Kaushik Ganguly (born 4 August 1968) [1] is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor in Bengali cinema.[2] Multiple National Film Awards winner Actor-Director, Kaushik Ganguly is known for making films that explore various aspects sexuality,[3] like Ushnatar Janye (2003), which deals with a lesbian relationship, and Arekti Premer Golpo (2010), which examines transgender identity & Nagarkirtan (2017), an LGBTQ Movie.[4] In 2019, Film Companion ranked Ridhi Sen's performance in Nagarkirtan which was directed by Ganguly, among 100 Greatest Performances of the decade.[5]

Kaushik Ganguly
Born (1968-08-04) 4 August 1968 (age 56)
Alma materJadavpur University
Occupation(s)Director, actor, screenwriter
Notable workArekti Premer Golpo
Shabdo
Chotoder Chobi
Cinemawala
Bishorjan
Nagarkirtan
Jyeshthoputro
SpouseChurni Ganguly
ChildrenUjaan Ganguly (son)
ParentSunil Ganguly (father)

Life

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Ganguly was born in Kolkata on 4 August 1968.[citation needed] His father was guitarist Sunil Ganguly.[6] He attended Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, Narendrapur and later Jadavpur University where he worked on a degree in Bengali literature. While at university, he started a theatre troupe with his future wife actress Churni Ganguly and Suman Mukhopadhyay (who would later become a film director). In 1987, Ganguly began working as a screenwriter for Tollywood films.[citation needed] In 1995, he moved to ETV Bangla to direct telefilms like Ushnatar Janye, Ulka and Aatithi. These telefilms incorporated elements like lesbianism and sex determination that had not been depicted in Bengali television productions before.[7]

Career

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Kaushik made his directorial debut with Waarish (2004). After his debut, over the years, he has directed more than 15 films and along the way has won several awards. Few of his most notable films include Laptop, which won the National Award for Best Background Music in 2011, Shabdo (2012), which won the National Award for Best Bengali Film and Chotoder Chobi (2015). His 2017 directorial venture includes Chaya O Chobi, a Bengali drama starring Abir Chatterjee, Koel Mallick and Ritwick Chakraborty, Nagarkirtan, an LGBTQ+ movie starring Riddhi Sen and Ritwick Chakraborty.[8]

Filmography

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Director

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Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Film Ref
2004 Waarish
2005 Shunyo E Buke
Ek Mutho Chabi
2009 Brake Fail
Jackpot
2010 Arekti Premer Golpo
2011 Rang Milanti
2012 Laptop
Shabdo
2013 C/O Sir
Apur Panchali
2014 Khaad
Chotoder Chobi
2016 Bastu Shaap
Cinemawala
2017 Bishorjan
Chaya O Chobi
Nagarkirtan
2018 Drishtikone
Kishore Kumar Junior
2019 Bijoya
Jyeshthoputro
2022 Lokkhi Chele [9]
2023 Kaberi Antardhan
Ardhangini [10]
Palaan
2024 Lantrani
Ajogyo
2025 Manohar Pandey [11]
Asukh Bisukh
Kabaddi Kabaddi

Notable acting roles

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Year Film/ Web Series Director
2010 Notobor Notout Kamaleshwar Mukherjee
2012 Laptop Kaushik Ganguly
2013 Kangal Malsat Suman Mukhopadhyay
2014 Khaad Kaushik Ganguly
Nirbashito Churni Ganguly
Chotushkone Srijit Mukherji
2016 Bastu Shaap Kaushik Ganguly
2017 Bishorjan Kaushik Ganguly
2018 Drishtikone Kaushik Ganguly
Ka Kha Ga Gha Krishnendu Chatterjee
2019 Bijoya Kaushik Ganguly
Shankar Mudi Aniket Chattopadhyay
Tarikh Churni Ganguly
Saat No. Shanatan Sanyal Annapurna Basu
Kedara Indraadip Dasgupta
2021 Ei Ami Renu Saumen Sur
2022 Tiktiki (web series) Dhrubo Banerjee
Prankenstein (web series) Sagnik Chatterjee
Bismillah Indraadip Dasgupta
Kothamrito Jiit Chakraborty
Shubho Bijoya Rohan Sen
Uttwaran Indraadip Dasgupta
2023 Shikarpur (web series) Nirjhar Mitra
Kaberi Antardhan Kaushik Ganguly
Aaro Ek Prithibi Atanu Ghosh
Rajneeti (web series) Sourav Chakraborty
2024 Mirza Sumeet - Saahil
Binodini: Ekti Natir Upakhyan Ram Kamal Mukherjee
Rajneeti Season 2 (web series) Sourav Chakraborty
Shotyi Bole Shotyi Kichhu Nei Srijit Mukherji

Television

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Screenwriter

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Awards

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Ganguly (second from right) receiving the 'ICFT –UNESCO Award' for the film Cinemawala at IFFI 2015

Kaushik Ganguly received multiple awards for his role in various films.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Kaushik Ganguly: Movies, Photos, Videos, News, Biography & Birthday | eTimes". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Bengali filmmaker Kaushik Ganguly begins filming Bollywood debut 'Manohar Pandey'". DNA India. 28 January 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  3. ^ "Kaushik Ganguly - Movies, Biography, News, Age & Photos". BookMyShow. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  4. ^ "The Big Interview! Kaushik Ganguly: Will never promote my family through my films - Times of India". The Times of India. 18 October 2020.
  5. ^ "100 Greatest Performances of the Decade". 100 Greatest Performances of the Decade. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  6. ^ Ghosal, Sharmistha (25 August 2022). "Kaushik Ganguly and Ujaan Ganguly talk about their film Lokkhi Chhele which releases today". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  7. ^ "Did you know director Kaushik Ganguly started his career as a teacher? - Times of India". The Times of India. 10 November 2020.
  8. ^ "Kaushik Ganguly - Movies, Biography, News, Age & Photos". BookMyShow. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  9. ^ ""ঈশ্বর যখন মানুষের শরণে", কৌশিকের 'লক্ষ্মী ছেলে'-র বাস্তব গল্প". Indian Express Bangla (in Bengali). 15 October 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  10. ^ "The shoot of Ardhangini has started! - Times of India". The Times of India. 12 November 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  11. ^ "Exclusive Interview! Kaushik Ganguly: The Lockdown evolved our relationships and 'Manohar Pandey' is all about that - Times of India". The Times of India. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  12. ^ Ganguly, Ruman (7 April 2010). "Gaurav makes his dad proud". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  13. ^ "I don't take myself seriously as a filmmaker, says Kaushik Ganguly". Hindustan Times. 5 December 2015.
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