Amal Neerad is an Indian film director, cinematographer and producer who mainly works in Malayalam cinema. He attended the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata (first batch). He was awarded the National Film Award for Best Cinematography (special mention) in 2001 for his diploma film Meena Jha (short feature section).
Amal Neerad | |
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 Amal in 2009 | |
| Born | 13 February 1978 |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2004–present |
| Organization | Amal Neerad Productions |
| Spouse | |
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He started his career shooting music videos, documentaries and advertising. It was his diploma film that brought him to the attention of Ram Gopal Varma and his team. Amal Neerad moved into Hindi cinema with three back to back films; James (2005), Darna Zaroori Hai (2006) and Shiva (2006). In 2004, he also shot the Malayalam film Black starring Mammootty.
Early and personal life
editAmal Neerad was born in Kollam, Kerala. He attended school and college in Kochi.[1] He was the college union chairman of Maharaja's College, Ernakulam during two consecutive terms, 1992–93 and 1993–94.[2] He married actress Jyothirmayi on 4 April 2015.[3]
Career
editAmal joined the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute in 1995.[4] He is a winner of the National Film Awards for best cinematography. After his graduation from the institute he worked as a cinematographer with Ram Gopal Varma's production company for films such as James, Darna Zaroori Hai and Shiva. His debut movie in Malayalam as cinematographer was Black, directed by Ranjith.
In 2007, he made his directorial debut with Big B starring Mammootty and Shereveer Vakil. Even though the movie was an average grosser at the box office, the stylish narrative and technical brilliance that the film possessed apparently gave the movie an iconic stature and cult following.[5][6][7][8][9] His next film was Sagar Alias Jacky starring Mohanlal, a sequel to the 1987 film Irupatham Noottandu. In 2010, he directed Anwar with Prithviraj in the lead role.
Amal Neerad launched his production company Amal Neerad Productions through the 2012 film Bachelor Party directed by himself. In 2013, he produced the anthology film, 5 Sundarikal. Amal directed the segment Kullante Bharya which starred Dulquer Salmaan and handled camera for the segment Aami, directed by Anwar Rasheed. He directed and co-produced (with Fahad Faasil) the period thriller Iyobinte Pustakam starring Fahadh Faasil, Lal, and Jayasurya in 2014. In 2017, he produced and directed Comrade in America starring Dulquer Salmaan. He later directed Fahadh Faasil starred Varathan in 2018. The movie was jointly produced by Neerad and Fahadh Faasil. Amal joined hands with Anwar Rasheed again as a cinematographer for the movie Trance, starring Fahadh Faasil.[10] Later, he joined Mammootty again after 15 years for the movie Bheeshma Parvam which emerged as one of the biggest hits in Mollywood industry.
Controversies
editIn a post on the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council’s Jagratha Commission Facebook page, it was claimed that Amal Neerad's blockbuster film Bheeshma Parvam offended Christian sentiments. The KCBC Jagratha Commission alleged that the portrayal of drug use, homosexuality, alcohol, and adultery among key Christian characters was a deliberate attempt to depict them negatively.[11] A formal complaint was also filed against the song "Sthuthi" from the Malayalam film Bougainvillea, directed by Amal Neerad. The complaint said that the song offends religious sentiments by misusing sacred Christian hymns. According to the complainants, the combination of a devotional hymn with modern music is seen as disrespectful and offensive to religious beliefs.[12]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Language | Director | Cinematographer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Black | Malayalam | No | Yes | No | |
| 2005 | James | Hindi | No | Yes | No | |
| 2006 | Shiva | Hindi | No | Yes | No | |
| 2006 | Darna Zaroori Hai | Hindi | No | Yes | No | |
| 2007 | Big B | Malayalam | Yes | No | No | Director debut |
| 2009 | Sagar Alias Jacky Reloaded | Malayalam | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2010 | Anwar | Malayalam | Yes | No | No | |
| Tournament | Malayalam | No | Yes | No | A song only (Nila Nila). | |
| 2012 | Bachelor Party | Malayalam | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2013 | 5 Sundarikal | Malayalam | Yes | Yes | Yes | Anthology film. Director of "Kullante Bharya". Cinematographer of "Aami" |
| 2014 | Iyobinte Pusthakam | Malayalam | Yes | Yes | Yes | Winner: Kerala state film award for best cinematography |
| 2017 | Comrade in America | Malayalam | Yes | No | Yes | [13][14] |
| 2018 | Varathan | Malayalam | Yes | No | Yes | Co-produced with Nazriya Nazim |
| 2020 | Trance | Malayalam | No | Yes | No | |
| 2022 | Bheeshma Parvam | Malayalam | Yes | No | Yes | Also co-writer |
| 2024 | Bougainvillea | Malayalam | Yes | No | Yes | Also co-writer |
| 2025 | Bilal | Malayalam | Yes | No | Yes |
Awards and recognitions
edit- Best Cinematography: Amal Neerad
- 2014, Asianet Film Awards.
- His film Iyobinte Pustakam bagged best film in 2014 at Asianet Film Awards.[16]
References
edit- ^ "യഥാര്ഥ ചിത്രങ്ങള് , Interview – Mathrubhumi Movies". Archived from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
- ^ Aswin J Kumar (11 April 2011). "The 'Maharaja' is poor at maths". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
- ^ "Amal Neerad marries Jyotirmayi". Rediff. 6 April 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ^ "പാപം ചെയ്യാത്തവരുടെ കല്ലെറിയല് , Interview – Mathrubhumi Movies". Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
- ^ "Mammootty's 'Big B': Revisiting Malayalam cinema's cult action film". 3 December 2017.
- ^ "Mammootty's Bilal: Here's an Exciting Update on the Star Cast of the Project!". 13 February 2020.
- ^ "10 years of Big B: "Mammootty changed our lives" says Amal Neerad". 13 April 2017.
- ^ "Big-B". Sify. Archived from the original on 27 February 2020.
- ^ "10 Years of Mammootty's Big B: Here Are the Film's Big Contributions to the Industry!". 13 April 2017.
- ^ Kumar, P. k Ajith (12 September 2019). "High expectations over 'Trance'". The Hindu.
- ^ B, Shibu (14 March 2022). "Religious intolerance: Filmmakers in Kerala feel heat of declining artistic freedom". The New Indian Express.
- ^ "Hurting christian beliefs: Viral song from 'Bougainvillea' lands in trouble". English.Mathrubhumi. 30 September 2024.
- ^ Nagarajan, Saraswathy (5 May 2017). "The crossing". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
- ^ "Dulquer Salmaan's connection to Che Guevara in Comrade in America revealed – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
- ^ "State Film Awards: Nazriya, Nivin, Sudhev bag top honours". Malayala Manorama. 10 August 2015. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
- ^ 17th Asianet Film Awards
External links
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