Mani Shankar
Mani Shankar | |
|---|---|
| Born | Shankar Mani 3 August 1957 Guntur, India |
| Education | Hyderabad Public School |
| Alma mater | BITS, Pilani |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, producer, writer, business magnate |
| Years active | 1980–present |
Mani Shankar is a Bollywood film director, holographic technology expert, writer and speaker.
He best known for being the architect of the world’s first holographic political campaign that he designed for Narendra Modi during the Gujarat Legislative Assembly election, 2012. It set a Guinness World record.[1]
As a Bollywood Director he made 5 films including 16 December (film) – one of the highest grossing films in the year of release; and Tango Charlie which was screened in several International Film Festivals and is a permanent part of the UN’s films on Anti-war.
Over his long career, Mani Shankar has worked on many films, advertisement as well as campaigns for political leaders.[2]
Early life
Mani Shankar graduated as an Chemical Engineer from BITS Pilani[3] in 1978. He worked for a few years as a research engineer in process engineering and drug delivery.
Career
With over two decades of rich experience in the film industry, made a shift into film production and started his own production house Bhairav Films, where he made over 1000 ad films, short films image building films and 5 Hindi feature films.
Most of his short films and feature films reflect a deep commitment to social causes and direct the audience towards soul searching and introspection. In 1991, his Telugu film, ‘Manishi’ won him the coveted Golden Nandi award for Best Film, as well as Nandi Awards for Best Director and Best Screenplay writer.
His Hindi feature film 16 December, which was among the top ten grossing films of 2002, with the highest return on investment for any film that year.
Tango Charlie was a story about a soldier’s constant battle with his conscience. It was screened at several International film festivals and was included in Amnesty International’s list of classic Anti War films.
Rudraksh a futuristic supernatural film starring Sanjay Dutt, Bipasha Basu, Suniel Shetty and Isha Kopikar.
Mukhbir (starring Om Puri, Suniel Shetty, Samir Dattani and Raima Sen) was the story of a young man rising above the dangerous underworld and choosing to die a patriot. This was also critically acclaimed and screened at the Black International festival in Berlin.
Knock Out (starring Sanjay Dutt, Irrfan Kkhan and Kangana Ranaut).
Filmography
- 16 December (2002)
- Rudraksh (2004)
- Tango Charlie (2005)
- Mukhbiir (2008)
- Knock Out (2010)
Holography
Mani Shankar is noted in India for introducing Holograms in India. He spearheaded the first holographic campaign for Mr. Narendra Modi (the current PM of India) during the Gujarat Legislative Assembly election, 2012.[4]
He has since conducted election campaigns for various parties including the Telangana Rashtra Samithi during the Telangana Legislative Assembly election, 2014, which eventually lead to their victory,[5] as well as the Nationalist Congress Party during the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election, 2014 which stemmed the decline of the party even though there was rampant anti-incubency that worked against it and its allies.[6]
Notes
- ^ "Narendra Modi's 3D avatar enters Guinness World Records". NDTV. 15 March 2013.
- ^ The Hindu. "Naidu dons greasepaint". http://thehindu.com/. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
{{cite web}}: External link in|publisher= - ^ "Ace Film Maker Mani Shankar gives BITS Pilani OASIS a Scintillating Start". IndiaPrWire. 17 October 2006.
- ^ New York Times. "Meet 'Virtual Modi,' Gujarat Chief Minister's Latest Tech Push". NYTimes.com. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
- ^ Z News. "Nobody has the kind of experience in holograms like I do: Mani Shankar". http://zeenews.india.com/. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
{{cite web}}: External link in|publisher= - ^ NCP. http://ncp.org.in/mobile_feature/stories/formedia/2134.
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