Nagraj Popatrao Manjule (born 24 August 1978) is an Indian film director, actor, producer, scriptwriter, poet, screenwriter, and filmmaker. He works in

Marathi cinema Marathi cinema is the segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Marathi language, which is widely spoken in the state of Maharashtra. It is based out of Mumbai. It is the oldest film ind ...

, and is best known for ''

Sairat ''Sairat'' () is a 2016 Indian Marathi language, Marathi-language Romance film, social romantic tragedy film directed and co-produced by Nagraj Manjule under his banner Aatpat Production, along with Nittin Keni and Nikhil Sane under Essel Visi ...

'' and ''

Pistulya ''Pistulya'' is an Indian Marathi language, Marathi-language short film written and directed by Nagraj Manjule and jointly produced by Aatpat Production and New Arts DCS. The film won National Film Award for Best First Non-Feature Film of a Dire ...

''—the latter for which he received

National Film Award The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...

in the

National Film Award for Best First Non-Feature Film of a Director The National Film Award for Best Debut Film of a Director is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the National Film Development Corporation of India. It is one of several awards presented for non-feature films and awarded with G ...

. He made his Hindi Cinema debut in 2022, with a film called Jhund, starring

Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.* * * * * With a cinemati ...

. At the

61st National Film Awards The 61st National Film Awards ceremony was an event during which the Directorate of Film Festivals of India presented its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2013 in the Cinema of India, Indian cinema. The ceremony was held ...

, ''

Fandry ''Fandry'' (''The'' ''Pig'') is a 2013 Indian Marathi-language film, written and directed by Nagraj Manjule in his directorial debut. It stars Somnath Awghade, Suraj Pawar, and Rajeshwari Kharat. The story focuses on a young boy's love amidst ...

'' won the

Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director The National Film Award for Best Debut Film of a Director is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the National Film Development Corporation of India. It is one of several awards presented for feature films and awarded with Gold ...

. In 2018, Manjule published a book of poetry in

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...

titled ''Unhachya Katavirudhha'' which won the ''Bhairuratan Damani Sahitya Puraskar''. He owns a

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

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

Early life and education

Manjule grew up in

Jeur Jeur is a village in the Karmala taluka of Solapur district in Maharashtra state, India. ''Sairat'', the controversial and highest-grossing Marathi film of all time based on the theme of forbidden love was set and shot in Jeur village. Clima ...

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 Waddar is a caste of Hinduism in India. Waddar, sometimes called Vodra, Odde, or Boyi, is a community from the Deccan Plateau whose traditional occupation is construction. Their major concentration is in Maharashtra, but there are also populations ...

community, a Dravidian tribe. He earned his M.A. in Marathi literature from

University of Pune Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), formerly the University of Pune, is a public state university located in the city of Pune, India. It was established in 1949, and is spread over a campus in the neighbourhood of Ganeshkhind. The uni ...

, 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 Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (Bhīmrāo Rāmjī Āmbēḍkar; 14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who chaired the committee that drafted the Constitution of India based on t ...

, 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 ''

'' 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, ''

'', was released in February 2014; the word means "pig" in the

Kaikadi language The Kaikadi language is a Dravidian language related to Tamil, spoken by about 23,000 people of the formerly nomad Kaikadi tribe primarily in Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a subs ...

, 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, ''

'', premiered at the

66th Berlin International Film Festival The 66th Berlin International Film Festival was held from 11 to 21 February 2016, with American actress Meryl Streep as the president of the jury. The Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement was presented to German cinematographer Michae ...

. Like ''Fandry'' and ''

'', 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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58th National Film Awards The 58th National Film Awards, presented by Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema for the year 2010. The selection process started by ...

, Best First Non-Feature Film , ''

'' , {{Won , , - , 2013 ,

, Best Debut Film of a Director , rowspan="2" , ''

'' , {{Won , , - , 2014 , 1st Filmfare Awards Marathi ,

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * As ...

, {{Won , , - , rowspan="4" , 2017 ,

65th National Film Awards The 65th National Film Awards ceremony was an event during which the Directorate of Film Festivals presented its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2017 in Cinema of India, Indian cinema. The awards were announced on 13 Apr ...

, Best Director in Non-Feature Film , ''

Pavsacha Nibandh ''Pavsacha Nibandh'' () is an Cinema of India, Indian Marathi language, Marathi-language short film directed by Nagraj Manjule. It is produced by Balkrishna Manjule, Sheshraj Manjule, and Gargee Kulkarni. The film won the National Film Award for ...

'' , {{Won , , - ,

Maharashtracha Favourite Kon? The Maharashtracha Favourite Kon? Awards are presented by the Marathi television channel Zee Talkies to honour excellence in Marathi cinema. It has been given annually since 2009, with the latest—the 14th edition—of the award-gi ...

, Favourite Director , rowspan="3" , ''

'' , {{Won , , - ,

3rd Filmfare Awards Marathi The 3rd Filmfare Marathi Awards is a ceremony, presented by Jio, honored the best Indian Marathi-language films of 2016. ''Sairat'' led the ceremony with 22 nominations, followed by ''Ventilator'' with 16 nominations and ''Natsamrat'' with 13 ...

, {{Won , , - ,

Zee Chitra Gaurav Puraskar Zee Marathi is an Indian Marathi-language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. The channel was launched on 15 August 1999 and was known as Alpha TV Marathi until 28 March 2005, when it was rena ...

, {{Won , {{Cite web , date=2017-03-20 , title=Zee Chitra Gaurav Puraskar 2017 winners list , url=https://www.loksatta.com/manoranjan/zee-chitra-gaurav-2017-winners-list-1436032/ , access-date= , website=Loksatta , language=mr , - , 2019 ,

66th National Film Awards The 66th National Film Awards ceremony was the award ceremony which took place in 2019 to honour the best films of 2018, in the Indian cinema. The declaration of awards was delayed due to 2019 Indian general election. Selection process The Dir ...

, Best Debut Film of a Director , '' Naal'' , {{Won , , - , 2022 ,

, Favourite Director of the Decade , ''

'' , {{Won , , - , rowspan="3" , 2023 ,

Fakt Marathi Cine Sanman The Fakt Marathi Cine Sanman are annual awards presented by the Fakt Marathi television network to honour both artistic and technical excellence in the Marathi-language film industry of India. The Awards were presented for the first time on 27 ...

, Fakt Marathi Cine Sanman for Best Actor in a Lead Role , ''

Ghar Banduk Biryani ''Ghar Banduk Biryani'' (), abbreviated as ''GBB'', is a 2023 Indian Marathi-language action comedy film directed by Hemant Jangal Awtade in his directorial debut, starring Akash Thosar, Sayaji Shinde, Nagraj Manjule, and Sayli Patil in the lead ...

'' , {{Won , , - , Rowspan="2",

14th MFK Awards The 14th Maharashtracha Favourite Kon? Awards ceremony, presented by the Marathi television channel Zee Talkies, honored the best Marathi-language Indian films of 2023. The ceremony was held on 18 January 2024, and was hosted by Amey Wagh and M ...

, Favourite Supporting Actor , ''

Naal 2 ''Naal 2'' (English: ''Bond'') is a 2023 Indian Marathi-language drama film written and directed by Sudhakar Reddy Yakkanti, and produced by Nagraj Manjule under the banner Aatpat Production and Zee Studios. The second installment in a Naal seri ...

'' , {{Won , , - , Favourite Actor , ''

'' , {{Nom , , - , Rowspan="2", 2017 , Rowspan="2",

, Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay – Marathi , ''

'' , {{Nom , , - ,

Filmfare Award for Best Story – Marathi The Filmfare Marathi Award for Best Story is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Marathi films, to recognise a writer who wrote a film's story. Winner and nominees 2010s 2020s See also * Filmfare Award ...

, ''

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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