| Rajesh Touchriver | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rajesh Touchriver March 6, 1972 Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Occupation | Director, Producer, Designer, Writer |
| Years active | 1997 - Present |
| Website | |
| www.rajeshtouchriver.com | |
Rajesh Touchriver (born 6 March 1972) is an Indian filmmaker, art director and scriptwriter.
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Rajesh was born in Kerala to a Malayali family. He inherited a flair for Kathakali, the classical dance of Kerala, from Siva Sankaran Nair, his father who was a veteran Kathakali artist. He also had some early training in Kalaripayattu, the martial art of Kerala. He took his Bachelor degree in Design and Direction from the School of Drama in Trissur, Kerala and directed more than 30 plays in Malayalam, English and Telugu. He worked with the National School of Drama, New Delhi as a designer in 1995. Rajesh won the Charles Wallace Trust Award and did his Masters in Visual Language/Scenography and Direction from the Wimbledon College of Art, London.
Rajesh's debut film In the Name of Buddha (2002) was premiered at the Oslo International Film Festival and won critical acclaim. The movie was nominated for the Best Debut Director category at the Cannes Film Festival.[1] Though controversial in theme, the film is a non-partisan treatment[2] of the ethnic conflict then raging in Sri Lanka with a hint of magic realism. The film was well received in many international film festivals in 2003 and won the Best Foreign Film award at the Beverly Hills International Film Festival, the Newport Beach International Film Festival and at the Wine Country International Film Festival in the same year.[3]
Following the success of In the Name of Buddha, Rajesh directed the music video for "Sunshowers" for Maya Arulpragasam (M.I.A.). She is known for her "O Saya" with A.R. Rahman for Slumdog Millionaire which was nominated for the Oscars in 2009. Rajesh directed Ente Malayalam, a promotion for the Manorama Music channel to celebrate the 50th year of Kerala formation, capturing noted Malayali achievers against the lush landscape of Kerala in evocative frames.
Rajesh directed two Telugu films in the interim: 10 the Strangers and Alex, the Blue Fox. Besides feature films and music albums/videos, he has essayed other genres including documentaries, short films, ad films, public service announcements and commercials and won many accolades.
Rajesh has made several short films and documentaries on human trafficking, HIV/AIDS and communal riots that support the media advocacy initiatives of the United Nations and NGOs, national and international. His most recent film for the United Nations, One Life, No Price for social sensitization against human trafficking was well received by civil society organizations internationally. Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta and John Abraham appear in the film as spokespersons for the cause.[4]
Another recent success is Anamika, the Nameless on a similar theme which was adventurously shot in the red light areas of India in Mumbai, Kolkatta, Poona and Delhi.[5] The film won the AC award under the "Best Foreign Award - Documentary Short Film" category[6] and the Best Documentary Film Award at the Hyderabad International Film Festival.[7] The film has been included in the curriculum of National Police Academy and National Judicial Academy.[8]
The Sacred Face, a short film on child sexual abuse, sent the audience back home unsettled at its screening in Hyderabad.[9] Rajesh himself writes the screenplays for most of his documentaries.
Besides direction, theatre and classical traditional art, Rajesh does art direction for films and has done art direction for Telugu hits like Student #1, Manasantha Nuvve, Iddaru Mitralu, Kalisunadaam Raa, etc. and for a John Mackenzie film, Quicksand.
Rajesh was awarded:
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]