kannadiga Awards 2019 | Best Director | Won | [18] |
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Aadarsh Balakrishna is an Indian actor, primarily known for his negative roles in Telugu films. He is also the runner-up of Telugu reality TV show Bigg Boss 1.
Srinidhi Ramesh Shetty is an Indian actress and model. She is the winner of the Miss Supranational 2016 pageant. She is the second Indian representative to have won this title. Shetty has a SIIMA Award in addition to a nomination at Filmfare Awards South. As an actress, Shetty has played the leading lady in the top-grossing Kannada action films K.G.F: Chapter 1 (2018) and K.G.F: Chapter 2 (2022), and won the SIIMA Award for Best Actress – Kannada for the latter.
Ravi Basrur is an Indian music composer, sound designer, lyricist and director who mostly works in the Kannada film industry and is known for his collaborations with director Prashant Neel, with whom he debuted in Ugramm. He also works as a film director, having directed the films Gargar Mandala and Girmit.
KGF: Chapter 1 is a 2018 Indian Kannada-language period action film written and directed by Prashanth Neel, and produced by Vijay Kiragandur under the banner of Hombale Films. It is the first installment in the KGF series, followed by KGF: Chapter 2. The film features an ensemble cast including Yash, Ramachandra Raju, Srinidhi Shetty, Vasishta N. Simha, Achyuth Kumar, Anant Nag, Archana Jois, Malavika Avinash, T. S. Nagabharana, Ayyappa P. Sharma, John Kokken, Lakki Lakshman, B.S Avinash, Tarak Ponnappa, B. Suresha and Dinesh Mangaluru. Filmed on a budget of ₹80 crore, it was the most expensive Kannada film at the time of its release. In the film, Rocky, a high-ranking mercenary, working for a prominent gold mafia in Bombay, seeks power and wealth in order to fulfill his mother's promise. Due to his high fame, the leaders of the gold mafia where he works hire him to assassinate Garuda, the son of the founder of Kolar Gold Fields.
KGF: Chapter 2 is a 2022 Indian Kannada-language period action film written and directed by Prashanth Neel, and produced by Vijay Kiragandur under the banner Hombale Films. The second installment in a three-part series, it serves as a sequel to the 2018 film KGF: Chapter 1. The film stars an ensemble cast of Yash, Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, Srinidhi Shetty, Prakash Raj, Achyuth Kumar, Rao Ramesh, Vasishta N. Simha, Ayyappa P. Sharma, Archana Jois, Saran Shakti, Easwari Rao, John Kokken, T.S Nagabharana and Malavika Avinash.
Hombale Films is an Indian film production company mainly known for the K.G.F franchise, Kantara and Salaar. It was founded by Vijay Kiragandur and named by Puneeth Rajkumar, who collaborated with the company on 3 films.
Bhuvan Gowda is an Indian cinematographer who works in Kannada films. He is known for his work in Ugramm (2014), Pushpaka Vimana (2017) and K.G.F film series.
Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language epic action film written and directed by Prashanth Neel, and produced by Vijay Kiragandur. The film stars an ensemble cast including Prabhas, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Shruti Haasan, Jagapathi Babu, Bobby Simha, Sriya Reddy, John Vijay, Tinnu Anand, Easwari Rao, Ramachandra Raju, Brahmaji, Devaraj, Mime Gopi, Saurav Lokesh, Vajrang Shetty and Pramod Panju. Set in the fictional dystopian city-state of Khansaar, where monarchy still exists. The film follows the friendship between Deva (Prabhas), the exiled prince of Khansaar, and Varadha (Prithviraj), the current prince of Khansaar. When a coup d'état is planned by his father's ministers and his relatives, Varadha enlists Deva's help to become Khansaar's undisputed ruler.
KGF is an Indian Kannada language period action film series set mostly in the Kolar Gold Fields, which gives the series its name, created by Prashanth Neel and produced by Hombale Films starring Yash in lead role with an ensemble supporting cast. Set in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the series follows two narrators, Anand Ingalangi and his son Vijayendra Ingalangi, who gives an interview of a book written by Anand to a leading news channel, which tells the life story of Raja Krishnappa Bairya alias Rocky (Yash), a Mumbai-based high ranking mercenary born in poverty and how he became the most dreaded person at that time.
Madhu Guruswamy is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Kannada cinema in addition to a few Telugu and Tamil films.
Prabhas, is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Telugu cinema. One of the highest-paid actors in Indian cinema, Prabhas has featured in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list since 2015. He has received seven Filmfare Awards South nominations and is a recipient of the Nandi Award and the SIIMA Award. Prabhas is the second Indian actor to receive the “Russian Audience Heart Award” in 2020, after veteran actor Raj Kapoor who won it 30 years ago.
Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire is the soundtrack to the 2023 film of the same name directed by Prashanth Neel under the production of Hombale Films, starring Prabhas, Prithviraj Sukumaran and Shruti Haasan. The film features music composed by Ravi Basrur and lyrics written by Krishna Kanth. The soundtrack which consisted of four songs and three instrumental tracks were released by Hombale Music and Divo on 31 December 2023.
Prashanth Neel [..] is celebrating his 41st birthday on Friday, June 4.