Mani Kaul

Mani Kaul undoubtedly was one of the greatest directors of Hindi cinema. He was born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan and his real name was Rabindranath Kaul. He was from a Kashmiri Pandit family. Kaul initially joined FTII, Pune as an acting student but later on shifted to the direction course. There, his teacher was a renowned film director, Ritwik Ghatak.

He graduated in the year 1966. Mani was the nephew of Mahesh Kaul Mahesh Kaul was an Indian actor, director, and scr >> Read More... , who was an actor as well as director in the industry. He had directed films like Sapno Ka Saudagar (1968), in which Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor was a renowned actor, director, and pro >> Read More... was the lead actor. Kaul had the skill of filmmaking in his blood. Mani Kaul’s first film brought a new wave in the Bollywood and began a new trend. Kaul’s first film “Uski Roti’ (1969) came up to be the game and wind variation of the industry. Then his films like “Ashadh Ka Ek Din” (1971), “Duvidha” etc. came next in the row. Yuki Film Co-operative (Union Kinematograph technicians) had Kaul as one of its Co-founders. He also used to teach music in the Netherlands and was the Creative Director at Osian’s Connoisseurs of Art, Mumbai. He was also a visiting faculty at Harvard University for 2000-2001 school year.

In 1974, Kaul was awarded best director award for the movie ‘Duvidha.’ He won 4 Filmfare awards in 1971, 1972, 1974 and 1993 for Uski Roti, Ashad Ka Ek Din, Duvidha, Idiot respectively. At 21st Berlin International Film Festival, Kaul was a jury member. In one of his interviews, he stated that Kumar Shahani Kumar Shahani is a renowned director. He was born >> Read More... was his batchmate while John Abraham Like some of our sexy stars, John Abraham has had >> Read More... was his junior. He also claimed that Adoor Gopalakrishnan Born into a family in Kerala, Adoor Gopalakrishnan >> Read More... was a year senior to him at FTII. Kaul’s films were directly considered to have a high art, both plastic and performative, his films used to make sense of connection with the audience. What else a person, especially a filmmaker needs except the fact that his movies can make a direct impact on the ultimate viewers. These days, filmmakers try to make movies to earn big, but Mani Kaul had a distinct ideology.

He used to make films for the purpose of setting an example in front of the society which compels people to change the way they look at the world. And he is the one who made people realize the problems with a good sense of humor. In his personal life also, Kaul was very down to earth kind of person. He was always witnessed very calm and silent. Maybe that is the only reason why wise people make a lot of noise with their work. When he was asked whether he felt bad about the fact that his movie didn’t achieve mass appeal he immediately said “no.”

He once accepted that he was well acquainted with this scenario that his movies would have a limited audience. He also taught dhrupad music for 5-6 years and kept on exploring its form. Mani Kaul died on July 6th, 2011 at the age of 66. He died after battling for a long time with cancer. Kaul has two sons and two daughters and will remain immortal in them. He took his last breath in Gurgaon, Delhi. A legend like him will be remembered by the world.