profile

A Graduate in Engineering and Post-graduate in Design from IIT, Bombay, Sridhar Rangayan switched tracks from designing carpets to apprenticing with eminent Indian directors like , Kalpana Lajmi and Dev Benegal. Setting off as an independant writer / director in 1999 he has scripted and directed television content covering various genres - comedy, romance, drama and thrillers. His latest serial was the first Indian serial to be shot on a luxury cruiseliner and in Singapore & Malaysia. His award winnng debut short film ‘’, produced by his own company Solaris Pictures, has screened at a record number of 56 international film festivals till date. It also garnered global attention for being the first film on Indian drag queens and is one of the very few independent films from to acquire distribution in US and Europe.

His first 35mm feature, a children film that combines breezy fun-filled adventure with social values, won the Bronze Remi Award at WorldFest, Houston and has been screened at international children film festivals.

Apart from filmmaking, he is also actively involved with human rights issues and the disability sector.

awards

Jury Award for Best Film at ‘Fire Island Film Festival 2004, New York, USA (for film “Gulabi Aaina)

Bronze Remi Award at WorldFest 2004, Houston (for children film “Yeh Hai Chakkad Bakkad Bumbe Bo’ – CFSI )

Best Film of the Festival award at ‘Question de Genre’ film festival 2003, Lille, France (for film “Gulabi Aaina)

RAPA award for Best Comedy Episode, 1999 (for “Piya Ka Ghar” – Gubbare, Zee TV)

RAPA award for Best Telefilm, 2000 (for “Khamoshiyaan” – Rishtey, Zee TV)

Mobile : +91.98211.490490 | email: [email protected] | website: www.solarispictures.com Sridhar Rangayan

features

YOURS EMOTIONALLY 86 minutes, HDV, English, 2005 Produced by Wise Thoughts, London in collaboration with Solaris Pictures

A trans-cultural romantic tale set in UK and small town India; about sensitive & sensible men fighting stereotypes from their own corners – an unusual drama around love, spicy passions & sex.

‘Yours Emotionally’ is a tribute to South Asian gay men who negotiate their same-sex-love identities within the stringent social, religious, cultural boundaries imposed by their communities.

Premjit, Jack Lamport, Pratik Gandhi, Ikhlaq Khan, Ajay Rohilla Story: Niranjan Kamatkar; Music : William Longdon & Ameya Naik

CHHAKKAD BAKKAD BAMBE BOW 110 minutes, 35mm, , 2004 Produced by Children Film Society of India

A fun-filled adventure set in a picturesque Konkan village uncorrupted by modern metropolitan hustle-bustle. Four kids, a dog and a monkey while having their own idyllic holiday are caught up in the intricacies of a smuggling mafia don. Two of the kids are kidnapped and the other four have to now search for them and set them free. The kids parents, the police, the

fisherman are all drawn into this adventure unwittingly.

Tom Alter, Ravindra Mankani, Mona Ambegaonkar & the Chakkad Story: ; Screenplay & Dialogues:

Awards : BRONZE REMI AWARD at WorldFest 2004, Houston, USA

Official Selection: Cairo, , India - International Children Film Festivals

Mobile : +91.98211.490490 | email: [email protected] | website: www.solarispictures.com Sridhar Rangayan

GULABI AAINA (The Pink Mirror) 40 minutes, DV, Hindi, 2003 Produced by Solaris Pictures

Men bring out the best in queens… and sometimes the worst. Two fading drag queens and a gay teenager try to seduce a handsome hunk. Using the soap idiom of song, dance and drama, The Pink Mirror (Gulabi Aaina) is a campy look into the Indian homosexual closet, highlighting humane issues such as alternate family bondings and the lurking impact of HIV.

Edwin Fernandes, Ramesh Menon, Rishi Raj, Rufy Baqal

Awards : JURY AWARD for BEST FEATURE at Fire Island Film Festival 2004, USA : BEST FILM of the Festival at ‘Question De Genre’ 2003, Lille, France

Official Selection : 56 International International Film Festivals

tv serials

PYAR KI KASHTI MEIN Star One; 22 min, Hindi, 39 episodes Produced by Hummingbird Films in association with BAG Films

Setting sail on an exciting journey of romance, fun, frolic, humour and drama - on a luxury cruiseliner off Singapore & Malaysia.

Avinash’s mother Mrs.Mehrotra and Minakshi’s father Mr.Pillai have vowed that they will get Avinash and Minakshi to fall in love, come what may. A tarot card reader predicts that the ‘cosmic union’ can only happen where water and iron are compatible, meaning a ship! Will the boy and girl fall in love? Will the ‘cosmic union’ happen?

To put the best laid plans to waste is a sexy seductress Rita and a rake Manav as well as 12 other tourists on the cruise who have their own take on love - an entertaining experience !

Anang Desai, Achint Kaur, Arun Govil, Neelu Kohli, Kamini Khanna, Ikhlaq Khan, Nishigandha Wad, Sachin Verma, Sampada Vaze

Mobile : +91.98211.490490 | email: [email protected] | website: www.solarispictures.com Sridhar Rangayan

KRISSHNA ARJUN Star Plus; Stories of 2 episodes, 22 min, Hindi, 8 episodes Produced by Contiloe Films in association with Cinevistas Ltd

Stories : Joker, Whiz Kids, Cursed Painting, Band of Boys

Two private detectives – Krisshna, a haughty girl and Arjun, a charismatic bubbly guy – are out to solve cases of crime in – be it an antique stolen painting from a museum or a stash-load of money stolen from a rock group, the duo is irrepressible. A la Remington Steele, this serial is an adventure thriller with loads of humour and attitude.

Hussein, Shraddha Nigam

KAHAANI JURRM KI Star Plus; Stories of 2 episodes – Dramatization of real-life crimes, 22 min, Hindi Produced by MidiTech Ltd. CUPBOARD A con man Bijlani who disguises himself as a sadhu is vying for a plot of land and he is ready to kill for it. His kink – he buries women alive inside a cupboard. Juhi who returns from US is unaware that her mother is dying inside the cupboard under the very ground even as she walks over it. The sadhu is now after Juhi’s life… Will the Sadhu bury Juhi too inside the cupboard – alive?

Shishir Sharma, Neelanjana, Bakul Thacker, Neha Bam

AGWAAH A look into the call girl racket - An innocent teenager falls under the seduction of a call girl who kidnaps him for a ransom. What she didn’t bargain for was that the youth’s father is a dreaded underworld don – who is ready to spill blood to rescue his son. The thorn in the don’s way is actually his own son who is madly in love with the call girl. A cat and mouse game with racy adventure.

Tom Alter, Vishal, Payal Nair

Mobile : +91.98211.490490 | email: [email protected] | website: www.solarispictures.com Sridhar Rangayan

HAQEEKAT Sahara, 22 min, Hindi, 4 episodes Produced by BAG Films

Stories in Haqeeqat revolve around human rights violations in India. The arms of the law enforcing agencies themselves perpetrate many of these, making it a case of real concern. The question it raises is very dramatic: Where does the average citizen of India run to when the very guarantors of his human rights turn assaulters? Stark in its presentation minus any gloss or superficiality, and bold in its treatment, the series was hugely popular with its viewers.

Stories : Police disaffection; Dowry deaths

APNA APNA STYLE Zee, 22 min, Hindi, 15 episodes Produced by Productions Hari and Suman is an orthodox couple who have brought up their children Alka and Ajay with good Indian values. Hari’s brother Ashwin returns from US and decides to stay at Hari’s house with his wife Shalini, their children Rocky and Kay who are completely western in their thinking. A clash of tradition and values lead to hilarious situations and great fun – a zany sitcom.

Ratna Pathak Shah, Navin Nischol, Lilette Dubey, Dilip Prabhavalkar, Gautam Rode, Mehul Nissar, Poorvi Shanghvi, Samantha

DEEWANE TOH DEEWANE HAIN (Pilot Serial)

A ‘soap with a new fragrance’ A hip happening group of youngsters in a fine arts institute – their loves & traumas at the institute & at home; politics of the institute & dastardly mechanizations.

Divya Seth, Tom Alter, Yatin Karyekar, Rupal Patel, Shushama Prakash, Amar Talwar, Dilip Thadeshwar, Hussein, Devika Shahani, Radhika Menon

Mobile : +91.98211.490490 | email: [email protected] | website: www.solarispictures.com Sridhar Rangayan

telefilms 2 h o u r s

GOL MAAL GHAR Sahara, 120 min, Hindi, ‘Cinema Ghar’ Produced by BAG Films A zany comedy about a ‘family of errors’ where the mother is a madam of a brothel, father is a penniless drunkard and the sister is a wayward pickpocket – this is the family Samar puts together for his beloved wife Suman. Hilarious escapades as each try to hide the truth and lead a ‘normal life’. But what happens when the truth is exposed? Will the family come apart?

Manav Gohil, , Shagufta Ali, Lovleen Mishra, Aashish Roy

MADHUR MILAN ETV Hindi, 120 min, Hindi Produced by Indian Production House A famous writer of thriller novels hates romance while his diabolically opposite – his aunt is a famous romantic novelist. When his aunt bequeths him her house and he starts writing his thriller, somehow the entire story changes… a girl comes into his life and he falls in love. Fiction merges with real life to create a bizzaire series of events that is comical as well as chilling… There is a philosophy behind it as well.

Ayub Khan, Juhi Parmar, Benjamin Gilani, Vijju Khote, Uttara Bhavkar, Jaydutt Vyas

JAHAN PYAAR MILE Zee, 40 min, Hindi Produced by Iris Production in association with Magus Creative Unit

Two friends in a hostel room – diametrically opposite of each other - Deep is in search of friendship, Rijju is in search of love from a family. Rijju gets close to Deep's girlfriend's family and Deep thinks Rijju is getting close to his girlfriend… Jealousy & Jolts!

Navneet Nishaan, Sohrab Ardershir, Gautam Rode, Rushaad Rana, Devika Shahani

Mobile : +91.98211.490490 | email: [email protected] | website: www.solarispictures.com Sridhar Rangayan

C O M E D Y:- GUBBARE Zee, 40 min, Hindi Produced by Iris Production in association with Magus Creative Unit

PIYA KA GHAR T E L E C A S T 9 TIMES She, being an orphan, dreams of a happy piya ka ghar… but the problem is he too is an orphan.

To make her happy, he puts together a family and to his horror discovers that the mother is a pickpocket, the father is a drunkard and the sister is a prostitute!

Kiron Kher, Samir Soni, Mansi Joshi-Roy, Lovleen Mishra, Vihang Nayak, Asif Basra Award: RAPA award for Best Comedy - Hindi, 1999

EXTRA MARITAL AFFAIR A funny look at a modern hip couple: She wants a child; He wants an E.M.A.- extra marital affair! She suspects him of having an E.M.A. with his choreographer and he cooks up an affair to tease her! Matters come to a head as she walks out of the marraiage. Of course all is well that ends well! Harsh Chayya, Sheeba Chadda, Nivedita Bhattacharya, Shishir Sharma, Savita Prabhune

BYE BYE BINDU T E L E C A S T 6 TIMES Bindu is a housewife who takes over her husband's office after his death. Within three days she makes new rules, passes ten orders and makes all the employees’ life miserable! In essence, she is a real Hitler! Everyone at the office are at their wits end - So they decide to kill her! The chant in the office: Bye Bye Bindu !!

Archana Puran Singh, Samir Soni, Nivedita Bhattacharya, Winnie Paranjpye, Shubangi Gokhale

Mobile : +91.98211.490490 | email: [email protected] | website: www.solarispictures.com Sridhar Rangayan

MASAALA MAAMI T E L E C A S T 11 TIMES A beautiful, middle-aged sweet and spicy south Indian Maami, with her three unwed daughters, being propositioned by men of all ages - 16 to 60 who fall for her ‘adaayen’, including every match who comes for the eldest daughter.

Combining a star ensemble cast and an authentic south Indian ambience – Masaala Maami was a great hit !! Kiron Kher, Shishir Sharma, Sudanshu Pandey, Lovleen Mishra, Bakul Thacker, Shreyas Talpade, Sujata Sangamitra, Devika Shahani, & Pratap Oza

BOLLYWOOD BITE Rocky comes from Ludhiana to become a Super Hero! Priya doesn't want to become a heroine; she wants to be a Super Vamp! And Rambo wants to become a Super Villian!

A crazy comedy caper set against the backdrop of sleazy Bollywood!

Rohit Roy, Grusha Kapoor, Bakul Thacker, Bharti Jaffrey, Gautam Joglekar, Milind Wagh

R O M A N C E:- RISHTEY Zee, 40 min, Hindi Produced by Iris Production in association with Magus Creative Unit

ISHQ HUA ! KAISE HUA !! VALENTINE DAY SPECIAL EPISODE

A zany love story between 8 people where A loves B, B loves C and so on – a cyclical romance including a dog and a bitch. Matters of heart are sorted out on the launch of their music group on Valentine Day. A rocking telefilm with music, dance and masti and a great ensemble cast!

Navneet Nishaan, Roshan Abbas, Sohraab Ardershir, Iravati Harshe, Karan Oberoi, Dilip Thadeshwar, Rajeev Paul, Reena Kapoor, Devika Shahani

Mobile : +91.98211.490490 | email: [email protected] | website: www.solarispictures.com Sridhar Rangayan

KHAMOSHIYAAN

A soft and sensitive portrayal of a deaf and mute woman to win over her husband, who had rejected her on the wedding night… she uses her own ways and her own language to charm him - with her wit, humour, love and poetry!

A telefilm that deals with disability without any melodrama or preaching.

Mona Ambegoankar, Aamir Bashir, Sujata Sanghamitra, Dr.Hemu Adhikari Award: RAPA award for Best Telefilm, 2000

Screened at several Disability conferences and workshops as well as at NGOs.

MERE SAAMNEWAALI KHIDKI MEIN

The girl in the opposite window - sometimes she is bubbly, sometimes she is angry, sometimes she is shy. Are they two different girls, twins or ghosts! A rather intricate romantic story with suspense, horror and comedy!

Lovleen Mishra, Rohit Bakshi, Radhika Menon, Vinod Singh, Jaydutt Vyas

BUGS ~ BUNNY FRIENDSHIP DAY SPECIAL Bunny is an introvert who hates the world, Bugs is an extrovert who loves to laugh… Two unlike youngsters in a hospital room - a bonding full of fights, laughter and tears - a bond so strong that it helps both of them to come out of their grief. A sensitive and funny story of friendship and bonding.

Hussein, Vishal Melhotra, Nilofer Khan, Tom Alter, Shishir Sharma, Meghna Malik

Mobile : +91.98211.490490 | email: [email protected] | website: www.solarispictures.com

Sridhar Rangayan

T H R I L L E R:- KAGAAR Sahara, Stories of 2 episodes of 22 min, Hindi Produced by Aqua Pictures

LO O T LOOT Four teenage drug-addicts rob a bank. One is shot dead. Three escape with the ‘loot’. But soon they discover they have been conned - the loot in the trunk is just old newspapers! The police, a local goon & the bank manager are on their back! They are on the run… ! Who had set them up ? A teenage adventure – racy and poignant.

Tom Alter, Usha Bachani, Aditya Om, Vinod Singh, Vandita Vasa, Girish Pardesi, Ajay Rohilla, Masood Akhtar

POORNAVIRAAM A celebrity writer is being threatened by a character from his book. The character is mad and has escaped from the asylum! The writer is also troubled by his past – an ex- girlfriend and her husband… and ghosts of his mind… As characters from the book start appearing in his life, the writes veers to the edge - Reality and illusion merge!

Aamir Bashir, Mona Ambegaonkar, Bakul Thacker, Ankit Sagar, Radhika Menon, Pawan

HOSTEL A working hostel - an eerie hostel full of eccentric people: an old psychiatrist, a sexually repressed woman, a homosexual and a schizophrenic girl. One after another die - and Priya wakes up at every site of death with blood on her face and a gun in her hand!

Is she the killer? She doesn’t remember anything!

Sohraab Ardershir, Shishir Sharma, Meghna Malik, Atul Kumar, Priyanka, Devika Shahani, Ashok Banthia, Javed Rizvi

Mobile : +91.98211.490490 | email: [email protected] | website: www.solarispictures.com Sridhar Rangayan

DUVIDHA A rapist and serial killer strikes again - but his latest victim escapes… A married woman is the only witness, but she cannot confess because she was with her secret lover at that time. She asks her lover to report! Everybody is in a dilemma -

the lady, the lover & the rape victim.

Akshay Anand, Vaishnavi, Sunita Sengupta, Harsh Chayya

UNMAAD A friend of the husband who comes to stay for a few days falls in love with the wife! He kills the husband... and the wife comes to know… through photographs clicked from an automatic camera! What will she do?

How will she avenge her dear husband's murder?

Mona Ambegaonkar, Raj Zutshi, Vinay Pathak

THE STALKER An innocent taxi driver is convicted of the murder of a cop… the cop's brother makes sure he gets a life imprisonment. Now after 8 years he is out … to torment the brother and his ex- girlfriend… it is a vicious cat and mouse game… the stalker & the stalked!!

Pawan Malhotra, Vinay Jain, Tara Mehta, Winnie Paranjpye, Navin Bawa

music video

W E A R E I N D I A N S

5 minutes - a tribute to the Kargil war heroes. Sung by :

Kavita Krishnamurthy, Vinod Rathod, Sunidhi Chavan

Mobile : +91.98211.490490 | email: [email protected] | website: www.solarispictures.com Sridhar Rangayan

ad films

LIFE INSURANCE CORPORATION

TV Commercial ~ Jeevan Suraksha pension plan – 30 sec., 8 languages

RUPA FRONTLINE

TV Commercial ~ Rupa Frontline – 30 sec., 20 Sec. Hindi

DOUBLE DOG DETERGENT POWDER

TV Commercial ~ Double Dog – 20 sec., 30 Sec. Hindi

promos

MARUTI INTERNATIONAL

Curtain Raiser - Mann ( feature film )

TIPS

Curtain Raiser - Dulhan Hum le Jaayenge ( feature film )

ZEE TELEFILMS

9 promos, each 22 sec, Hindi - Sawaal Dus Karod Ka (game show)

corporate films

GODREJ & BOYCE

Corporate Film ~ Furniture Business Group - 10 min. English Corporate Film ~ Storwel Business Group - 12 min. English

Mobile : +91.98211.490490 | email: [email protected] | website: www.solarispictures.com Sridhar Rangayan

NSDL (National Securities Depository Limited)

Corporate Film ~ Retailers Film – 20 min., Investors Film –18 min.

JOHNSON TILES

Corporate Film ~ 10 min., English

KONICA PHIL CORPORATION

Presentation Film ~ 12 min. English

CADENCE

Presentation Film ~ 9 min. English

BROWN GROUP

Presentation Film ~ 8 min., English

documentaries

CANCER PATIENTS AID ASSOCIATION

Corporate Film ~ ‘The Healing Touch’ – 18 min., English Docu-drama ~ ‘On Wings of Hope’ – 25 & 18 min., English, Hindi CAMA HOSPITAL

Docu-drama ~ ‘Jaan Hai to Jahaan Hai’ - 18 min., Hindi UNICEF

Telefilm ~ ‘Surmanthan’ - 40 min., Hindi; with English sub-titles

screenplay, dialogues & associate director

DAWN / AWAKENING (directed by Kalpana Lajmi & Dr.) 26 Episodes on Star Plus / 13 episodes on DD National A dramatic serial in English about a beautiful romance between a tea plantation owner and a servant girl set against the backdrop of the freedom struggle in Assam during the 40s. A lyrical tale on a grandiose scale with elephant catching operation, bihu dances and cavalry of horses.

Shahbaaz Khan, Mona Ambegoankar, Arif Zakaria, Tom Alter, Deepa Lagoo, Vihang Nayak

Mobile : +91.98211.490490 | email: [email protected] | website: www.solarispictures.com Sridhar Rangayan

associate director

Associate Director; Additional Screenplay DARMIYAAN (a film by Kalpana Lajmi) A heartrending story of a born hermaphrodite. Immi is torn between two worlds – one of his famous actress mother who still lives in a delusionary world of money and fame…. And the other of the community of eunuchs who sees him as their natural born ‘guru’. Which world does he really belong to?

Tabu, Kiron Kher, Arif Zakaria, Shahbaaz Khan; Music: Dr.Bhupen Hazarika; Lyrics: ; Cinematography: Santosh Sivan; Choreography: Farah Khan

Associate Director PAPEEHA (a film by Sai Paranjpye) A touching sensitive story set against the backdrop of the lush jungles of Maharastra. A love story between an idealist anthropologist and a scrupulous forest office aided by lovely tribal girls and naughty tribal children. The powers-that-be are plotting to mow the forest down and build a factory. Will the tribals succeed in protecting their environment… will the love story fructify… will the Papeeha (nightingale) continue to sing ? , Winnie Paranjpye, , Manohar Singh; Music: Bhupen Hazarika

assistant director

ENGLISH AUGUST (a film by Dev Benegal)

A cult movie about a ennui-ridden IAS officer who is searching for meaning in work and life. A story told stylistically through innovative screenplay devices, ingenious camerawork and state-of-the-art editing.

Rahul Bose, Shivaji Sattam, Mita Vashisht, Virendra Saxena

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