Pan Nalin is an Indian film director, screenwriter and documentary maker. Nalin is best known for directing award-winning films like Samsara, Valley of Flowers, and Ayurveda: Art of Being. His debut film, Samsara went on to win awards like "Grand Jury Prize - Special Mention" at AFI Fest and "Most Popular Feature Film" at Melbourne International Film Festival in 2002. His next film will be Buddha: The Inner Warrior, a biopic of Siddhartha Gautama.[1]
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Nalin was born as Nalin Kumar Pandya, in a small town in Gujarat, India. His father owns a tea stall at Vadnagar.[2]
Pan Nalin studied Fine Arts at the M. S. University of Baroda and went on to learn Design at the National Institute of Design. He made four animation films and twenty short silent films before moving to Mumbai where he worked as production runner until directors realized his potential and started to give him opportunities to direct commercials and corporate films.
Pan Nalin, came into global limelight with his debut feature Samsara (2001).[3]
Nalin, a self-taught filmmaker, was born in a remote village in Gujarat, India. The richest thing his family gave to him was his spiritual upbringing. As a child, Nalin disliked schools; instead he used to paint and draw. He also actively staged mythological dramas and folk plays.
However, he only saw his first movie at age of nine - since that day he always wanted to make movies. Later, as a teenager, he left his village in pursuit of cinema. After studies in Fine Arts at the M.S. University of Baroda, Nalin went to learn Design at the prestigious NID (National Institute of Design). After shooting some four animation and twenty short silent films, Nalin concluded that the best film school is life itself.
He traveled widely all over India and finally moved to Mumbai (Bombay) where he worked as production runner. In no time the producers recognized Nalin's talent and offered him a chance to direct commercials and corporate films.
Nalin lived in US and UK for a short period and then set out for six-month long nomadic existence in Europe. On returning to India, he roamed the Himalayas deep and wide -in search of his voice. After a long process of unlearning, he developed ideas for several feature films -and started writing.
Nalin also experimented with the short fiction film forms. He also made several documentaries with BBC, Discovery, Canal Plus and other leading international networks. His multiple award winning feature documentary AYURVEDA: ART OF BEING was theatrically released worldwide with major success. AYURVEDA celebrated a yearlong theatrical run in Spain and record-breaking three-year long run in France. The film met with similar success in US, Canada, Germany, Holland…
His first feature film SAMSARA was a massive commercial and critical success worldwide and won him some thirty plus international awards. Many critics and spectators considered SAMSARA a groundbreaking film. SAMSARA grossed US$ 22 million plus (without US, UK & Japan) till this date. Miramax/Disney has acquired SAMSARA for the US.
Nalin’s latest feature film VALLEY OF FLOWERS was pres-sold to nearly 35 countries and is considered a major underground hit. It still continues to enjoy theatrical release with critical and commercial success worldwide. VALLEY OF FLOWERS was filmed in remote, high altitude Himalayas and in Japan. VALLEY OF FLOWERS won Best Picture at IFFLA Los Angeles, also won four nominations at IAAC New York, including The Best Picture and The Best Director.
Nalin’s latest tragicomedy script SLIGHTLY SANE recently won the CJ Entertainment’s Award for The Best International Project at Pusan International Film Festival, South Korea. At present, Nalin is also working on few English language pictures, the line-up includes a film on life of BUDDHA, a mega action-adventure epic THE FIRST WARRIOR and supernatural thriller titled H2O.
For the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009, United Nation’s project VISUAL TELEGRAMS invited 30 popular filmmakers from 30 countries to make a short film on our environment. Pan Nalin is among the invitees and only Indian to join leagues of well know directors like Stephen Frears, Paul Haggis, Emir Kusturica…
In 2006 Pan Nalin was awarded Spain's highly prestigious award Vida Sana for his contribution to the ecology, thus an earth keeper. Also in 2007, TMG (David Flint's Triangle Media Group UK) awarded Pan Nalin as one of the Top 50 Achievers in Global Mainstream Media in the field of Film, Theatre & Drama.
Pan Nalin has also served as Jury member at many prestigious International Film Festivals along with international celebrities like; Roman Polanski, Maria Medeiros, Jamel Debouze, Ludivine Sagnier, David Wenham, Paz Vega, Sandrine Bonnaire & Teddy Chan.
Pan Nalin is probably the only Indian screenwriter to be twice invited to a prestigious Screenwriter’s lab Equinoxe along with top Hollywood screenwriters like; Ron Bass (Rainman..), David and Janet People (Unforgiven, Blade Runner...) Jim Hart (Dracula, Contact, Lara Croft), and Shane Black, (Lethal Weapon, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang…) among others. Legendary Diva of French Cinema Jeanne Moreau headed the writer’s lab. Pan Nalin’s latest tragicomedy screenplay SLIGHTLY SANE won the CJ Entertainment’s Award for the Best International Project at Pusan 2009.
On many occasions Pan Nalin has also been invited to be on panels at many prestigious literature, arts or media conclaves. The recent one being at the Jaipur Literature Festival where Nalin was invited for « Art of Adaptation for Screen » conclave with Oscar winner Christopher Hampton. Nalin was also invited, along with the delegation headed by Mr. Amitabh Bachchan; to be on the panel for France-India Coproduction forum at Salon du Cinema in Paris.
Pan Nalin lives in India & France.