Ramchandra P. N.

Ramchandra P. N. is a filmmaker making feature films, short films, documentaries and TV programs. in India. He is a Tuluva based in Mumbai.

Career After graduating from Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Ramchandra PN thought he would settle down in Bengaluru.

Over the next ten years starting in 1991, as a freelancer, he directed more than hundred short documentaries for this cultural show, subjects mainly pertaining to his home state of Karnataka – on Gangubai Hanagal, Mallikarjun Mansur, Shivaram Karanth, B.V. Karanth, Vijaynath Shenoy's Hastha Shilpa, the Hampi Ruins, the Hoysala Temples, Mysore Ganjifa, the professional stage actresses of Mariyammanahalli, cock fights, the Electronic tampura, the Lokur Joint family in North Karnataka, the Coastal Buffalo race of Kambala among others.

Ramchandra PN has been residing in Mumbai since 1990. Over the years he gradually ventured into other TV programs, feature films, documentaries and short films in English, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, Kutchhi and Tulu languages.

Ten years into doing television, Ramchandra PN found himself in the crossroads of his career for he had not yet made his feature film – the very purpose for which he joined FTII in the first place. Taking advantage of the newly developing digital technology, in the year 2004, with the help of his assistant Surendra Kumar Marnad and friend Mohan Marnad he ventured in producing and directing the first digital feature film in Tulu language called Suddha (The Cleansing Rites). This no-cost film went on to win the Best Indian Film at the 2006 Osian's Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab films that was held in New Delhi. In 2007 it won a modest exhibition Grant from the Hubart Balls fund under which Ramchandra PN went around with a mobile projector, a portable screen and a sound system to screen the film in more than 100 places in the remote villages of the Tulu-speaking districts of Coastal Karnataka.

In 2008, he shot his second feature Putaani Party (The Kid Gang) – this time in Kannada language and in the district of Dharwad in North Karnataka. This film was produced by The Children's Film Society of India. This film won the Best Children's film at the 2009 National Film Awards.

Ramchandra PN has completed his third feature Haal E Kangaal, in Hindi language and is screening it in alternative venues all over India.

Besides, he also conducts academic workshops in various film schools in India like the FTII, Poona & L. V. Prasad Film Institute, Chennai.

On Suddha – The Cleansing Rites

The Bangalore edition of the newspaper 'The Hindu had described the film Suddha – The Cleansing Ritesas follows.

"The allure of the 105-minute Tulu film is mainly due to its impressive technical accomplishments. Camerawork by Sameer Mahajan uses light and shade superbly and captures the mood and feel of the story. The interiors of the typical rural house – with peeling walls and old-world appendages – which stand as mute witness of the breaking family have been shot with care and sensitivity."(Source: The Hindu)

Awards 'Putaani Party' – a Children's film directed by Ramchandra PN has jointly won the Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) for the Best Children's Film at the 2009 National Film Awards constituted by the Government of India. In 2005, Ramchandra PN made a Tulu language digital feature film called Suddha, also known as The Cleansing Rites. This film won the Best Indian Film at the Osian's Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema held at New Delhi. The five members jury had given the award for "its poetic, evocative and uncompromising style reflecting the moods of contemporary India." In 2004, his short film Heart Troubles of Ramchand Yavathmal Tirchuinapalli Azamghar won the best short film at the Abuja International Film Festival, Nigeria.

Filmography Feature films

Year Title Cast Language 2024 Hear O, Mahatma (Hear O, Great One) Ramchandra PN (Triple Role) English 2019 Bunnu K. Endo Maye (The Maya of Bunnu K. Endo) Chitrra Jetliy, Vinnay Vishwaa Kannada, Hindi 2015 Haal E Kangaal (The Bankrupts) Niraj Sah, Hemant Mahaur Hindi 2009 Putaani Party – The Kid Gang Ranjita Jadhav, Sharad Anchatgiri, Pavan Hanchinaal, Jayalakshmi Patil, Bhavani Prakash Kannada 2005 Suddha – The Cleansing Rites Subhash Padivaal, Sai Prakash, Asha Marnad Tulu

Short fiction Year Title Cast Language 2018 Double Life Saumesh Bangera, Aneesh Pandelu, Ratika Kamath, Santosh Shetty Hindi 2015 Tiku Tiku Director (The fragile director) Vidhan Kothari, Satvika Khandgaonkar, Samridh Tandon, Sharman Gupta Hindi 2012 Khana Khazaana (The treasure meal) Resh Lamba, Vikas Shukla, Khusboo Upadhaya, Anurag Hindi 2011 Mister and Mistress Bijaya Jena, Niraj Sah, Seema Bora, Reema Das Hindi 2008 Babe se date (Date with a babe) Kunal Khotari, Sagarika Sawhney, Nikhila Nanduri Hinglish 2006 Mani Bhai Pass Hogaye? (Did brother Mani succeed?) Sudhir Choudhary, Rasika Duggal, Shinjini Raval, Oroshikha Day Hindi 2004 Out of Tune Anil Pande Hinglish 2003 Heart Troubles of Ramchand Yavathmal Tiruchinapalli Azamghar Anil Pande Hinglish 1991 The Hot Shot Vinay Edekar, Manisha Kamath Only music

Documentaries Year Title Producer Length Language About 2021 R for Roshan's Childhood Sonk Films 77 minutes Kannada Road film 2016 The Unbearable Being of Lightness Sonk Films 45 mins English Dalit Issues 2015 Lohit Diary Films Division 75 mins Hindi/English/& 16 other dialects Life in Lohit Valley in Arunachal Pradesh 2013 Gudigeri Company Sonk Films 25 mins Kannada Life in a professional Theater troupe 2012 BV Karanth:Baba Films Division 93 mins Hindi/English/Kannada Biography of BV Karanth 2012 Rice and Rasam (Anna Saaru) P.S.B.T.-FD 52 mins Kannada Professional theatre troupes in Karnataka 2012 A Pinch of Salt Films Division 52 mins Gujarati/English Education among the Agaria community children 2011 Miyar House Sonk Films 76 mins Kannada/English dismantling of a century old house 2010 Floating Healers Films Division 52 mins Bengali/English A medical boat in Sundarbans 2009 Nuts and Bolts Sonk Films 29 mins Kannada Governance reach in Rural India 2008 Despite Distortions Sonk Films 4 mins Hindi/Tulu A migrant rag-picker 2008 The Untouchables UNESCO 10 mins Kannada The Koraga community 2007 Makkala Panchayat (The Kid Power) FTII-UNDP 30 mins Kannada A children's self-governing Body 2006 Shaky souls, Empty Chairs, Testing Times Sonk Films 41 mins Hindi/English Compulsory Testing of HIV 2005 Bharatha Uvacha (Thus spoke Bharatha) Films Division 20 mins Hindi/English Ancient Indian treatise on theatre 'Natyashastra' 2003 Virus No. One Sonk Films 10 Mins Hindi/English/Gujarati Home care in HIV patients 2002 Kodavas – The Worrier race Films Division 10 mins Hindi/Kannada Kodava Community 2002 My Banjara Diary Cinema Vision India 50 mins Hindi/English Banjara community 2001 Gently down the stream Gayatree Telesofts 30x2 mins Hindi/Gujarati/Maliyaali Traditional ship building 2000 Voices from Mini Tibet Films Division 10 mins Hindi Tibetan settlement in India 1999 Siri Festival Films Division 10 mins Hindi/Kannada/Tulu Possession syndrome in religion 1998 Sarvodayagrama Films Division 10 mins Hindi/Kannada School run on the principles of Acharya Vinoba 1996 Durga Pooja Dziga Collective 40 mins Bengali/Hindi Bengali community in Mumbai

TV programmes Year Title Channel Language Segments/Episodes Notes 2005 Chacha Chaudary Sahara TV Hindi 30 x 70 episodes Children's serial 2002 Mr & Mrs Kumara Park East ETV – Kannada Kannada 30 x 10 episodes Sitcom 2001 Swamy Swamy ETV – Kannada Kannada 30 x 53 episodes Detective comedy 2000 Teletubbies Pogo TV and BBC World English 4 x 25 segments Children's show 2000 Swara Sadhana Doordarshan Hindi 30 x 26 episodes Musical show 1999 Sahara Skits Sahara TV Hindi 4 mins x 10 segments Comic show 1997 India Anjaana Home TV Hindi 5 mins x 10 segments Cultural Magazine 1996 Naukar Hamara Doordarshan Hindi 12 mins x 26 episodes Sitcom 1995 The First Edition Doordarshan English 23 mins a week x 6 months Current affairs 1991–2000 Surabhi Doordarshan Hindi 4 mins x 100 segments Cultural magazine

Film reviews Ramchandra reviews films for Upper Stall