Vijay Kumar (British filmmaker)
Vijay Kumar (born Vijay Kumar Makol) is a British-Indian author, film director and actor.[1] In 2018 he published an autobiography chronicling his following of Dev Anand titled Dev Saab: A Journey with the Legend Dev Anand.[3]
Vijay Kumar | |
|---|---|
| Born | New Delhi, India |
| Nationality | British |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Actor / Director / Presenter |
| Years active | 1988 – Present |
| Height | 5ft7in (169cm) |
An actor in theatre productions, Vijay appeared in a number of feature films in Bollywood, such as: Gangster,[2] Main Solah Baras Ki, Master,[3]
Early lifeEdit
Vijay Kumar was born in New Delhi, India in 1958. His birth name Vijay Makol, was changed to Vijay Kumar for his acting career. He debuted in the TV series Dekh Bhai Dekh. Vijay moved to Liverpool, UK at the age of 16 with his family and attended Cowley International College. Vijay returned to Mumbai, India in his early 20's with the ambition of breaking into Bollywood.
Professional careerEdit
Vijay played a comic role in the hit TV series Dekh Bhai Dekh, which led to his featuring in hit feature films, Gangster,[4] Main Solah Baras Ki, Master,[5] King of Bollywood and Love U Mr Kalakaar. During Vijay's career as an actor, he also presented over 1,800 shows for both the BBC and Asian Sound Radio.[6][7] Vijay has Directed, Written and Produced a number of short films that have been featured in film festivals such as: Cannes Film Festival,[8] Ekotop Film Festival, JIFF India, Wirral International Film Festival[9] and the Edinburgh Film Festival.
Short filmsEdit
Vijay’s first short film, Johnny, was shown at Cannes Film Festival and cast on Sky TV. Vijay was then picked up by Basement films of John Moore University, Liverpool to direct A Fatal Accident.[10][11] Fatal Accident featured in festivals such as the Edinburgh film Festival and Jaipur International Film Festival. He then went on to produce Unwanted Bride[12] and Bombay Beauty,[13][14] a short film shown in the Ekotop Film Festival for a number of consecutive days. Vijay's latest foray into short films was Audition, Vijay's first India based short film.
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Johnny | Director | Cannes Film Festival Screening |
| A Fatal Accident | Director | Edinburgh Film Festival Screening
Jaipur Film Festival Screening |
AuthorEdit
Vijay published his first book, Dev Saab, A Journey with the legend Dev Anand in 2018, recounting his friendship with Dev Anand. Vijay launched the book for the U.K. territory on BBC Asian Network.[15] The book was launched in Mumbai, India, by Suneil Anand, Dev Anand's son.[16]
ReferencesEdit
- ↑ "Exclusive with Vijay Kumar", Evening Standard, London, 1995.
- ↑ "Gangster Casting", "[IMDB]", Retrieved on 2 October 2014.
- ↑ "Master Full Casting", "[IMDB]", Retrieved on 2 October 2014.
- ↑ "Gangster Casting", "[IMDB]", Retrieved on 2 October 2014.
- ↑ "Master Full Casting", "[IMDB]", Retrieved on 2 October 2014.
- ↑ Hookam, Mark. "We'll make Liverpool Bollywood of the UK", Daily Post, Liverpool, October 2003.
- ↑ "Liverpool, Bollywood of the UK", "[Daily Post]", Retrieved on 12 October 2014.
- ↑ "Cannes Festival Profile" Archived 6 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine, "[Cannes Film Festival Website]", Retrieved on 2 October 2014.
- ↑ "Wirral Film Festival" Archived 6 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine, "[Liverpool-Live]", Retrieved on 2 October 2014.
- ↑ "Fatal Accident on British Film Council", "[British Film Council]", Retrieved on 2 October 2014.
- ↑ Taggart, Gareth. "Two day film hit", Wirral News Group, Wirral, March 2003.
- ↑ "Unwanted Bride on British Film Council", "[British Film Council]", Retrieved on 2 October 2014.
- ↑ "Bombay Beauty on British Film Council", "[British Film Council]", Retrieved on 2 October 2014.
- ↑ Mann, Manjit. "Bollywood in Britain", Eastern Eye, London, 2003.
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ [2]