Latest news with #NirvanaFilms
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Salaam Bombay' Scribe Sooni Taraporevala to Pen Biopic of Vicky Roy, Street Child Turned Acclaimed Photographer, for Nirvana Films (EXCLUSIVE)
Award-winning Indian screenwriter Sooni Taraporevala has been tapped to write 'Street Dreams,' a biopic based on the remarkable true story of Vicky Roy, a former street child who rose to international acclaim as a photographer. Taraporevala, whose credits include Mira Nair's 'Salaam Bombay,' Venice best screenplay winner 'Mississippi Masala,' 'The Namesake,' Netflix's 'Yeh Ballet' and Prime Video's 'Waack Girls,' will pen the script for Nirvana Films founder Mauktik Kulkarni, who is producing the project. Indian-American filmmaker Ben Rekhi ('The Reunited States') is attached as consulting producer. More from Variety Mira Nair Boards Sundance, Mumbai Documentary 'Against the Tide' as Executive Producer (EXCLUSIVE) 'Monsoon Wedding's' Mira Nair Boards 'Our Land, Our Freedom': 'Colonization Has Robbed Us of Our Land, But Not Our Voices (EXCLUSIVE) Filmmaker Geeta Malik on Representation: 'Being Seen Can Be a Double-Edged Sword' (Guest Column) Roy's story begins in poverty-stricken rural East India, where desperation drove him to theft and ultimately to flee his home village. He found himself among Delhi's street children, surviving by collecting rags on train platforms before the Salaam Baalak Trust — a rehabilitation organization established following the success of the Oscar-nominated 'Salaam Bombay' — stepped in to change his trajectory. The intervention launched an ascent that would see Roy photograph the 9/11 Memorial construction and secure an MIT Media Labs fellowship. He currently oversees photojournalism initiatives for India's nationwide Everyone Is Good at Something program, dedicated to empowering individuals with disabilities. 'This is truly a full-circle moment for me. 'Salaam Bombay' was made in 1987, the year Vicky Roy was born. I was the writer and still photographer on the film, which launched my careers in both fields. I had no idea then that the film would be so successful and would birth Salaam Baalak Trust that would help so many street children like Vicky find purpose and meaning in life,' Taraporevala said. 'As a photographer myself I have followed Vicky's incredible journey and seen his work since 2009. Now, after the film I initially wrote might have changed his life, to have the opportunity to write a film about his life is quite surreal and wonderful.' Producer Kulkarni, who transitioned from neuroscience to filmmaking, brings experience from his previous work on travel documentary 'Riding on a Sunbeam' and maintains an active Los Angeles-based development slate. 'India is known as a land of myths and fantasies. When I first heard about Vicky's unbelievable story, I was inclined to believe that it was a bit of both. It has been inspiring to get to know him since then and I couldn't be more thrilled to bring his story to the screen. Given Sooni's mastery at crafting India-centric narratives for global audiences and her brilliant work as a photographer, she is the ideal writer to bring this script to life,' Kulkarni said. The Salaam Baalak Trust's founder Sanjoy Roy is supporting the film's development, viewing it as an extension of the organization's three-decade mission to secure basic rights for India's street children. The timing follows another success story from the Trust's network — last year's Oscar-nominated short 'Anuja' featured one of their alumni in a starring role. 'We began in 1988 with the singular mission of ensuring street children in India have access to their basic rights. With the help of our patrons, we are glad that we have gone beyond that mission and spawned thousands of success stories. And Vicky is no exception to it,' Sanjoy Roy said. 'Coming on the heels of last year's Oscar-nominated short film 'Anuja,' in which another stellar fellow of our Trust played a leading role, I am hoping 'Street Dreams' inspires audiences to believe that it is not where you come from, but rather what you do with your life that matters.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in August 2025 What's Coming to Netflix in August 2025
Hindustan Times
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Meet actor who directed ads with Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone; is now going toe-to-toe with Mohanlal in Thudarum
Tharun Moorthy's recent release Thuduram, starring Mohanlal and Sobhana in the lead roles, features a new actor as the antagonist. Prakash Varma made his acting debut this Friday after a long and illustrious career as an ad man who directed advertisements with Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Anushka Sharma and even Vodafone's famous ZooZoos. Know all about him. (Also Read: Thudarum movie review: A top-form Mohanlal shines in fan boy Tharun Moorthy's gripping directorial) Prakash Varma founded Nirvana Films with his wife, Sneha Iype, in 2001. He hails from a Malayali family, and his ad firm is based in Bengaluru. Before that, he worked with Malayalam filmmaker Viji Thampi and ad filmmaker VK Varma. Prakash has directed campaigns for top brands such as Bisleri, KitKat, iPhone, Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Vodafone over the years. He has also made tourism ads for Kerala and Dubai that garnered attention. In 2009, Michael Bay's advertisement film production house, The Institute, also brought him on board to direct commercials. Shah Rukh, Anushka, and Deepika are some of the actors he has worked with. According to the Nirvana Films website, the founder, partner and principal director is 'completely consumed by craft. He is a keen observer of people and their quirks.' The website also states that 'He loves to hear a script narrated to him as opposed to him reading it by himself. Simple storytelling and working with actors to extract performances and bring nuances alive keeps him restless and sleepless.' In Thudarum, Prakash plays CI George Mathan, a character who comes across as unassuming and unimportant to the story. He is also sketched out as a do-gooder likely to have limited screen time. However, as the film unfolds, George is unmasked as cold-blooded, ruthless and vicious. Many who watched the film were all praise for his performance. His Instagram is filled with comments of how people 'hated him', which shows how well he performed. 'He came and he ruled,' read one comment, while another said, 'Lalettan finally met his match.'
Indian Express
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Who is Prakash Varma, the debut actor who gave Mohanlal a run for his money in Tharun Moorthy's Thudarum?
The first time we see CI George Mathan (Prakash Varma) on screen, we wouldn't expect him to have such importance in the narrative ahead. He initially comes across as just a do-gooder supporting character who is unlikely to have much screen time. But as Thudarum unfolds, we slowly witness George unmasking his true monstrous self and revealing himself as the cold-blooded, ruthless and vicious villain. But as the movie draws to a close, one question lingers in the minds of the audience: who is this Prakash Varma, whose spectacular performance contributed significantly to the mesmerising appeal of director Tharun Moorthy's Thudarum? Despite him delivering such a brilliant job, why can't we seem to recall his previous performances or even him as a person? Well, that's because this was his debut movie. Shocking, right? But it's true. However, he is not a newbie in the creative domain but is one of India's most celebrated ad filmmakers, renowned for his iconic Vodafone commercials featuring the Zoozoos. He has also crafted advertisement films for Incredible India, Cadbury and Indian Railways, among others. And who can forget Hutch's 'boy and puppy' campaigns that he created, which made pugs a beloved dog breed among Indians? ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO Prakash Varma was also the brain behind the celebrated Greenply commercial that served as an inspiration for director Lijo Jose Pellissery's widely acclaimed Mammootty -starrer Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam (2022). He also directed ads for Dubai Tourism featuring Bollywood's Baadshah Shah Rukh Khan. As the director and co-founder of Nirvana Films, Prakash has also crafted commercials for big companies like KitKat, Kohinoor India, Bisleri, Camerry, PhonePe, Ultratech and Taj Mahal tea, among others. A native of Alappuzha district in Kerala, Prakash is an alumnus of SD College. After his stint as an assistant director to veteran filmmakers AK Lohithadas and Viji Thampi, he joined VK Prakash's Trends Ad Film Makers Pvt Ltd before eventually opening his Nirvana Films in 2001. 'The basics, the grammar of filmmaking, creating a beautiful structure and yet keeping things simple, I learnt it all at Trends,' he said during a chat with Bangalore Mirror in 2009 when Zoozoos were trending in India. Watch Thudarum trailer here: Interestingly, Manorama News reported, the main reason Prakash Varma agreed to work on Thudarum was his absolute adoration for Mohanlal. A friend of the movie's co-writer KR Sunil, Prakash was zeroed in on by director Tharun after considering several actors in the Malayalam and Tamil industries and conducting many auditions for the role of George. Thanks to Prakash's performance, which is on par with Mohanlal's masterful portrayal of Shanmugham, along with several other factors, Thudarum opened to widespread acclaim and is now running successfully in theatres.
Gulf News
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf News
Thudarum: Meet the ultimate villain in Mohanlal blockbuster
Dubai: It looks like the Malayalam cinema gods have finally heard our prayers. In Thudarum, Mohanlal returns to mundu-clad glory — but while he gives us the slow-burn brilliance we craved, it's the stone-cold villainy of George Sir, a seemingly benign cop played by Prakash Varma, that has viewers talking. Yes, that Prakash Varma — the advertising maven behind the adorable Vodafone ZooZoos and polished ad campaigns for Nirvana Films. Who would've thought the king of cute commercials could transform into the embodiment of evil in khaki? But here he is, in Thudarum, delivering a performance so sinister and composed, it makes your skin crawl — in the best way. In my Gulf News review, I called Thudarum 'a slow-burn thriller that simmers steadily,' with a solid script anchoring every stare, silence, and gut-punch. Mohanlal is in masterful form as Shanmugham, a sentimental cabbie whose world unravels when his beloved Ambassador is seized. But this isn't just his show. Varma's George, alongside Binu Pappu, is institutionalised evil incarnate — smug, sadistic, and terrifyingly real. Varma's shift from ad man to on-screen menace is a move nobody saw coming, but one that pays off in spades. His understanding of visuals and tone translates into an eerily restrained performance that makes every glance feel like a threat. And if you're wondering whether this was just a fluke — it's not. Varma eats in this role, bringing the kind of subtle wickedness most actors only dream of pulling off. Let's just say, we're officially manifesting a George spin-off.
