Sekhar Kammula
Encyclopedia
Sekhar Kammula is an award-winning Indian Film director, writer and producer from Telugu cinema
Telugu cinema
The Cinema of Andhra Pradesh, also referred to as Telugu Cinema or Tollywood, is the Telugu film industry in India. The Telugu language film industry is known for being one of the three largest in terms of no.of films produced yearly in India. The Prasads IMAX theatre in Hyderabad is one of the...

.

Early life

Sekhar was schooled at St. Patrick's High School, Secunderabad. He completed his intermediate studies from St. Alphonsa's and graduated with a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology
Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology
Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology is one of the premiere institutions in the self-financing category in India.It is located in Gandipet, Osman Sagar, Hyderabad, India. It is 25 km away from Secunderabad railway station. The college is affiliated to Osmania University, Hyderabad...

 affiliated to Osmania University
Osmania University
Osmania University , , since 1918, is a public university located in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established and named after the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan. It is one of the oldest modern universities in India. It is the first Indian University to have Urdu and...

, Hyderabad. He later went to the United States of America to pursue a Graduate degree in Computer Sciences at New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

. After a brief stint in the IT industry, he enrolled in the MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...

 program at Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...

, Washington, D.C.

Career

Sekhar's first film, "Dollar Dreams" was away from the so called 'commercial formula'. Nevertheless, all his movies have been critically very well received and have been commercially successful at the box-office, creating a genre and formula unique to himself.
Dollar Dreams was a critical success, and won him the National Film Award for best debutant director. His second film, Anand, was huge hit in 2004. His next film, Godavari
Godavari (film)
Godavari is a 2006 Telugu musical, romantic film that was written and directed by Sekhar Kammula. G.V.G. Raju produced the film. Sumanth and Kamalinee Mukherjee played the lead roles. The film was a success at box office in addition to receiving several Nandi and Filmfare awards. Music of the film...

, was praised by critics, but was a moderate success. Happy Days
Happy Days (2007 film)
Happy Days is a 2007 film directed by Sekhar Kammula. The film was very popular in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. The target audience for this movie was primarily the engineering college students in these states...

, which was released on September 28, 2007, was declared a smash hit.Sekhar's latest film Leader (2010) released on 19 February 2010, after a gap of two years post his last blockbuster film Happy Days (2007). The film being a political drama, a genre shift from Sekhar, carried huge expectations starring Rana Daggubati, grandson of Dr. D. Ramanaidu. The film is a critically acclaimed success.

Kammula's films pleasantly lack the omnipresent violence in Indian cinema and this makes family viewing possible. His films are light with unconventional sequences and much importance is placed on songs and background music. He avoids overdramatization, vulgarity and violence. He has a passionate following among the family, college and female audiences.
He worked with Polaris
Polaris
Polaris |Alpha]] Ursae Minoris, commonly North Star or Pole Star, also Lodestar) is the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor. It is very close to the north celestial pole, making it the current northern pole star....

 before starting films, his brother is still associated with same firm.

Awards

National Film Award
  • Indira Gandhi Award for Best First Film of a Director
    Indira Gandhi Award for Best First Film of a Director
    The Indira Gandhi Award for Best First Film of a Director is a National Film Award - Golden Lotus Award, given to a feature film director's first film.The National Film Award - Indira Gandhi Award for Best First Film of a Director winners:...

     - Golden Lotus Award - Dollar Dreams (2000):


Nandi Awards
Nandi Awards
The Nandi Awards is the most Prominent award ceremony for Telugu films, Telugu Theater & Television, presented annually in Andhra Pradesh, India. "Nandi" means "bull", the awards being named after the big granite bull at Lepakshi — a cultural and historical symbol of Andhra Pradesh.Nandi...


  • Happy Days (2007 film)
    Happy Days (2007 film)
    Happy Days is a 2007 film directed by Sekhar Kammula. The film was very popular in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. The target audience for this movie was primarily the engineering college students in these states...

  • Second Best Feature Film

  • Godavari (film)
    Godavari (film)
    Godavari is a 2006 Telugu musical, romantic film that was written and directed by Sekhar Kammula. G.V.G. Raju produced the film. Sumanth and Kamalinee Mukherjee played the lead roles. The film was a success at box office in addition to receiving several Nandi and Filmfare awards. Music of the film...

  • Second Best Feature Film
  • Best Director
    Nandi Award for Best Director
    The Nandi Award for Best Director winners:...

     – Sekhar Kammula

  • Anand (2004 film)
    Anand (2004 film)
    Anand is a 2004 Telugu film that was directed, produced and written by Sekhar Kammula. According to Kammula, the film means ..contentment, happiness. The lead roles are played by Raja and Kamalinee Mukherjee. The film was well received by critics and owing to its success at the box office, it was...

  • Second Best Feature Film
  • Best Director
    Nandi Award for Best Director
    The Nandi Award for Best Director winners:...

     – Sekhar Kammula


Filmfare Awards South
Filmfare Awards South
Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the South Indian film industry. The awards are separately given for Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films...


  • Happy Days (2007 film)
    Happy Days (2007 film)
    Happy Days is a 2007 film directed by Sekhar Kammula. The film was very popular in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. The target audience for this movie was primarily the engineering college students in these states...

  • Best Film – Sekhar Kammula and Chandra S Kammula
  • Best Director – Sekhar Kammula

  • Dasari Best Film Director Award - Happy Days (2007 film)
    Happy Days (2007 film)
    Happy Days is a 2007 film directed by Sekhar Kammula. The film was very popular in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. The target audience for this movie was primarily the engineering college students in these states...


Current Project

Sekhar Kammula is going to direct his first Hindi film which is a remake of Happy Days
Happy Days (2007 film)
Happy Days is a 2007 film directed by Sekhar Kammula. The film was very popular in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. The target audience for this movie was primarily the engineering college students in these states...

. The Hindi version will be produced by renowned film maker Shekhar Kapoor. The film will feature several new faces and Sekhar Kammula will start scouting for new faces in Mumbai and Pune, through the same process which he employed for the Telugu film . The screenplay for the film is being written by Mumbai based writer Nikhil Mahajan.

Also he is working on a Telugu film "Life is Beautiful" with new stars and is also looking for new talent be it technical or non technical.

Personal life

Sekhar has one daughter and a son. His wife's name is Srividya. He stays with his parents and leads a simple life. His father's name is Seshaiah Kammula.

Filmography

Year Film Language Technical roles Other Info.
2000 Dollar Dreams
Dollar Dreams (film)
Dollar Dreams is a bilingual film directed and produced by Sekhar Kammula starring Anish Kuruvilla, Priyanka Veer, Santosh Kumar , Anil Prashanth and Dashveer Singh.-Plot:...

English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

/Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...

 
Writer, Director, Producer
2004 Anand
Anand (2004 film)
Anand is a 2004 Telugu film that was directed, produced and written by Sekhar Kammula. According to Kammula, the film means ..contentment, happiness. The lead roles are played by Raja and Kamalinee Mukherjee. The film was well received by critics and owing to its success at the box office, it was...

Telugu Writer, Director, Producer, Choreography
2006 Godavari
Godavari (film)
Godavari is a 2006 Telugu musical, romantic film that was written and directed by Sekhar Kammula. G.V.G. Raju produced the film. Sumanth and Kamalinee Mukherjee played the lead roles. The film was a success at box office in addition to receiving several Nandi and Filmfare awards. Music of the film...

Telugu Writer, Director
2007 Happy Days
Happy Days (2007 film)
Happy Days is a 2007 film directed by Sekhar Kammula. The film was very popular in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. The target audience for this movie was primarily the engineering college students in these states...

Telugu Writer, Director, Producer, Choreography
2008 Avakai Biryani
Avakai Biryani
Avakai Biryani is a critically acclaimed 2008 Telugu film written and directed by Anish Kuruvilla. Filmed in Telugu, the film revolves around Akbar Kalam, a Muslim auto rickshaw-driver and Lakshmi Jandhyala, a traditional Hindu woman with a romantic backdrop...

Telugu Producer
2010 Leader Telugu Writer, Director
2011 Life is beautiful Telugu Writer, Director, Producer Pre-production

External links

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