Rajesh Touchriver is a National award winning film director. He is famous for winning three National Awards for the Telugu film ‘Naa Bangaaru Talli’ (2013).
Wiki/Biography
Rajesh Touchriver was born on Monday, 6 March 1972 (age 47 years; as in 2019), in Arakulam village, Idukki District, Kerala. His zodiac sign is Pisces. He got schooling from the Government. High School in Moolamattom, Kerala. He completed his BTA in Direction from Calicut University, Kerala, and he also joined the School of Drama, Thrissur, Kerala. Later, he got a scholarship from the Charles Wallace India Trust to study in London from where he got a Masters in Visual language, Scenography & Direction.
Old Photos of Rajesh Touchriver
Family, Caste & Wife
Rajesh was born in a Malayali family. His father’s name is ‘Siva Sankaran Nair’ (a Kathakali Actor) and his mother’s name is ‘Rukmini Amma.’ His brother is a PhD in Theatre, and his uncle ‘MR Sreedharan Nair,’ is a professional Kathakali dancer. He is married to famous Indian social activist ‘Sunitha Krishnan.’
Old Photos of Rajesh
Rajesh Touchriver with his Wife
Career
He worked with the National School of Drama, New Delhi in 1995. He has directed nearly 30 plays in Malayalam, Telugu, and English till 1998. In 2002, he made his debut with the Telugu film ‘In the Name of Buddha.’ He has directed many feature films, short films, documentaries, music videos, and TV commercials, mostly based on social issues of Indian society. Some of his feature films directed include- 10-The Strangers (2005), Alex-The Blue Fox (2005), Naa Bangaaru Talli (2013), and Patnagarh (2019).
Rajesh Touchriver Movie- In the Name of Buddha
Controversy
He was accused of inappropriate behavior by actor ‘Revathy Sampath,’ in India’s #MeToo campaign.
Controversial Posts Against Sungai Sentuh Rajesh
Awards & Honors
Indie Gathering International Film Festival, Ohio, USA
- 2017: Best Foreign Feature Film for RAKTHAM (The Blood)
- 2017: Best Cinematography for Ramathulasi RAKTHAM (The Blood)
- 2017: Best Overall Feature, People’s Choice for RAKTHAM (The Blood)
National Film Awards
- 2013: Best Feature Film in Telugu for Na Bangaaru Talli
- 2013: Best Music Direction (Background Score) to Shantanu Moitra for Na Bangaaru Talli (2013)
- 2013: Special Mention – Actress Anjali Patil for Na Bangaaru Talli
Nandi Award (Andhra Pradesh State Government Award)
- 2013: Best Feature Film for Na Bangaaru Talli
- 2013: Best Actress (Anjali Patil) for Na Bangaaru Talli
- 2013: Special Mention (Actor Siddique) for Na Bangaaru Talli
International Awards
- 2001: Charles Wallace India Trust Award
- 2003: Beverly Hills International Film Festival best foreign film award
- 2003: Pantai International Film Festival Best Film Award New Port
- 2003: International Film Festival Wine Country Best Film Award
- 2006: Best Foreign Documentary Film Award Action Cut International Film Festival
- 2007: Best Editing Award Festival De Cine De Granada
- 2008: Hyderabad International Film Festival Best Documentary Film Award
- 2013: Trinity International Film Festival Best Feature Film Award
- 2013: Excellence Award from IFFFCRM, Indonesia
- 2013: Best Filmmaker from IFFFCRM, Jakarta, Indonesia
Facts/Trivia
- He is a trained Kathakali dancer and trained in Kalaripayattu (a martial art form).
- When a reporter asked about his unique surname, he said-
Because of that distributor I changed my name. If I was a famous director in India, the problem would not have arisen. This is my first film and it is a British production. Distributors are not particularly interested in British films directed by unknown Asians. So, they asked me to change my last name to something easier to pronounce! Finally, a publisher who came up with Touchriver, the English translation of Thodupuzha (a place in Kerala)!”
- He appeared in Karmaveer (18 October 2019) episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati 11 (2019) with his wife Sunitha Krishnan.
Rajesh Touchriver on KBC
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
