Ranjith Sankar

Ranjith Sankar
Born14 February
Thrissur, Kerala, India
OccupationFilmmaker
Years active2009–present
Notable workPassenger (2009)
Pretham (2016)

Ranjith Sankar is an Indian filmmaker who works in Malayalam films. He started his movie career with the 2009 thriller Passenger.[1][2][3] He launched his production house Dreams N Beyond in 2012 and his distribution house Punyalan Cinemas in 2017.[4]

Early life

Born in Thrissur, Kerala, India, Ranjith completed his education at St. Thomas College in Thrissur and studied B.Tech Civil Engineering at Mar Athanasius College of Engineering, Kothamangalam.[5] Ranjith's writing career began with television series Nizhalkal and American Dreams. He won the Kerala State Award for Best Screenplay (Television) for American Dreams.[6]

Career

In 2009, he made Passenger, another thriller.[7] In 2011, his next film Arjunan Saakshi, starring Prithviraj, was released. The film was inspired by his real-life experiences. It got positive reviews from the critics, but was a disappointment at the box office.[8]

Molly Aunty Rocks (2012) starring Revathy and Prithviraj was Dreams n Beyond's first production, a critical and commercial success.[9] His next film was Punyalan Agarbattis (2013), a satire featuring Jayasurya, Nyla Usha, Innocent, Rachana Narayanankutty and Aju Varghese.

In November 2014, Ranjith's Varsham starring Mammootty, Asha Sarath and Mamta Mohandas was released. Mammootty won several awards for his role in the film.[10][11] This was followed by Su Su Sudhi Vathmeekam, in November 2015.

The horror-comedy film Pretham was released in August 2016. It was partially remade in Telugu as Raju Gari Gadhi 2 (2017) starring Nagarjuna Akkineni.[12]

Ramante Edanthottam was his next, a best-selling movie on female empowerment. He followed it up with sequels to Punyalan and Pretham titled Punyalan Private Limited and Pretham2. He launched his distribution company Punyalan Cinemas with Punyalan Private Limited, another major commercial success [citation needed].

In 2018, Ranjith directed the film "Njan Marykutty," which is recognized as the first commercial movie in India to feature a transgender protagonist. The lead character of Marykutty was portrayed by actor Jayasurya, and the film went on to win two Kerala State Awards and received significant recognition at film festivals [citation needed].

The experimental thriller Kamala was released in 2019.[13]

In 2023, Ranjith highlighted the importance of prioritizing box office revenue over other income streams, particularly OTT platforms.[14]

Filmography

Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Title Cast Notes
2009 Passenger Dileep, Sreenivasan, Mamta Mohandas, Jagathy Sreekumar [7]
2011 Arjunan Sakshi Prithviraj, Ann Augustine, Mukesh, Biju Menon [7]
2012 Molly Aunty Rocks Prithviraj, Revathy, Lalu Alex [15]
2013 Punyalan Agarbattis Jayasurya, Nyla Usha, Aju Varghese [16]
2014 Varsham Mammootty, Asha Sarath [17]
2015 Su Su Sudhi Vathmeekam Jayasurya, Sshivada, Aju Varghese [18]
2016 Pretham Jayasurya, Aju Varghese, Sharaf U Dheen, Shruthi Ramachandran [19]
2017 Ramante Edanthottam Kunchako Boban, Anu Sithara, Joju George, Jayasurya (cameo), Aju Varghese [20]
Punyalan Private Limited Jayasurya, Dharmajan Bolgatty, Aju Varghese [21]
2018 Njan Marykutty Jayasurya, Jewel Mary, Aju Varghese [22]
Pretham 2 Jayasurya, Saniya Iyappan, Amith Chakalakkal, Durga Krishna, Aju Varghese [23]
2019 Kamala Aju Varghese, Anoop Menon, Ruhani Sharma, Biju Sopanam [13]
2021 Sunny Jayasurya, Aju Varghese, Shritha Sivadas, Sshivada Amazon Original[24]
2022 4 Years Priya Prakash Varrier, Sarjano Khalid [25]
2024 Jai Ganesh Unni Mukundan, Mahima Nambiar [26]

Awards

Kerala State Awards[6]
  • Best screenplay (Television) for the 2003 serial American Dreams
Dubai AMMA Awards
Asianet Film Awards
Kerala Film Critics Awards
World Malayali Council - Kairali Awards
Surya TV Awards

Best Debut director

V Santharam Awards

Best Debut director (Nomination)

Filmfare Awards

Best Director (Nomination)

SouthScope Awards

Best Director (Nomination)

Other awards

2009: First Lohithadas Puraskaram for best screenplay

References

  1. ^ "പാസഞ്ചറിന്റെ എഞ്ചിനിയര്‍". Mathrubhumi (in Malayalam). Archived from the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  2. ^ "ഈ സാക്ഷിക്ക് കൊമ്പുണ്ട്‌". Mathrubhumi (in Malayalam). Archived from the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  3. ^ Nagarajan, Saraswathy (10 May 2017). "In the garden of Eden". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  4. ^ James, Anu (1 June 2017). "Punyalan Cinemas: Jayasurya, Ranjith Sankar now join hands to launch distribution house". www.ibtimes.co.in. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Ranjith Sankar: My love story might be controversial to those over 30". The Times of India. 5 August 2022. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  6. ^ a b Manmadhan, Prema (21 January 2011). "Second Take". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Palicha, Paresh C. "Review: Arjunan Saakshi is a good watch". Rediff. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Prithviraj goes for an image change?". Sify. 7 February 2011.
  9. ^ "Mollywood Director Ranjith Sankar Biography, News, Photos, Videos". nettv4u. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  10. ^ James, Anu (12 January 2015). "17th Asianet Film Awards: Mammootty, Manju Warrier Win Best Actor Awards [PHOTOS+WINNERS' LIST]". www.ibtimes.co.in. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Winners of 62nd Britannia Filmfare Awards South". filmfare.com. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  12. ^ "RGG2 not exact remake of Malayalam movie!". Telugu Cinema. 10 October 2017. Archived from the original on 7 August 2018.
  13. ^ a b Nagarajan, Saraswathy (25 October 2019). "Mollywood Director Ranjith Sankar says 'Kamala' has revived his enthusiasm for filmmaking". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  14. ^ "Ranjith Sankar shares his thoughts on how to improve theatre footfall". The Times of India. 13 April 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  15. ^ "Ranjith Sankar: Molly Aunty is rocking". Rediff. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  16. ^ TNM (25 May 2017). "Director Ranjith Sankar announces sequel to 'Punyalan Agarbattis'". The News Minute. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  17. ^ V.P, Nicy (18 June 2014). "TG Ravi to Play Mammootty's Villain in 'Varsham'". www.ibtimes.co.in. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  18. ^ Gauri, Deepa. "Jayasurya's Su Su Sudhi Vathmeekam makes a positive impact". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  19. ^ "Pretham has a perfect casting: Ranjith Sankar". Deccan Chronicle. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  20. ^ "Theatres are the best option: Ranjith Sankar". Cinema Express. 12 June 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  21. ^ M, Athira (15 November 2017). "Ranjith Sankar on his new release 'Punyalan Private Ltd'". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  22. ^ Nagarajan, Saraswathy (1 June 2018). "'Njan Marykutty' steps into the mindscapes of transpersons". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  23. ^ "I'm happy I got to work with Jayasurya: Ranjith Sankar on 'Pretham 2'". The New Indian Express. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  24. ^ "No secrets between us: Jayasurya, Ranjith retrace journey together". OnManorama. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  25. ^ "'4 Years' movie review: Ranjith Sankar impresses with a novel love story". The New Indian Express. 26 November 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  26. ^ "Unni Mukundan-starrer Jai Ganesh Gets U Certificate From Censor Board". News18. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.