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<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{BLP sources|date=May 2020}}<br />
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{{short description| Indian film-maker}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}<br />
{{Infobox person<br />
| name = Shrenik Rao<br />
| image = Shrenik - Rao.jpeg<br />
| caption = <br />
| birthname = Shrenik Rao<br />
| birth_date = <br />
| birth_place = [[India]]<br />
| death_date = <br />
| death_place = <br />
| alma_mater = [[London School of Economics]]<br />
| occupation = Director, producer, screenwriter<br />
| years_active = 2007–present<br />
| parents = {{UBL| Vijayalakshmi Rao (née Tavitiki) | N Prabhakar Rao }}<br />
}}<br />
<br />
[[File:Shrenik Rao at Harvard University.jpg|thumb|Shrenik Rao at [[Harvard University]], 2007.]]<br />
'''Shrenik Rao''' is an Indian film-maker, academic, and broadcaster. He is the founder and chief executive of Dolsun Media (2005) and 7MB – 7 Media Broadcasting Pvt Ltd (2010). He was a Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (2016) & an alumnus of the London School of Economics.<br />
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He wrote, directed, and produced the [[documentary films]] ''Denied – This Bit of Truth'', ''[[Mugabe's Zimbabwe]]'', ''[[7 Notes to Infinity]]'' and ''[[The Monsoon Oracle]]'', which have been distributed to 52 countries around the world.<ref name="DeccanC"/><br />
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==Films==<br />
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The global premier of his first factual film titled ''Denied – This Bit of Truth'' took place at The [[London School of Economics]] in October 2007 and was quickly followed by a premier at [[Harvard University]]'s Kennedy School of Government in November 2007. The factual film has also been featured on [[BBC World Service]]'s ''[[Outlook (radio programme)|Outlook]]''.<br />
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He created an environmental initiative in association with [[United Nations Environment Programme]] for which he cycled for 4800 kilometres from [[Kanyakumari]], the southernmost tip of India to [[Kashmir]] – India's northernmost state. Along his journey, he gathered pledges for planting trees to spread environmental awareness about offsetting the effects of global warming.<ref>{{cite web | title = Treecycle | publisher = Gaiam TV | url = http://www.gaiamtv.com/tv/treecycle | accessdate = 7 November 2013}}</ref> <br />
This epic journey was made into a six-part Television series titled ''TreeCycle with Shrenik Rao'' which has been licensed to [[Gaiam]] TV in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.<br />
Snippets of his journey were broadcast on [[NDTV]]. The series also features celebrated authors, environmentalists and other prominent personalities such as [[Maneka Gandhi]], [[Shashi Tharoor]], [[Gurcharan Das]], [[Daggubati Purandeswari]] and [[Sunita Narain]].<br />
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His factual film titled ''[[Mugabe's Zimbabwe]]'', charts three decades of [[Robert Mugabe]]'s rule as the President of Zimbabwe. The film examines Mugabe's transition from liberator to dictator, and of Zimbabwe from a state of hope to one of desolation.<ref>{{cite news | title = <br />
Indian docu-maker captures Mugabe's Zimbabwe | publisher = Bulawayo24 News | last = Paul | first = Ndou | date = 23 April 2011 | url = http://bulawayo24.com/index-id-entertainment-sc-movies-byo-3039-article-Indian+docu-maker+captures+Mugabe's+Zimbabwe.html}}</ref> The film was taken up for worldwide distribution by [[TVF International]] and was featured as one of the 'Hot Picks of 2011' by Real Screen at [[Cannes]].<ref>{{cite news | last = Salvadore | first = Sarah | title = Shrenik Rao at Cannes | newspaper = The Times of India | date = 30 April 2011 | url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/Shrenik-Rao-at-Cannes/articleshow/8125411.cms}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last = Verma | first = Anupam Kant | title = The Cannes India package | newspaper = Live Mint | date = 11 May 2011 | url = http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/Uh7l8PeSCW4re1BuVxe0aI/The-Cannes-India-package.html}}</ref> The film was critically acclaimed by media across the world and translated to multiple languages.<ref>{{cite news | title = Indian filmmaker finds acclaim at Cannes | newspaper = The Hindu | date =1 May 2011 | url = http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/indian-filmmaker-finds-acclaim-at-cannes/article1982532.ece}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Film maker Shrenik Rao Behind the Headlines (Interview) | work = Nehanda Radio | date = 11 June 2011 | url = http://nehandaradio.com/2011/06/11/film-maker-shrenik-rao-behind-the-headlines/}}</ref><ref name="TheHindu2013-02-03"/><ref>{{cite news | title = TVF International picks up Indian film Mugabe's Zimbabwe for worldwide distribution | newspaper = Business of Cinema | url = http://businessofcinema.com/bollywood-news/tvf-international-picks-up-indian-film-mugabes-zimbabwe-for-worldwide-distribution}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = New documentary on Mugabe | work = TheSouthAfrican.com | date = 28 April 2011 | url = http://www.thesouthafrican.com/new-documentary-on-mugabe/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last = Udgirkar | first = Trushna | title = Behind-the-scenes enquiry into Zimbabwe's collapse | newspaper = Financial Chronicle | date = 25 April 2011 | url = http://www.mydigitalfc.com/leisure-writing/behind-scenes-enquiry-zimbabwe%E2%80%99s-collapse-110 | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304192311/http://www.mydigitalfc.com/leisure-writing/behind-scenes-enquiry-zimbabwe%E2%80%99s-collapse-110| url-status = dead | archivedate = 4 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | title = Indian film gets international distributor | work = Indiantelevision.com | date = 30 April 2011 | url = http://www.indiantelevision.com/aac/y2k11/aac454.php}}</ref> Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist [[Barry Bearak]] of the New York Times wrote,<ref>{{cite news | title = Indian Film Maker Makes Waves with a film on Mugabe's rule | work = Bulawayo24 News| date = 2011-04-30 | url = http://bulawayo24.com/index-id-news-sc-national-byo-3238-article-Indian+Film+Maker+Makes+Waves+with+a+film+on+Mugabe's+rule.html}}</ref> <blockquote>'The film seems a primer to the situation, something of value especially to those not yet familiar with Zimbabwe and its recent history'.</blockquote><br />
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In 2012, Rao produced and directed ''[[7 Notes to Infinity]]'', a musical factual film which pays tribute to Indian Classical Music. It tries to explore the universality of music through infinite musical compositions created from 7 Notes to the scale – Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Da Ni.<br />
Legendary musicians, the likes of "[[Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres]]" – Dr [[M. Balamuralikrishna]], [[Padma Bhushan]], [[T.V.Gopalakrishnan]], Prince of the Royal family of Travancore, [[Aswathi Thirunal Rama Varma]], the direct descendant of the great king Maharaja Swathi Thirunal and [[Sanjay Subrahmanyan]] feature prominently in the film.<br />
The film was produced and launched on the World Music day in Kerala, in association with Saptaparani and [[State Bank of Travancore]].<ref>{{cite news | first = Saraswathy | last = Nagarajan | title = Infinite compositions | newspaper = The Hindu | date = 7 June 2012 | url = http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/article3500269.ece}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | first = Suanshu | last = Khurana | title = A Note of Appreciation | newspaper = The Financial Express | date = 20 June 2012 | url =http://www.financialexpress.com/news/a-note-of-appreciation/964127/2 | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131103130351/http://www.financialexpress.com/news/a-note-of-appreciation/964127/2 | url-status = dead | archivedate = 3 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Paens to the 7 notes | newspaper = The New Indian Express | date =14 June 2012 | url = http://newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/article542153.ece| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131106093818/http://newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/article542153.ece| url-status = dead| archive-date = 6 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author =IANS | title = Here Comes '7 Notes to Infinity' | newspaper = ZeeNews | date =9 June 2012 | url = http://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/musicindia/here-comes-7-notes-to-infinity-film-on-indian-classical-music_113040.html}}</ref><br />
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He produced and directed ''[[The Monsoon Oracle]]'', a factual film on the ritualistic practices performed every year in Hyderabad to predict the Monsoons and keep infectious diseases at bay.<ref name="DeccanC">{{cite news | author = Samyuktha K. | title = Make way for the rain man | newspaper = Deccan Chronicle | publisher = Deccan Chronicle | date = 28 January 2013 | url = http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130128/lifestyle-booksart/article/make-way-rain-man | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131103084807/http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130128/lifestyle-booksart/article/make-way-rain-man | archivedate = 3 November 2013}}</ref><ref name="TheHindu2013-02-03">{{cite news | first = Vishnupriya | last = Bhandaram | title = Getting on with the facts | newspaper = The Hindu | date = 3 February 2013 | url = http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/getting-on-with-facts/article4373681.ece}}</ref> The film focuses on people who dedicate their lives to playing the role of oracle to the goddess or to the role of ''[[Pothuraju]]'', the goddess's whip wielding brother. The film narrates stories of hope, faith and uncertainty and presents the psychological and emotional dimensions of assuming these roles.<br />
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''The Monsoon Oracle'' has been critically acclaimed and screened at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]<ref>{{cite web | title =The Monsoon Oracle – Movie Screening | publisher = MIT Sangam | url =https://www.facebook.com/events/681034838618751/ | date = 22 January 2014}}</ref> and [[University of Chicago]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Film Screening Monsoon Oracle | publisher = Committee on South Asian Studies | url = http://southasia.uchicago.edu/node/1161 | date = 31 January 2014}}</ref><br />
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==Early life and education==<br />
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He earned his master's degree from the [[London School of Economics]] specialising in political communication and new media information and knowledge systems. His first master's degree was in anthropology from the [[University of Hyderabad]], where he was awarded the University Gold Medal and University Merit Scholarship for Academic Excellence.<br />
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==Career==<br />
{{BLP sources section|date= May 2020}}<br />
Prior to founding Dolsun Media and 7MB, Rao worked as the vice-president (programming) at [[MAA TV]] Network Pvt Ltd, where he conceptualised and worked on several top-rated shows. <br />
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Rao also taught 'Information and Politics', 'International Media Development', 'Information Communication and Society', 'Information Technology and Communication' to Masters level students at [[Napier University]], Edinburgh, UK. He has given guest lectures at the [[University of Westminster]], London, UK and at the [[University of Hyderabad]], India, [[Indian School of Business]], [[Microsoft]] (India) and so on. He was also associated with the Indian School of Business, where he was instrumental in conceptualising and creating a digital content platform called 'ISB Knowledge 360'.<br />
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In 2008, he was awarded the ''[[Karmaveer Puraskaar]]'', a high civilian honour, for commitment to Social Justice and the Environment.<br />
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In October 2016 Rao revived the ''[[Madras Courier]]'' as an online publication.<ref name="reuters-inst-rao">{{cite web |title=Shrenik Rao |url=https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/people/shrenik-rao |website=reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk |publisher=Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism |accessdate=30 May 2020 |language=en}}</ref><br />
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==Ad-Films==<br />
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Rao has made several ad-films. Prominent among them are 'APIIC' [[Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation]] and 'Experience Himachal Pradesh', for [[Ministry of Tourism (India)|Ministry of Tourism]], Government of India.<br />
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As part of his productions, he has interviewed several heads of states and prominent personalities.<br />
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==Filmography==<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
! Year !! Film<br />
|-<br />
| 2013 || ''The Monsoon Oracle''<br />
|-<br />
| 2012 || ''7 Notes to Infinity''<br />
|-<br />
| 2011 || ''TreeCycle with Shrenik Rao''<br />
|-<br />
| 2010 || ''Mugabe's Zimbabwe''<br />
|-<br />
| 2007 || ''Denied – This bit of Truth''<br />
|}<br />
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==References ==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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==External links==<br />
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20131103101812/http://www.shrenik.org/index.php Official site]<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rao, Shrenik}}<br />
[[Category:Academics of Edinburgh Napier University]]<br />
[[Category:Living people]]<br />
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]<br />
[[Category:Alumni of the London School of Economics]]<br />
[[Category:Film directors from Andhra Pradesh]]<br />
[[Category:Indian broadcasters]]<br />
[[Category:Indian documentary filmmakers]]</div>Advanced Academy