Bobby Bedi, Ketan Mehta, A.R. Rahman, A. Sreekar Prasad

The Rising - The Crew:
"Bobby Bedi – Producer

Bobby is amongst the few entrepreneurs in the Indian film and television industry who has been working towards taking Indian cinema to world standards. He is a member of the Executive Committee of IDBI, the organization which gave credence to this business as an industry under the IDBI Act in the year 2000. He is also a member of the Entertainment Committee of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and is Co-chairman of the Entertainment Committee of CII. He is associated with other Organizations connected to the film industry and is on the Board of INOX Group, one of India's leading multiplex chains. He is also the Director, School of Convergence @ IMI, a media institute in New Delhi.

Awards & Festivals:

Electric Moon - 1993 National Award for Best English Film

Bandit Queen - 1996 National Award for Best Hindi Film & Best Actress. Premiered at Director's Fortnight at Cannes, 1994, and was India's official entry for the Oscars. It also featured in almost all other major film festivals including New York, Toronto, Montreal, Mannheim, Sydney and New Delhi. Bandit Queen.

Fire – A feature film directed by Deepa Mehta, which opened Perspective Canada at the Toronto Film Festival. First Silver Hugo, Chicago Film Festival '96; Shabana Azmi - Silver Hugo for Best Actress, Chicago Film Festival '96; Special Award of the Jury - Mannheim-Heidelberg Film Festival '96; Federal Express Award for Most Popular Film - Vancouver '96; Award for Best Director (shared with Peter Greenaway) - Seattle Film Festival '96; Audience Award - Women's International Film Festival.


Ketan Mehta – Director

Ketan Mehta graduated in film direction from The Film Institute of India. With his explicit direction of comedy and satire, silvan romance, violence and rebellion, Ketan Mehta has won himself the reputation of being "the most perceptive and talented representative of the rising generation of film makers."

Ketan Mehta's very first film BHAVANI BHAVAI won him instant acclaim. His movies have been selected for various international film festivals including Nantes (France), Moscow Film Festival etc, where his movies have won numerous awards over the years - Best Art Direction, Best Editing, Best Jury, Best Film. MIRCH MASALA was one of Ketan Mehta's triumphant efforts which won him the Best Film Award at Hawaii. It was released in 52 centres in the U.S.A. Ketan Mehta has also had the honour of serving as a member of the Jury in various national and international film festivals.

Awards:

Bhavni Bhavai – UNESCO Club Award for Best Film on Human Rights at Third World Film Festival, Nantes (France); National Awards for Best Film on National Integration & Best Art Direction; 8 Gujarat State Film Awards

Holi – National Award for Best Cinematography

Mirch Masala – Best Film at Hawaii Film Festival; National Awards for Best Hindi Film, Best Editing & Best Supporting Actor

Maya Memsaab – National Award-Special Jury Award, MPFDC-Best Actress; Bengal Film Journalists' Award for Best Actress

Sardar – National Award for Best Editing; Bengal Film Journalists' Awards for Best Director, Best Actor & Third Best Film

Oh Darling Yeh Hai India - Bengal Film Journalists' Award for Best Actress


A.R. Rahman - Composer

Allah Rakha Rahman was born in 1966 in Chennai, India, and as a teenager accompanied the great Table maestro Zakir Hussain on tours around the world. He won a scholarship at the Trinity College of Music at Oxford University and obtained a degree in Western Classical Music.

He got his first break with director Mani Ratnam's Roja, which earned him a Filmfare Award for the Best Composer (India's equivalent of the Oscar's). He went on to compose several great hits for Tamil films before composing his first Hindi film album for Rangeela (1995) . The enormous success of his first Hindi venture was followed by chart topping albums such as Bombay (1995) , Dil Se (1998) , Taal (1999) and recently Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001) (which was nominated for best foreign film at the Academy Award s, 2002). He has worked with Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Shekhar Kapur (director of Elizabeth (1998) on a musical called Bombay Dreams and composed the music for a Chinese film titled “ Tian di ying xiong” , also known as “Warriors of Heaven and Earth”. Rahman and a Finnish folk troupe ( Varttina) have been commissioned to write songs for a musical stage version of ''The Lord of the Rings,''. The musical is slated to be the most expensive show ever to be staged in the West End and is progressing towards an opening night in October 2005.

Rahman was nominated for a 2003 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award and The Hilton Award for Best New Musical of 2002 for Bombay Dreams performed at the Apollo Theatre, West End, and London.


Nitin Chandrakant Desai – Art Director

A product of the J.J. School of Arts, it is a Herculean task to make a précis of the body of work and achievements of Nitin Chandrakant Desai. High profile films demanding authentic and larger-than-life scenarios have been enhanced by intricate creations. He has also made his presence felt in acclaimed International films. He holds the distinction of winning the National Award for two consecutive years which included Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Devdas was a beautiful challenge, as a classic masterpiece had to be recreated with precision and opulence. It was a challenge that bowed down to the dedicated efforts of Nitin Chandrakant Desai.

Awards for Best Art Director:

National Award

2003 for the movie ‘ Devdas '

2002 for the movie ‘ Lagaan '

2000 for the movie ‘ Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam '

1999 for the movie ‘ Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar '

Filmfare Award

2002 for the movie ‘ Devdas '

1999 for the movie ‘ Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam '

1996 for the movie ‘ Khamoshi '

1994 for the movie ‘ 1942 - A Love Story '

Screen Award

2002 for the movie ‘ Devdas '

2001 for the movie ‘ Lagaan '

2000 for the movie ‘ Josh '

1999 for the movie ‘ Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam '

1996 for the movie ‘ Khamoshi '

1994 for the movie ‘ 1942 - A Love Story '

Lux Zee Cine Award

1999 for the movie ‘ Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam '

Sansui Viewers' Choice Movie Award

2002 for the movie ‘ Devdas '

IIFA (International Indian Film Academy) Awards

2002 for the movie ‘ Devdas '

2000 for the movie ‘ Josh '

Credits - International Films

‘Salaam Bombay'
Nominated for the Oscar Awards. Winner of nine international awards including the Golden Peacock at the Cannes Festival directed by Mira Nair.

‘Amok'
A French film directed by Joel Farges.

‘Buddha'
A proposed film by Mira Nair.

‘Jungle Book'
A Walt Disney Production directed by Stephen Sommers, production designed by Alan Cameron and produced by Sharad Patel and Raju Patel

‘Kamasutra'
A film by Mira Nair based on the ancient Indian philosophy of human relations.

‘Such A Long Journey'
A Canadian Film by Sturla Gunnarson with a 1970 urban Bombay backdrop.

‘Holy Smoke'
A film directed by Oscar winning director Jane Campion (“PIANO”) & three time Oscar nominated production designer Janet Patterson.


Lovleen Bains – Costume Designer

Loveleen has worked for some of the most well known Indian and International directors. She made her debut as Costume Designer for the Merchant Ivory film “Heat and Dust” and then went on to work for filmmakers like Mira Nair, Girish Karnad, Nick Meyer & Markand Deshpande.

Loveleen has won the National Award for Best Costume Design in the year 1994 for the Film “ Muhafiz” . Her film, “Such a Long Journey” was nominated for the Genie Award for Excellence in Costume Design by The Canadian Academy of films for the film. She was also awarded the Bronze for the calendar “Brides of India” for Larsen & Turbo Ltd at the International Calendar Competition at Stuttgart, Germany in 2002.

Filmography:

• Heat and Dust -1982

• Utsav –1983-84

• The Deceivers -1987

• Muhafiz -1993

• Jefferson In Paris -1993

• Kamasutra – 1995

• Flames of Paradise -1996

• Jahan Turn Le Chalo - 1999

• Such A Long Journey – 1999

• Sarfarosh – 1999

• Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat-2001

• Nishad -2002

• Daanav -2002

• God Only Knows – 2003

• Hanan – 2003

• Tere Naam – 2003

Farrukh Dhondy - Screenplay

Farrukh Dhondy was born in Poona, India and studied at Pembroke College, Cambridge (1964-7) and Leicester University (1967-9). In 1983 he adapted some of his short stories for the BBC including Good at Art, The Bride, Salt on the Snake's Tail, and Come to Mecca, which was recognized as the first complete drama series devoted to a British-Asian background. He also wrote the four-part drama serial King of the Ghetto for the BBC in 1986. Dhondy co-wrote (with Mustapha Matura) the Channel 4 sitcom No Problem! (1983-5); and he wrote the monologues for 'Moves', a short fortnightly commentary for the actor Victor Romero Evans which was featured on Channel 4's Black on Black. In 1985 he wrote the first series of the sitcom Tandoori Nights for Channel 4. From 1984 until the late Eighties, Dhondy was the Commissioning Editor for Multicultural Programmes at Channel 4. The Award Winning Film Commissions during that period were:

Salaam Bombay (Mira Nair), Immaculate Conception (Jamil Dehlavi), Mississippi Masala (Mira Nair), and Bandit Queen (Shekhar Kapur).

Filmography

Kisna (2004)
Rising, The (2004)
American Daylight (2004)
"King of the Ghetto" (1986)
"Tandoori Nights" (1985)
"No Problem!" (1983)


Himman Dhamija - Cinematographer

Himman's career in Bollywood began with “Boom”, directed by controversial director, Kaizad Gustad. After this he has worked on “American Daylight” and the “The Rising” which have both been produced by Bobby Bedi. Himman has in his career worked on more than 30 short films and many more documentaries, the most outstanding of which have been “Calcutta Christmas” and “My Mother India”, both of which have won numerous awards in the International Festival circuit.

Filmography

American Daylight (2004)
Musical Renegades (2003)
Boom (2003/I)
My Old China (2001)
My Mother India (2001)
I Was Robert Mitchum (2000)
Stone Forever (1999)
My Mother India - Awards
Rouben Mamoullian Award for Best Australian Short Film.

My Mother India - Film Festivals

Hawaii International Film Festival,
The Melbourne International Film Festival,
The Mill Valley International Film Festival in California
The Rhode Island Film Festival in New York.
Sydney Film Festival



A. Sreekar Prasad - Editor
With six national awards under his belt, Editor A.Sreekar Prasad is inarguably one of the best in India. The award for best editing for the year 2002 was given to A.Sreekar Prasad for the Tamil film Kannathil Muthamittal. He has worked with Mani Ratnam on Alai Payuthey, Yuva & Kannathil Muthamittal; with Santosh Sivan on The Terrorist & Asoka and the internationally renowned painter, M.F. Hussain on Meenaxi: Tale of 3 Cities.

Filmography

Morning Raga (2004)
Yuva (2004)
Meenaxi: Tale of 3 Cities (2004)
Bokshu the Myth (2002)
Nishad (2002)
Saathiya (2002)
Danger (2002)
Kannathil Muthamittal (2002)
Asoka (2001)
Dil Chahta Hai (2001)
Alai Payuthey (2000)
Fiza (2000)
Terrorist, The (1999)
Film Festivals

Alaipayuthey (Waves)

Pusan International Film Festival – 2000, Korea

Berlin Film Festival, Germany

Vancouver International Film Festival – 2002 Vancouver, Canada

Kannathil Muthamittal (A Peck on the Cheek)

Toronto International Film Festival. 2002 – Canada

Pusan International Film Festival – 2000, Korea

Palm Spring Festival – 2002, Los Angeles, USA

San Francisco Film Festival – 2003, San Francisco , USA

HONGKONG International Film Festival. 2002 – HONGKONG, China

Seattle International Film Festival, Seattle, USA

Yuva - Premiered at IIFA, 2004