Anurag Basu

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Anurag Basu
অনুরাগ বসু
Nationality Indian
Ethnicity Bengali Hindu
Occupation Director, Writer
Years active 1993 - present
Religion Hinduism
Awards Star Screen Award for Best Screenplay
2008 Life in a... Metro
IIFA Best Screenplay Award
2008 Life in a... Metro

Anurag Basu (Bengali: অনুরাগ বসু) is an Indian film director and writer, known for directing films that tackle the themes of dark passion and adultery[1] like Life in a... Metro, Gangster and Murder. Basu was nominated in the Best Director category at the 53rd Filmfare Awards in 2008 for Life in a... Metro. He has also directed TV serials for Indian channels. He was diagnosed with acute leukemia in 2004[2] and underwent chemotherapy thereafter.

Contents

[edit] Career

[edit] Television

Anurag Basu started his career in the television industry, directing Tara, one of longest running soaps of the 1990s. He was in his mid-twenties when he started and directed some 70 episodes.[3] He directed more television serials and tried different genres ranging from daily soaps to thrillers such as Saturday Suspense and horror X-Zone. His most successful work during this period was Balaji Telefilms daily soap Koshish ...Ek Aashaa in 2000, which became one of the top shows on Zee TV.[4] In 2002, Basu directed the TV series Miit, which was based on the novel Noukadubi, by the Indian poet and writer Rabindranath Tagore.[5]

In 2007, he returned to the television circuit to produce and direct the college-drama Love Story for SAB TV.[6]

In 2010, again he returned to the television circuit but not as a director but as an anchor for a bengali reality show Ke Hobe Biggest Fan(means who will be the biggest fan) for Zee Bangla.

[edit] Films

Basu made his directorial debut in 2003 with the slasher film Kucch To Hai, co-directed by Anil V. Kumar and starring Tusshar Kapoor, Esha Deol, and newcomer Anita Hassanandani. It was produced by Ekta Kapoor, with whom Basu had earlier worked on Koshish ...ek aashaa. Although the film was well promoted and had a decent opening at the box office,[7] it failed commercially[8] as well as critically.[9]

After the failure of his first film, Basu joined Mahesh Bhatt's production company, Vishesh Films, where he directed his next four films. The first was a mystery-drama, Saaya, starring John Abraham and Tara Sharma. It was inspired by the 2002 Kevin Costner thriller Dragonfly, but it failed at the box office and was panned by critics as a loose screenplay.[10]

Basu's third film was 2004's Murder, which was inspired by Adrian Lyne's 2002 film Unfaithful.[11] The film dealt with adultery, and contained sex scenes which are unusual in Indian cinema. In spite of getting an A-certificate from the CBFC, the film became Basu's first hit. It was well-received by the critics, who appreciated the performances by Mallika Sherawat, Emraan Hashmi, and Ashmit Patel.[12] The music in the film by composer Anu Malik was also a hit, with chart-busters such as Kaho Naa Kaho and Bheeghey Hont Tere.[13] The film catapulted Mallika Sherawat and Emraan Hashmi to fame, and to this day, Murder remains one of the few commercially successful adult-certified films in India. Basu's next movie, also with the Mahesh Bhatt's camp, was titled Gangster. It was critically acclaimed and was financially successful as well. In this film, Basu teamed up with musician Pritam for the first time and the union was a huge success, as was their second film together, Life in a... Metro, which was also a hit with the critics. Both the movies showed the deftness and maturity of the director.

Anurag Basu's latest movie Kites, starring Hrithik Roshan, Bárbara Mori, and Kangana Ranaut was one of the most waited movies in 2010. This movie, released in May 2010, had one of the biggest opening in Bollywood history and for the year 2010 but failed to live up to its expectations. The box office collections in later weeks started declining thereby declaring the movie as one of the biggest flops of Bollywood though it became the first Indian Film in US Top 10. It was released in 60 countries and performed well outside India.

[edit] Personal life

Basu was born and brought up in the city of Bhilai, Chattisgarh. He has spent part of his life in Garia, a locality in South Kolkata. He did B.Sc. in Physics from Royal College of Science, Arts and Commerce in Mira Road, Thane, Maharashtra.

[edit] Cancer

Anurag Basu was diagnosed with acute leukemia in 2004 [2] when he was halfway through his film Tumsa Nahin Dekha. He was immediately hospitalised; his doctors announced he had two months to live. Basu even directed parts of the film from his hospital bed as shooting could not be canceled. To complete the film, he would give instructions on a dictaphone, talking about camera angles and the script. Mahesh Bhatt and Mohit Suri finished the film later.[14] Basu underwent chemotherapy and is on medication.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Films

[edit] Television

[edit] Awards and nominations

Awards
Nominations
  • 2004: International Indian Film Academy Award for Best Story - Murder
  • 2006: Star Screen Award for Best Director - Gangster
  • 2006: Star Screen Award for Best Screenplay - Gangster
  • 2006: International Indian Film Academy Award for Best Screenplay - Gangster
  • 2007: Filmfare Award for Best Director - Life in a... Metro
  • 2007: International Indian Film Academy Award for Best Director - Life in a... Metro
  • 2007: International Indian Film Academy Award for Best Story - Life in a... Metro
  • 2007: Star Screen Award for Best Director - Life in a... Metro
  • 2007: Star Screen Award for Best Story - Life in a... Metro

[edit] References

  1. ^ Mazumdar, Suruchi (14 March 2008). "Anurag Basu to direct Hrithik Roshan". Screen. http://www.screenindia.com/news/anurag-basu-to-direct-hrithik-roshan/284345/. 
  2. ^ a b "What they don't tell you about cancer". Times of India. 10 June 2007. http://www.articlearchives.com/medicine-health/diseases-disorders-blood-leukemia/1818590-1.html. 
  3. ^ "The Script motivates me". Indiantelevision.com. 13 July 2001. http://www.indiantelevision.com/interviews/director/anurag.htm. 
  4. ^ "KBC's tail whiplashes Zee prime time". Financial Express. 9 November 2000. http://www.financialexpress.com/old/fe/daily/20001109/fco09015.html. 
  5. ^ "A classic re-told". The Tribune (India). 16 March 2001. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030316/spectrum/tv.htm. 
  6. ^ "Bigger channels don't provide me sukh: Anurag Basu". Tellychakkar.com. 20 April 2007. http://www.tellychakkar.com/y2k7/apr/20apr/interview_basu.php. 
  7. ^ Gosal, Narbir (24 January 2003). "Kucch To Hai film review". Planetbollywood.com. http://planetbollywood.com/Film/KucchToHai/. 
  8. ^ "Kucch To Hai Box Office collections". Bollywoodhungama.com. 2003. http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/boxoffice/7022/index.html. 
  9. ^ Adarsh, Taran (24 January 2003). "Kucch To Hai review". Bollywoodhungama.com. http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/review/7022/index.html. 
  10. ^ Adarsh, Taran (4 July 2003). "Saaya review". Bollywoodhungama.com. http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/review/7063/index.html. 
  11. ^ "Murder inspired from Unfaithful". Apunkachoice.com. 15 March 2004. http://www.apunkachoice.com/scoop/bollywood/20040315-4.html. 
  12. ^ Adarsh, Taran (1 April 2004). "Murder review". Bollywoodhungama.com. http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/review/7122/index.html. 
  13. ^ Budhu, Rakesh (March 2003). "Murder music review". Planetbollywood.com. http://planetbollywood.com/Music/Murder/. 
  14. ^ "Could Gangster be another Murder?". Rediff.com. 5 April 2006. http://www.rediff.com/movies/2006/apr/05basu.htm. 

[edit] External links

Films directed by Anurag Basu
1969–1980
1981–2000
2001–present
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