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Mantra
Mantra
Born
Puranjit Dasgupta

(1982-08-21) 21 August 1982 (age 42)
Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India
NationalityIndian
Other namesRJ Mantra
VJ Mantra
Mantra Mugdh
Alma materIndore Public School, Indore
Occupations
Years active1998−present
Notable workAladdin
Comedy Circus
Narayan Narayan
Rebellious Flower
WebsiteOfficial website

Puranjit Dasgupta (born 21 August 1982) better known by his stage name Mantra, is an Indian actor, film director and producer, who started his career as a Radio jockey. He is known for his portrayal of Bhaskar Bose in Spotify's detective thriller podcast Bhaskar Bose[1] and Genie in Disney India's broadway-style musical Aladdin[2][3] He appeared in various Hindi films, notably Panipat (2019),[4] High Jack (2018),[5] Rebellious Flower (2016),[6] London, Paris, New York (2012), Bheja Fry 2 (2011), Game (2011) and Tum Mile (2009). He is the founder of Mumbai based production company, Mantramugdh Productions.[4]

He gained a name as a host, anchoring for TV shows like India's Got Talent,[7] Comedy Circus,[8] and Zara Nachke Dikha,[9] and also hosted the Pro Kabaddi League, a Kabaddi league for the past seven seasons.[2]

Early life

He was born to Chandra Dasgupta, an actress who worked in Hindi cinema and Prabir Dasgupta, a book publisher.[3] He spent his childhood years in Indore and did most of his schooling at Indore Public School, Indore.[10] Before venturing into the media industry, he was in the hospitality business from 1996 to 2000 and worked as a front desk receptionist and manager for The Taj Hotel.[11][12]

Career

Radio

Mantra's opening act for Comedy Circus Ke Ajoobe

RJ Mantra started his career with Radio Mirchi, the India's first private FM station in 2001.[11] He moved to Delhi in 2003 and joined Radio City, where he hosted Route 91.[13] He then moved on to work with Red FM 93.5,[14] where he also hosted Radio show, Mumbai Local.[15] He took a break from Radio in 2012. He returned to Radio in February 2017 with 92.7 Big FM's radio drama Lamhe With Mantra, a fiction-based show based on a particular theme of romance for each day.[16]

Films

Mantra made his film debut as an actor with Vishesh Films' Tum Mile in 2009, where he appeared as the second lead Vicky.[17] He went on to appear in Abhishek Bachchan starrer Game (2011), followed by Sagar Ballary's comedy film, Bheja Fry 2 (2011).[18] He played the role of Nandu, a gangster in Hum Tum Shabana (2011) and a Paris-based sex toy shop owner in London, Paris, New York (2012).[19]

In 2016's Rebellious Flower, a biopic of spiritual leader Osho Rajneesh, Mantra played the triple role of three spiritual guides who help Osho find enlightenment. The film was shot in real locations in rural Madhya Pradesh in Central India.[6]

In 2018, he was seen in Akarsh Khurana's comedy film, High Jack, where he played a hijacker, Vinit.[5] He portrayed the role of Najib ad-Dawlah in Ashutosh Gowariker's 2019 period film Panipat starring Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Kapoor and Kriti Sanon.[20]

Television and web-series

His first major TV appearance was Lagegi[21] on UTV's Bindass channel in 2007. The show was later renamed Hass ley India. In 2010, Mantra co-hosted dance reality show, Zara Nachke Dikha with Jennifer Winget on Star Plus.[9] He played Doubting Dev in a show called Mystery Hunters India on Discovery Kids.[22] As a stand-up comedian, he participated in successive Comedy Circus.[15][8]

As a wild card entry, Mantra participated in the sixth season of the celebrity dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa in June 2013.[23] He was evicted from the show after two weeks.[24] He co-hosted reality TV series, India's Got Talent with Bharti Singh in 2013-2014.[25][7]

Mantra played the main lead in the mythological drama series Narayan Narayan, which aired on Big Magic.[26] His performance as Narad was well received by the audience.[2] He also worked as Video Jockey for Channel V and has hosted several television programs, including First Day First Show, G-spot.[27] He hosted the Pro Kabaddi League, a professional-level Kabaddi league for the past seven seasons.[2][28]

Later, in 2015, he hosted Family Fortunes, an Indian TV game show based on the American game show Family Feud, aired on Big Magic.[29] He also appeared on Life OK's Har Mard Ka Dard in 2016.[30]

In 2017, he appeared on Balaji Telefilms's web series Boygiri, available on ALTBalaji.[31] In 2020, he appeared in three ZEE5 web series —the rom-com series Phone a Friend,[32] the sci-fi thriller series Bhanwar,[33] the thriller series The Casino.[34] He also acted in MX Player's crime thriller series High and SonyLIV original series Shrikant Bashir.[citation needed]

Theatre

As a theatre artist, Mantra has performed in more than 100 plays of Piya Behrupiya, a Hindi interpretation of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night produced by Atul Kumar's The Company Theatre. He performed this two-hour musical drama first at the Globe Theatre in London as a part of the World Shakespeare Festival in May 2012, followed by the performances in Paris, Canada and the USA in 2016.[35][36][37] In 2018, he was praised across India for his performance as Genie in Disney India's hit Broadway style musical Aladdin, which instantly became a crowd favourite.[2][38]

He has done several plays, including Sohaila Kapur's Ouch, Divya Arora's The Melody of Love, Infinite Theatre's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui and Rajat Kapoor's Macbeth.[3][12]

Audio series and podcasts

Mantra's MnM talkies is the audio wing of his production house MantraMugdh Productions.[39] MnM Talkies specialises in audio dramas and has many shows varying from romance, drama, action, thriller to horror. Some of his shows include Kaali Awaazei, Love In The Time Of Corona, and Mine n Yours, Bhaskar Bose and Virus 2062.[40][41]

He directed the detective thriller audio series Bhaskar Bose for the Spotify original, where he depicts the role of protagonist Bhaskar Bose.[42] In 2020, Kaali Awaazein, a fictional 10-episode horror audio web series on Amazon's Audible Suno, was written and directed by Mantra, where Amitabh Bachchan gave his voice.[43] Kaali Awaazein was presented by Amitabh Bachchan in January 2020.[44]

In March 2021, Mantra directed a new Spotify Original podcast, I Hear You, a paranormal audio series featuring Aahana Kumra, who plays a Delhi based detective Priyamvada Parmar.[45][46] He directed another Spotify original, Darr Ka Raaz with Dr. Phobia, a psychological horror starring Rajesh Khera and Riya Deepsi, released in April 2021.[47]

MnM talkies produced Virus 2062, a Spotify India's audio thriller voiced by Ali Fazal and Richa Chadha. It was directed by Mantra, which was released in September 2021.[48]

Production and directions

Mantra receiving the Best Actor award for Ana at the 6th Indian Cine Film Festival

Mantra has directed and produced various films and shorts films under the banner of his production company Mantramugdh Productions. In 2017, his short film, Khatara, which portrayes the story of a simple small-town boy and his love for his car, won the Best Actor's Award at the 4th Bengaluru International Short Film Festival.[49] Khatara was produced by Mantramugdh Productions in association with PitaraStudios and Purple Production.[50]

Saudade, another short film produced by Mantra, won the Best Cinematography award at the 4th Bengaluru International Short Film Festival and was also selected in the Goa Short Film Festival and Bengaluru International Short Film Festival in 2019.[50]

In 2016, Mantra produced and directed the short film, Deja Brew, featuring his mother. It was screened at the Filmingo International Short Film Festival, 5th Mumbai Short International Film Festival and 5th Delhi Short International Film Festival and Cineframe International Short Film Festival, Kolkata.[51]

He made his debut in Bengali cinema with his first Bengali film ANA which is based on transgender, was released on OTT platform ZEE5.[52] Ana was nominated for the award of 'Best actor in a leading role' at the Moscow Indie Film Festival.[53]

Filmography

Feature films

Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Film Role Notes
2009 Tum Mile Vicky Second lead
2011 Game Ranbeer
2011 Hum Tum Shabana Nandu
2011 Bheja Fry 2 Mantra
2012 London, Paris, New York Monty
2016 Rebellious Flower Masto Baba, Pagal Baba, Magga Baba Biographical film of Rajneesh Osho
2019 Panipat Najib ad-Dawlah An epic war drama film
2021 Rashmi Rocket Coach Tejas Mukherji

Web-series

Year Title Role Language Notes
2017 Boygiri Ravi Sinha Hindi ALTBalaji
2020 Phone-a-Friend Leonardo Hindi ZEE5
2020 Bhanwar Rodrigues Hindi ZEE5 original series
2020 High DJ Hindi MX Player
2020 The Casino Rinzin Hindi ZEE5 original series
2020 Shrikant Bashir Parker Hindi SonyLIV original series

Television

Year Title Role Channel Notes
2007 Lagegi Host Bindass
2008 First Day First Show Video jockey Channel V
2008 G-Spot Video jockey Channel V
2010 Zara Nachke Dikha Co-host Star Plus Dance reality show
2011 Comedy Circus Ka Naya Daur Contestant Sony TV
2012 Mystery Hunters India Doubting Dev Discovery Kids
2013 Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa (season 6) Participant Colors TV Wild card entry
2013 India's Got Talent (Season 5) Co-host Colors TV hosted with Bharti Singh
2014 Bigg Boss (Season 8) Guest Colors TV
2014 Pro Kabaddi League Host Star Sports hosted seven seasons
2015 Narayan Narayan Narad Big Magic Main lead
2015 Family Fortune Host Big Magic Based on Family Feud
2016 Har Mard Ka Dard Himself Life OK
2018 Ace of Space 1 Host MTV India finale episode

Dubbing roles

Live action films

Title Actor Character Dub Language Original Language Original Year release Dub Year release Notes
Bhaskar Bose RJ Mantra Bhaskar Bose Hindi Hindi 2020 2020 Spotify original
Aladdin Will Smith Genie Hindi English 2019 2019
Toy Story 4 Jordan Peele Bunny English Hindi 2019 2019
Ralph Breaks the Internet Bill Hader J.P. Spamley Hindi English 2018 2018

Awards and recognition

Mantra is a two-time winner of the Promax Award for his show Mumbai Local on Red FM 93.5.[54] He was awarded the RAPA Award for Best Radio Jockey twice.[55] In June 2011, PETA awarded him the "Hero to Animals" award for rescuing a parrot tangled in wires.[56]

Mantra has also won the Best Actor award at the Bangalore Short Film Festival 2015 for his short film Khatara[49] and at the 6th Indian Cine Film Festival 2018 for Ana. He was awarded the Best Radio Personality for 92.7 Big FM show, Lamhe with Mantra at The New York Festival Awards 2017.[57]

References

  1. ^ "Mantra to come up with detective thriller podcast Bhaskar Bose". Outlook India. 9 December 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e Shekhar, Mimansa (26 April 2018). "Mantra on playing Genie in Broadway-style musical Aladdin: People say I reminded them of Robin Williams". Indian Express.
  3. ^ a b c Chattopadhyay, Pallavi (16 July 2018). "Genie in the City". Indian Express.
  4. ^ a b Shambhavi (5 February 2019). "Mantra joins the cast of Ashutosh Gowariker's 'Panipat' as Najib-Ud-Daulah". The Indian Wire.
  5. ^ a b Shekhar, Mimansa (16 May 2018). "High Jack actor Mantra: It's as if some very mischievous friends have made this film". Indian Express.
  6. ^ a b Maheshwari, Neha (23 December 2014). "Mantra to play Osho's Mentors in his biopic". The Times of India.
  7. ^ a b "RJ Mantra and Bharti to host India's Got Talent's upcoming season". TellyChakkar. 17 September 2013.
  8. ^ a b Maheshwari, Neha (14 May 2013). "Mantra to quit 'Comedy Circus' for film". The Times of India.
  9. ^ a b "Jennifer Winget and RJ Mantra, new hosts of Zara Nachke Dikha". India Forums. 2 May 2010.
  10. ^ "Accolades". Indore Public School. 31 August 2021.
  11. ^ a b Sharma, Nikita (16 May 2009). "RJ Mantra - I am a VJ, I am a RJ and I am an actor also, official Thappa Lagake!!!". RadioandMusic.com.
  12. ^ a b "Only love resonates, the rest is just noise: RJ Mantra". Adgully. 27 November 2017.
  13. ^ "Mantra in Kailash Kher's 'Ishq Anokha'". Deccan Chronicle. 29 February 2016.
  14. ^ "RJ Mantra "wants to be single all his life"". TellyChakkar. 18 June 2012.
  15. ^ a b "Red FM's RJ Mantra receives a thunderous standing ovation on Comedy Circus ka Naya Daur". RadioandMusic.com. 26 July 2011.
  16. ^ "RJ Mantra returns to radio with Big FM's 'Lamhe with Mantra'". RadioandMusic.com. 14 February 2017.
  17. ^ "Movie Review: Tum Mile". Indian Express. 13 November 2009.
  18. ^ "RJ Mantra bags his first solo film Dil Patang". NDTV. 3 July 2013.
  19. ^ Pandya, Sonal (18 April 2018). "Mantra: Aladdin's Genie is the role of my career". Cinestaan.
  20. ^ "Mantra is excited about his role in Panipat". The Times of India. 29 November 2019.
  21. ^ Damani, Aakruti (30 October 2015). "Mantra comes back on television with 'Family Fortunes'!". IndiaForums.
  22. ^ Aash, Rika (21 December 2012). "Breaking myths". Indian Express.
  23. ^ "RJ Mantra to make wild card entry in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6". NDTV. 26 June 2013.
  24. ^ "RJ Mantra eliminated from Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6". Indian Express. 21 July 2013.
  25. ^ Vyavahare, Renuka; Maheshwari, Neha (10 February 2014). "VJ Andy to host India's Got Talent as Mantra quits". The Times of India.
  26. ^ "Mantra to play Narad Muni in 'Narayan Narayan…'". Indian Express. 3 April 2015.
  27. ^ "I dislike Bollywood actors interacting in English at press conferences: R J Mantra". TellyChakkar. 3 August 2013.
  28. ^ "Pro Kabaddi League returns with their favourite host - Mantra". Deccan Chronicle. 30 January 2016.
  29. ^ Unnikrishnan, Chaya (16 October 2015). "RJ Mantra to host Family Fortunes". DNA India.
  30. ^ Rajesh, Srividya (24 December 2016). "RJ Mantra bags Life OK's Har Mard Ka Dard". TellyChakkar.
  31. ^ "Mantra Debuts In A 'Barely' Seen Avatar in ALT Balaji's Boygiri". Avstv. 2017.
  32. ^ Sanghavi, Dharini (3 April 2020). "RJ Mantra roped in for ZEE5's Phone a Friend". TellyChakkar.
  33. ^ Tiwari, Ankita (19 August 2020). "Exclusive: Bhanwar Actor Mantra Tells Us What He Loves Most About Being An Actor". Zee5.
  34. ^ Suthar, Manisha (23 January 2020). "Mantra and Rajesh Khattar in ZEE5's The Casino". IWMBuzz.
  35. ^ Dhongle, Siddharth (21 November 2014). "Mantra`s Piya Behrupiya the only Indian entrant at the Whuzen Festival China". Bollywoodhelpline.
  36. ^ Dua, Chetna (13 August 2012). "Shakespeare gets a Punjabi tadka". Hindustan Times.
  37. ^ Madan, Shilpi (5 January 2020). "He's got the Mantra!". Deccan Herald.
  38. ^ Razvi, Sabika (28 April 2018). "Review: 'Aladdin' and His Genie Mesmerise With Bambaiyya Flavour". The Quint.
  39. ^ "MnM Talkies, an audio-based podcast by Mantra". RadioandMusic.com. 27 April 2018.
  40. ^ "Famous RJ Mantra Makes A Comeback With Podcasts & Audio Series". Koimoi. 21 January 2020.
  41. ^ Khandelwal, Heena (April 2020). "Lockdown diaries with Mantra Mugdh: 'I have started a new audio show'". The New Indian Express.
  42. ^ "Mantra to come up with detective thriller podcast Bhaskar Bose". Outlook India. 2 December 2019.
  43. ^ "Amitabh Bachchan presents Mantra's audio horror show Kaali Awaazein". Cinema Express. 4 January 2020.
  44. ^ "हॉरर सीरीज 'काली आवाजें' में अमिताभ ने दी आवाज, ट्वीट में लिखा- रौंगटे खड़े हो जाएंगे" (in Hindi). Dainik Bhaskar. 6 February 2020.
  45. ^ "New podcast, I Hear You, features Aahana Kumra as a clairaudient detective". New Indian Express. 7 March 2021.
  46. ^ Bhavani, Divya Kala (8 March 2021). "Aahana Kumra on playing a female detective with unusual abilities in her first podcast". The Hindu.
  47. ^ "Spotify announces new podcasts including 'Darr Ka Raaz with Dr. Phobia'". Firstpost. 7 April 2021.
  48. ^ Bhowal, Tiasa (3 September 2021). "Is Virus 2062 similar to Brad Pitt's 12 Monkeys? This is what Ali Fazal has to say". India Today.
  49. ^ a b "Mantra wins the Best Actor's Award at the 4th Bangalore Short Film Festival". Bharatstudent. 3 July 2015. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017.
  50. ^ a b "Mantra On a Winning Spree". The Free Press Journal. 1 June 2019.
  51. ^ "Short Film - Deja Brew". Pocket Films. 24 December 2016.
  52. ^ Ruchita (22 May 2020). "'Actors don't live a lavish life, we get payed after 90 days of shoot': Mantra Mugdh". International Business Times (India edition).
  53. ^ Misra, Ruchita (18 January 2019). "Mantra Mugdh's short film ANA in now an official entry at this prestigious award". Glamsham. Archived from the original on 23 February 2019. {{cite news}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 18 January 2019 suggested (help)
  54. ^ "Big FM launches fiction based show Lamhe with Mantra at 9 am across HSMs". Medianews4u. 14 February 2017.
  55. ^ "RED FM rocks at 32nd RAPA Awards". RadioandMusic.com. 18 May 2007.
  56. ^ "PETA Grants 'Hero To Animals' Award To Radio DJ For Facilitating Parrot Rescue". PETA India. 15 June 2011.
  57. ^ "92.7 BIG FM Shines With 2 Silvers At The New York Festival Awards 2017". Media Infoline. 27 June 2017.
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