Priyadarshan: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Indian film director}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2013}}

| caption            = Priyadarshan at a press conference for ''[[Kamaal Dhamaal Malamaal]]''

| birth_name        = Priyadarshan Soman

| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|1957|01|30|df=yes}}

| birth_place        = [[Trivandrum]], [[Kerala]], India

| alma_mater        = {{ubl|[[Government Model Boys Higher Secondary School]], [[Trivandrum]]|[[University College Trivandrum]]}}

| occupation        = {{hlist|[[Film director]]|[[screenwriter]]|[[film producer]]}}

| children          = [[Kalyani Priyadarshan]] (b.1993)<br>Siddharth Priyadarshan (b. 1995)

| parents            = {{ubl|Soman Nair|Rajamma}}

| honours            = [[Padma Shri]] (2012)

| website            = {{url|directorpriyadarshan.com}}

'''Priyadarshan Soman''' (born 30 January 1957), better known by the mononym '''Priyadarshan''', is an Indian film director, writer and producer. In a career spanning over three decades, he has directed more than 95 films in various Indian languages, predominantly in [[Malayalam]] and [[Hindi]], while also having done six films in [[Tamil language|Tamil]] and two in [[Telugu language|Telugu]]. He has done about 27 films in Hindi alone, the highest number of films done by any Hindi film director after [[David Dhawan]]. He was one of the first directors in India to introduce rich [[color grading]], clear sound and quality dubbing through his early Malayalam films.

Priyadarshan began his career in [[Malayalam cinema]] in the early 1980s and was active throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Towards 2000s, he moved to [[Bollywood]] (Hindi-language cinema) and remained active throughout the decade. In 2013, he announced that ''[[Rangrezz]]'' would be his last Hindi film for a while and shifted focus to Malayalam cinema.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-11-04/news-interviews/34907733_1_priyadarshan-malayalam-film-priyan|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212083659/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-11-04/news-interviews/34907733_1_priyadarshan-malayalam-film-priyan|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-12-12|work=[[The Times of India]]|title='Kamaal Dhamaal...' was a mistake: Priyadarshan}}</ref>

Best known for his comedy films, Priyadrshan has also experimented with some [[Action film|action]], [[Thriller film|thriller]] and [[period film|period]] films.

His collaborations with [[Mohanlal]] were highly popular in Malayalam cinema during the 1980s and 1990s. He is known for adapting stories from Malayalam films into Bollywood, from his own work as well as other films. In 2007, his [[Tamil film]] ''[[Kanchivaram]]'' won the [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film]]. In 2012, the [[Government of India]] honoured him with [[Padma Shri]], India's fourth highest civilian award for his contribution towards the arts.<ref name="The Times of India">{{cite news|author=The Times|date= 26 January 2012|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Anup-Jalota-Priyadarshan-to-receive-Padma-Shri/articleshow/11628133.cms|title=Anup Jalota, Priyadarshan to receive Padma Shri|work=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=13 August 2012}}</ref> In 2021, his period epic ''[[Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea]]'' won the [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film]]. Priyadarshan has also directed many advertisement films.

==Personal life==

Priyadarshan is the elder one of the two children of Soman Nair and Rajamma. He has a younger sister. He fell in love with popular actress [[Lissy (Malayalam actress)|Lissy]] and married her on 13 December 1990.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://newindianexpress.com/entertainment/interviews/article460867.ece|title=Lissy Priyadarshan, on her husband|work=[[The New Indian Express]]}}</ref> The couple got divorced in 2016.

Actress [[Kalyani Priyadarshan]] is their daughter.

Priyadarshan's collaborations with [[Mohanlal]] were highly popular in Malayalam cinema during the 1980s and 1990s, with most notable films being ''[[Poochakkoru Mookkuthi]]'', ''[[Mazha Peyyunnu Maddalam Kottunnu]]'', ''[[Thalavattam]]'', ''[[Vellanakalude Nadu]]'', ''[[Chithram]]'', ''[[Vandanam]]'', ''[[Kilukkam]]'', ''[[Abhimanyu (1991 film)|Abhimanyu]]'', ''[[Mithunam (1993 film)|Mithunam]]'', ''[[Thenmavin Kombath]]'', ''[[Kala Pani (1996 film)|Kala Pani]]'', and ''[[Chandralekha (1997 film)|Chandralekha]]''. Other Malayalam actors he frequently collaborated with are: [[Mammootty]], [[Shankar (actor)|Shankar]], [[Kuthiravattam Pappu]], [[Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair]], [[Sankaradi]], [[M.G. Soman]], [[Thilakan]], [[Jagathy Sreekumar]], [[Innocent (actor)|Innocent]], [[Nedumudi Venu]], [[Sreenivasan]], [[Sukumari]], [[Kaviyoor Ponnamma]], [[Shobhana]], [[KPAC Lalitha]], [[Revathi]], [[Lissy (actress)|Lissy]], [[Cochin Haneefa]], [[Maniyanpilla Raju]], [[Mukesh (actor)|Mukesh]], [[Jagadeesh]], [[C.I. Paul]], [[Vineeth]], [[K.B. Ganesh Kumar|Ganesh]] and [[Mammukoya]].

He is known for adapting stories from Malayalam films into Bollywood, from his own work as well as other films. Most notable such Bollywood films include ''[[Hera Pheri (2000 film)|Hera Pheri]]'', ''[[Hungama (2003 film)|Hungama]]'', ''[[Hulchul (2004 film)|Hulchul]]'', ''[[Garam Masala (2005 film)|Garam Masala]]'', ''[[Bhagam Bhag]]'', ''[[Chup Chup Ke]]'', ''[[Dhol (2007 film)|Dhol]]'', and ''[[Bhool Bhulaiyaa]]''.

His multiple collaborations in Hindi include [[Tabu (actress)|Tabu]], [[Paresh Rawal]], [[Pooja Batra]], [[Amrish Puri]], [[Johny Lever]], [[Asrani]], [[Akshay Kumar]], [[Anil Kapoor]], [[Akshaye Khanna]], [[Kareena Kapoor]], [[Om Puri]], [[Tinnu Anand]], [[Shakti Kapoor]], [[Rajpal Yadav]], [[Manoj Joshi (actor)|Manoj Joshi]], [[Sharat Saxena]], [[Arbaaz Khan]], [[Jackie Shroff]] and [[Suniel Shetty]].

Priyadarshan has also directed many advertisement films. His most popular commercials are for [[Coca-Cola]], [[American Express]], [[Nokia]], [[Parker Pen Company|Parker Pens]], Asian Paints, [[Kinley]] and [[New York Life Insurance Company|Max New York Life Insurance]].<ref>{{cite av media|url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6762475556E91C03|title=Priyadarshan - Director's Reel|publisher=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>

Priyadarshan has been working since 40 years in [[Indian cinema]] as a director and screenwriter. He has directed over 90 Films in 4 Indian languages namely, Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi and Telugu.

Priyadarshan received his education at [[Government Model Boys Higher Secondary School|Government Model School]], Trivandrum and obtained a [[Master of Arts]] in Philosophy from [[University College Trivandrum]]. His father was a college librarian, it helped Priyadarshan to develop interest in books. He was a voracious reader during his teenage years, and during his study in college he started writing short plays and skits for [[All India Radio]]. He was influenced by the films of director [[P. Venu]]. His friends in those days included [[Mohanlal]], [[M. G. Sreekumar]], Suresh Kumar, Sanal Kumar, [[Jagadish]], [[Maniyanpilla Raju]] and Ashok Kumar. It was then that Mohanlal entered in films. His friends followed him to [[Chennai]], looking for a chance in films. Priyadarshan, with the help of Mohanlal, got a few chances to work as an assistant scriptwriter in a couple of films and started writing scripts, with some turning into success. Eventually, he had to come back to Kerala.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/trivandrum-days/article780844.ece|title=Trivandrum days|work=The Hindu}}</ref>

In 1984, Priyadarshan, along with his close friends Suresh Kumar and Sanal Kumar, decided to produce a film as Shankar, the saleable hero, helped them in arranging finance from Thiruvenkadam, a top film financier. Mohanlal, who was by then a popular star, was selected as the parallel hero along with [[Shankar (actor)|Shankar]]. Thus in 1984, Priyadarshan made his debut as director with [[Poochakkoru Mookkuthi]], which was a surprise hit. A slapstick comedy film shot on a low budget, it completed a successful run of 100 days in Kerala theatres.

===From 1984 to 1987===

Priyan continued his fine form for slapstick comedy with the successful ''[[Odaruthammava Aalariyam]]'' and he later made ''[[Onnanam Kunnil Oradi Kunnil]]'' and the [[Mammootty]]-[[Shankar (actor)|Shankar]] family thriller ''[[Parayanumvayya Parayathirikkanumvayya]]''. Then he made ''[[Punnaram Cholli Cholli]]'', his first film without [[Mohanlal]]. His successful stinct continued with ''[[Boeing Boeing (1985 film)|Boeing Boeing]]'' and ''[[Aram + Aram = Kinnaram]]'', both doing wonderful business. He was later criticised for making ''[[Rakkuyilin Ragasadassil]]'', a film which was supposed to be made with [[Shankar (actor)|Shankar]] and [[Menaka (actress)|Menaka]] and many said the lead pair [[Mammootty]] & [[Suhasini Maniratnam|Suhasini]] was miscast and in spite of hit songs, the film flopped. But ''[[Mazha Peyyunnu Maddalam Kottunnu]]'', ''[[Ayalvasi Oru Daridravasi]]'' and ''[[Dheem Tharikida Thom]]'' became hits underlining his consistency. Priyan was accepted as a serious director with the highly successful tragic family drama ''[[Thalavattam]]''. His [[Tamil language|Tamil]]  film ''[[Chinnamanikkuyile]]'' remained unreleased, while his success stint continued in Malayalam with ''[[Cheppu]]'' being a success.

===From 1988 to 1998===

<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:PriyadarshanOnKalapaniSet.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Priyadarshan (second from right) with [[Mohanlal]](extreme right), [[Santosh Sivan]] (second from left) and [[Prabhu Ganesan]] (extreme left), on the sets of ''[[Kaalapani]]'', in 1995.]] -->

1988 was a landmark year in Priyadarshan's career. He directed ''[[Vellanakalude Nadu]]'', based on a script by [[Sreenivasan]], with Mohanlal in the lead role. This film revolved around corruption, land mafia and other social issues. This film ended up becoming the biggest hit in Priyadarshan's career to that point. Then came ''[[Aryan (1988 film)|Aryan]]'', an action film based on the [[Mumbai]] underworld scripted bt [[T.Damodaran]], which completed 150 days in theatres. ''[[Chithram]]'', Priyadarshan's all-time biggest hit, was also released in 1988. ''Chithram'' completed 366 days in theatres and created new records in collections, until they were broken by his own film, ''[[Kilukkam]]'' in 1991. ''[[Oru Muthassi Katha]]'' and ''[[Mukunthetta Sumitra Vilikkunnu]]'' completed his 5 releases of 1988. However, he couldn't deliver hits in 1990 with ''[[Kadathanadan Ambadi]]'' and ''Akkareyakkareyakkare''. In the year 1991, Priyadarshan brought out ''[[Kilukkam]]'' with Mohanlal, [[Jagathi Sreekumar]] and [[Revathi]] . ''Kilukkam'' broke several collection records and is still considered one of the best films from the Priyadarshan-Mohanlal team. His next three films, ''[[Abhimanyu (1991 film)|Abhimanyu]]'' (1991), ''[[Advaitham]]'' (1992), and ''[[Thenmavin Kombathu]]'' (1994) successfully completed 100 days in theatres. Both ''[[Mithunam (1993 film)|Midhunam]]'' (1993) and ''Minnaram'' (1994) were able to make good response in cinemas. Meanwhile, Priyadarshan was invited by [[Karunanidhi|Shri. M. Karunanidhi]] to direct a film for his son's production house. Priyadarshan thus made his [[Tamil language|Tamil]] debut with ''[[Gopura Vasalile]]'' . In 1991 he also made a [[Telugu Cinema|Telugu film]] ''[[Nirnayam (1991 film)|Nirnayam]]'' when [[Akkineni Nagarjuna|Nagarjuna]] approached him to remake his [[Malayalam film]] ''[[Vandanam]]'' in Telugu. In the year 1992, Priyadarshan made his debut in [[Bollywood]] with [[Muskurahat (1992 film)|''Muskurahat'']], again remake of his own Malayalam film ''[[Kilukkam]]'' which ended up as a disastrous flop. In 1993, he made a comeback in Hindi with ''[[Gardish]]'', an adaptation of the Malayalam film ''[[Kireedam (1989 film)|Kireedom]]'', written by [[A. K. Lohithadas]]. Priyadarshan successfully added ingredients required for Hindi audiences and the film was a huge hit, opening the doors of [[Bollywood]] to him. In 1994, Priyadarshan directed his second and last [[Telugu language|Telugu]] film till date, ''[[Gandeevam]]'', starring [[Nandamuri Balakrishna|Balakrishna]]. He was also assigned the direction of the Miss World 1996 event that was held in [[Bangalore]], which made him a known face around the country. In 1996, Priyadarshan came up with his dream project, ''[[Kala Pani (1996 film)|Kalapani]]'', an epic period film based on Indian struggle for Independence scripted by [[T.Damodaran]]. With [[Mohanlal]], [[Tabu (actress)|Tabu]], [[Prabhu Ganesan]] and [[Amrish Puri]] in main roles and outstanding music by Ilaiyaraja, ''[[Kala Pani (1996 film)|Kalapani]]'' took Priyadarshan's career path to new heights. This film, which was originally filmed in Malayalam, was also dubbed and released in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi simultaneously. ''Kalapani'' brought him several awards for the first time in his career. In 1997, Priyadarshan directed two films, ''[[Chandralekha (1997 film)|Chandralekha]]'' in Malayalam and ''[[Virasat (1997 film)|Virasat]]'' a Hindi adaptation of [[Bharathan|Bharathan's]] Tamil film ''[[Thevar Magan]]'', both super hits. The success of ''Virasat'' made Priyadarshan a household name in Hindi cinema.

In the year 1998, Priyadarshan directed three films, ''[[Saat Rang Ke Sapne]]'', remake of his own ''[[Thenmavin Kombathu]]'', then ''[[Doli Saja Ke Rakhna]]'', with story adapted from ''[[Fazil (director)|Fazil]]'s'' ''[[Aniyathi Pravu]]'' and ''[[Kabhi na Kabhi]]'', but all three bombed at the box office. Priyadarshan joined with [[Mammooty]] after a long gap in 1999 for ''[[Megham]]''. During this period Priyadarshan received a couple of offers from [[Chiranjeevi]] and [[Nagarjuna]], actors of Telugu industry to direct them, but declined them and moved on to his next Hindi project.

Priyadarshan returned to Malayalam films directing the Mohanlal starrer, ''[[Arabeem Ottakom P. Madhavan Nayarum in Oru Marubhoomikkadha]]''. The 2013 film ''[[Geethaanjali]]'' starring Mohanlal as Dr. Sunny Joseph, and the 2014 film ''[[Aamayum Muyalum]]'' did not do well at the box-office.

In late 2015, Priyadarshan announced a crime thriller film in [[Malayalam cinema|Malayalam]], with [[Mohanlal]] in the lead role.<ref>{{cite web|last=Menon|first=Akhila|title=WHAT! Mohanlal Says No To Priyadarshan?|url=http://www.filmibeat.com/malayalam/news/2015/mohanlal-says-no-to-priyadarshan-204372.html|publisher=[[Filmibeat]]|access-date=16 March 2016|date=6 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Vikram|first=Raj|title=Mohanlal to play a blind man in Priyadarshan's 73 rd movie|url=http://www.metromatinee.com/news-articles/mohanlal-to-play-a-blind-man-in-priyadarshans-73-rd-movie-12922|publisher=Metromatinee.com|access-date=16 March 2016|date=6 November 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328134032/http://www.metromatinee.com/news-articles/mohanlal-to-play-a-blind-man-in-priyadarshans-73-rd-movie-12922|archive-date=28 March 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The production was confirmed and the title ''[[Oppam]]'' was announced in December 2015. The director started working on the film ahead of another big-budget film starring Mohanlal, which was delayed due to unfavourable weather in [[Russia]], where the film was supposed to be shot.<ref>{{cite news|last=James|first=Anu|title=Mohanlal-Priyadarshan to join hands for small budget film before Russian project?|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.in/mohanlal-priyadarshan-join-hands-small-budget-film-before-russian-project-659587|access-date=16 March 2016|agency=[[International Business Times]]|date=15 December 2015}}</ref> The screenplay and dialogues are written by Priyadarshan himself which is based on the story by debutant writer Govind Vijayan. The film released to positive reviews<ref>{{cite news|last=James|first=Anu|title='Oppam' critics review: Comeback movie of Mohanlal, Priyadarshan duo|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.in/oppam-critics-review-comeback-movie-mohanlal-priyadarshan-duo-693118|access-date=13 September 2016|work=[[International Business Times]]|date=9 September 2016}}</ref> and emerged as a blockbuster, beating several records<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.filmibeat.com/malayalam/news/2016/oppam-box-office-collection-6-records-broken-by-the-mohanlal-starrer-242754.html|title=Oppam Box Office Collection: 6 Records Broken By The Mohanlal Starrer!|date=28 September 2016|website=filmibeat.com}}</ref> and becoming the highest grossing Malayalam film of the year within 16 days of release.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.newsintrends.com/story/oppam-beats-jacobinte-swargarajyam-to-be-the-biggest-hit-of-2016--2213070.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=29 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161002064858/http://www.newsintrends.com/story/oppam-beats-jacobinte-swargarajyam-to-be-the-biggest-hit-of-2016--2213070.html |archive-date=2 October 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In early 2018, he started pre-production his biggest project till date.  ''[[Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham]]'', a [[Malayalam language]] epic historical period film set in the 16th century. The film with [[Mohanlal]] in the titular role, is based on the battle exploits of [[Kunjali Marakkar IV]]—the naval chieftain of the [[Zamorin of Calicut]]. Kunjali Marakkars organised the first naval defense of the Indian coast by safeguarding [[Calicut]] from [[Portuguese India|Portuguese invasion]] for almost a century. The screenplay was co-written by Ani Sasi. The film was to be released on 26 March 2020, in about 5000 screens and 5 languages but was postponed due to pandemic. In 2018, it was reported that [[Hungama 2]] which a sequel to the 2003 film [[Hungama (2003 film)|Hungama]] which will go on floors by 2020. Its release date was postponed due to COVID-19 Pandemic owing to closure theatres.

==Awards==

Priyadarshan has won awards both from the State and Central government for his movies. His offbeat film ''[[Kanchivaram]]'' was adjudged the best feature film at the 2007 [[National Film Awards]]. He made a period epic film titled ''[[Kala Pani (1996 film)|Kaalapani]]'', in [[Malayalam language|Malayalam]], which told the story of freedom fighters in the jail at [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]; it starred [[Mohanlal]], [[Tabu (actress)|Tabu]], [[Prabhu Ganesan]] and [[Amrish Puri]], and received four National Film Awards, including awards for [[Santosh Sivan]] (cinematography) and [[Sabu Cyril]] (art direction). The film was dubbed and released in other languages such as Tamil, Telugu and Hindi.

* 2012 – [[Padma Shri]]<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web | url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf | title=Padma Awards | publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India | date=2015 | access-date=21 July 2015}}</ref> Awarded “padma Shri”, by the president of India for his contribution to Indian Cinema.

* [[55th National Film Awards|2007]] – [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film|Best Feature Film]] – ''[[Kanchivaram]]''

* [[67th National Film Awards|2019]] – [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film|Best Feature Film]] – ''[[Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea]]''<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 March 2021 |title=67th National Film Awards: Complete list (updating) |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/67th-national-film-awards-complete-list-updating/article34131921.ece |website=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref>

* 2009 – [[Filmfare Award for Best Director – Tamil]] - ''[[Kanchivaram]]''

* 1997 – [[Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film|Critics Award for Best Film]] – ''[[Virasat (1997 film)|Virasat]]''

;[[Kerala State Film Awards]]:

 

;[[Asianet Film Awards]]:

* 2008 – Special Jury Award at Chennai & Jaipur International Film Festival – ‘Sila Samayangalil’, an art movie on AIDS awareness.

 

*The Films – Kalapani and Thenmavin Kombathu has also won another 6 National Awards for Photography, Sound, Art Direction and Special Effects.

*‘Excellence Award’, by Hindustan University, Chennai - 2013

* Chairman of Kerala State Chalachithra Academy for the period 2011-2014  

* Director of International Film Festival of Kerala for the period 2011–2014.

* 2016 - Best Director - ''[[Oppam]]''

Priyadarshan was recently appointed as ‘Chairperson’, of the Feature Films Jury of the 50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2019.

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100826090115/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2006/01/21/stories/2006012100150300.htm Inauguration of his Studio – Four Frames]