Nagraj Popatrao Manjule (born 24 August 1978) is an Indian film director, actor, producer, scriptwriter, poet, screenwriter, and filmmaker. He works in Marathi cinema, and is best known for '' Sairat'' and '' Pistulya''—the latter for which he received National Film Award in the National Film Award for Best First Non-Feature Film of a Director. He made his Hindi Cinema debut in 2022, with a film called Jhund, starring Amitabh Bachchan. At the 61st National Film Awards, '' Fandry'' won the Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director. In 2018, Manjule published a book of poetry in Marathi titled ''Unhachya Katavirudhha'' which won the ''Bhairuratan Damani Sahitya Puraskar''. He owns a

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team called 'Veer Marathwada' in Zee Maharashtra Kusti Dangal.

Early life and education

Manjule grew up in Jeur village in the Solapur district of

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

. Baburao Manjule, who is the brother of Nagraj's father Popatrao Manjule, adopted Nagraj due to financial hardships. However, Nagraj decided early on that if he achieved anything significant, he would honor his biological father, Popatrao Manjule. Since starting his career in the film industry, he has been known by the name 'Nagraj Popatrao Manjule' in all his professional endeavors. He belongs to the traditionally-nomadic Waddar community, a Dravidian tribe. He earned his M.A. in Marathi literature from University of Pune, followed by a master's in communication studies from New Arts, Science and Commerce College, Ahmednagar.

Career

Manjule is strongly inspired by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, the emancipator of downtrodden and the drafting chairman of the

Indian constitution The Constitution of India is the supreme legal document of India, and the longest written national constitution in the world. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and ...

. His films are deeply rooted in his own experience growing up as a Dalit in rural Maharashtra. His films have focused on the plights faced by members of these communities, including social discrimination at the hands of high-caste communities as well as the resulting economic hardships. His first National Award-winning short film '' Pistulya'' is a reflection of his 'felt experience'. The film focuses on the desire of a Dalit boy to attend school, and his inability to do so because of his family's poverty and a deep-seated disdain for formal education within his community. His debut feature film, '' Fandry'', was released in February 2014; the word means "pig" in the Kaikadi language, which is a metaphor for the dehumanizing treatment of the Dalit community in rural India. This film also addresses caste discrimination. This film won the Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director. Manjule's second film, '' Sairat'', premiered at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. Like ''Fandry'' and '' Pistulya'', it deals with caste discrimination and honour killing, a practice still widespread in parts of India. ''Sairat'' also seeks to address the role of women in society, with the character of Archie (Archana Patil), the female protagonist of Sairat, garnering both popular and critical acclaim. ''Sairat'' is currently the highest grossing Marathi film of all time.

Books

* ''Unhachya Kataviruddha'' – poetry.

Awards

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References

{{reflist

External links

* {{IMDb name, 5616219 * {{Rotten Tomatoes person, nagraj_manjule, Nagraj Manjule * {{Bollywood Hungama person, nagraj-manjule {{authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Manjule, Nagraj Film directors from Maharashtra Living people Marathi film directors Indian male screenwriters People from Solapur district Savitribai Phule Pune University alumni Marathi-language poets Indian male poets Poets from Maharashtra Director whose film won the Best Debut Feature Film National Film Award 1977 births Dalit people Indian experimental filmmakers