Prashanth Neel is an Indian film director and screenwriter, who mostly works in the Kannada film industry. He directed the film KGF: Chapter 1 in 2018, which turned out to be the highest grossing Kannada film of all time.
Wiki/Biography
Prashanth Neel was born on Wednesday, June 4, 1980 (age 41 years; in 2021) in Hassan, Karnataka. His zodiac sign is Gemini. He attended Baldwin Boys School, Bangalore, and went to college at Seshadripuram College. After completing a bachelor’s degree in business management, he pursued an MBA, which he eventually dropped. He did not work or study anything for about six-seven years. According to a media house, Prashanth knew he wanted to enter the film industry at the age of 17. Later, he followed a professional course in the field of film making.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 7″
Weight (approx): 65 kg
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Black
Prashanth Neel (left) with Prabhas
Family
Parents & Siblings
His father’s name is Subhash Neelakantapuram. His mother’s name is Bharati Subhash. He has two siblings. His brother’s name is Pradeep Neelakantapuram, and his sister’s name is Rekha Neelakantapuram.
Wife & Children
Prashanth Neel married Likitha Reddy on May 5, 2010.
Prashanth Neel with his wife and son
This couple has 2 children. They welcomed their daughter, Sarayu Neel, on January 26, 2014, and their son, Rayansh Neel, on January 10, 2017.
Prashanth Neel with his daughter
Career
After Prashanth completed his filmmaking course, he wrote a screenplay, Aa Hudugi Neene. He wanted to include his brother-in-law and actor, Srimurali, in it; however, he changed his original idea and wrote an action film, Ugramm, for it. The film was released under his own production company, Inkfinite Pictures, and managed to become one of the highest-grossing Kannada films of 2014. In an interview, Prashanth said that he had no expectations from his debut film. He said,
We never thought it would make it past the morning show. Nobody knew me then. So with my first film, the journey was very important, but the destination not so much”
Later, Prashanth met producer Vijay Kiragandur to narrate the story, but Vijay asked him if he had any other raw projects. When asked, Prashanth narrated to him the script of KGF: Chapter 1, and everything was perfect for him. The film released in 2018 and collected Rs. 250 crore at the Box Office. It became a blockbuster in Hindi as well, when the distributor of Baahubali, Anil Thadani, decided to release it widely in Hindi. In an interview, Prashanth said he wrote the script only as a writer and not as a director. He said,
When you think like a director, you become practical and start thinking about budget constraints. There, one stops dreaming big,”
Prashanth celebrates with the cast and crew of KGF
His third directorial, ‘KGF: Chapter 2’, was slated for a theatrical release on 16 July 2021 but was delayed due to the second wave of the COVID – 19 pandemic in India. The film is expected to release in 5 different languages on 14 April 2022. With the release of his much hyped film ‘KGF: Chapter 2’, Prashanth has talked about his upcoming projects, including Salaar, NTR30 and Bagheera (writer). According to Prashanth, his first task on the sets was to motivate each actor. In an interview, he said,
I didn’t yell or get mad at them. The actor’s mood is very important to me. I want to see them happy on set”
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- Won the Best Debut Director Award at the 4th SIIMA for Ugramm in 2015
- Won the Best Director Award at the 8th SIIMA for KGF: Chapter 1 in 2019
- Won Best Director Award at Zee Kannada Awards Hemmeya Kanndiga for KGF: Chapter 1 in 2019
- Nominated for Best Director Award by 62nd Filmfare Awards South for Ugramm in 2015
- Nominated for Best Director Award by 66th Filmfare Awards South for KGF: Chapter 1 in 2019
Facts/Trivia
- Reportedly, Prashanth’s father hails from Neelakantapura, which gave him the surname Neel.
- In an interview, he revealed his early relationship with films and said,
We watched a lot of Hollywood movies on VHS tapes and discussed cinema with friends. That’s the culture I grew up in.”
- According to Prashanth, his family has an orthodox mindset and would block him, if they knew he was willing to do a film. In an interview, he said,
Unless you are born into a film family, there is a bias towards cinema as a profession. And coming from an orthodox family, my mother was not interested in me taking it. So I didn’t tell my family about my plans, so they wouldn’t encourage me. When I decided to take the risk, they only had one thing to say: ‘If it doesn’t work, don’t be disappointed.’ Thankfully, it is so far.”
- KGF’s story was ready before ‘Ugramm’, which was his directorial debut.
- His upcoming project, Salaar, produced under Hombale Films is rumored to be a continuation of the ‘KGF’ franchise or a remake of Ugramm; However, Prashanth rubbished all the rumors and stated,
All the films I make will have some Ugramm color. That’s my style! But Salaar is a new story. It is not a remake or adaptation of Ugramm.”
- When looking at trends in his films, he was asked in an interview what drew him to violence in films. He replied,
We don’t have a culture of using World Wars or such subjects as a premise for our films. So, my logic is that the stronger the villain, the stronger the heroism that can be shown on screen. I try to create an environment where it offers both. In the scenario we’ve given, I won’t be able to reach that level of evil, nor will I be able to raise heroism to that level. That’s why I’m trying to make my world more violent.”
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
