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{{short description|Indian film critic and journalist}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2018}}
{{lead too short|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Baradwaj Rangan
| image = Baradwaj Rangan Sept 2014.JPG
| caption = Rangan in September 2014
| occupation = Film critic, writer
| years_active = 2003–present
| awards = [[National Film Award for Best Film Critic]]
| website = [http://baradwajrangan.wordpress.com/ Official website]
}}

'''Baradwaj Rangan''' is an [[Indian people|Indian]] film critic, writer, and formerly the deputy editor of ''[[The Hindu]]''. He later became a senior editor of [[Film Companion]]. Rangan won the [[National Film Award for Best Film Critic]] in 2006. Before joining ''The Hindu'', Rangan wrote for ''[[The New Indian Express]]''. He has also authored two books, worked as a screenwriter, and is a teacher at the [[Asian College of Journalism, Chennai]].

== Career ==

Baradwaj Rangan had no formal training in filmmaking or cinema writing.<ref name="MagnaMags" /> He is a [[chemical engineering]] graduate from [[Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani]].<ref name="DFF" /> According to him, it was a time when "parents considered only [[medicine]] or engineering" to be "serious professions", that he did not have interest but continued with it anyway.<ref name="MagnaMags" /> Rangan claims that he was fascinated with writing and liked reading critical analyses on [[world cinema]], especially those by American critics.<ref name="MagnaMags" /> He was selected for a workshop by the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), Mumbai which led to him having a stint as a copywriter with [[J. Walter Thompson]] in Chennai.<ref name="MagnaMags" /><ref name="DFF" /> After that, Rangan received a full scholarship from the [[Marquette University]], [[Milwaukee]] for a [[Master's degree]] in Advertising and Public relations, focusing on Internet advertising. Later, Rangan worked as an [[Information technology consulting|IT Consultant]] in the United States for about five years. He still had the urge to write and started reviewing films for the website <code>sitagita.com</code>.<ref name="DFF" /> That was when he was noticed by Sushila Ravindranath, then the editor of ''The New Sunday Express'', the Sunday edition of ''[[The New Indian Express]]''. Rangan worked there for two years,<ref name="MagnaMags" /> before shifting to ''[[The Hindu]]'', which he became the deputy editor of.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Baradwaj Rangan |url=http://www.caravanmagazine.in/profile/187 |magazine=[[Caravan (magazine)|Caravan]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929094411/http://www.caravanmagazine.in/profile/187 |archive-date=29 September 2015 |access-date=30 November 2015}}</ref> Rangan also wrote for the magazine ''[[Tehelka]]'', while still working at ''The New Indian Express''.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Rangan |first=Baradwaj |date=11 September 2010 |title=What Bollywood can learn from Rajini |url=http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main46.asp?filename=hub110910Whatbollywood.asp |magazine=[[Tehelka]] |volume=7 |issue=36 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151207060643/http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main46.asp?filename=hub110910Whatbollywood.asp |archive-date=7 December 2015 |access-date=7 December 2015}}</ref> His first review was of the Hindi film ''[[Dum (2003 Hindi film)|Dum]]'', published on 30 January 2003 in the ''Madras Plus'' supplement of ''[[The Economic Times]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rangan |first=Baradwaj |date=1 February 2018 |title=Southern Lights: Fifteen years, and Counting... |url=https://www.filmcompanion.in/southern-lights-baradwaj-rangan-on-fifteen-years-as-critic/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411093822/https://www.filmcompanion.in/southern-lights-baradwaj-rangan-on-fifteen-years-as-critic/ |archive-date=11 April 2019 |access-date=11 April 2019 |website=[[Film Companion]]}}</ref>

Rangan has authored two books: ''Conversations with Mani Ratnam'' (2012), wherein he interviews film director [[Mani Ratnam]] on the perspectives of his films,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Guha |first=Aniruddha |date=9 December 2012 |title=30 years, 22 films, 1 book: 'Conversations With Mani Ratnam' |work=[[Daily News and Analysis]] |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report-30-years-22-films-1-book-conversations-with-mani-ratnam-1775183 |access-date=30 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826114311/http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report-30-years-22-films-1-book-conversations-with-mani-ratnam-1775183 |archive-date=26 August 2014}}</ref><ref name="tehelkaMani" /> and ''Dispatches From The Wall Corner: A Journey through Indian Cinema'' (2014),<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bhatia |first=Sidharth |date=7 December 2014 |title=Book review: Dispatches from the Wall Corner — A book for movie lovers |work=[[Deccan Chronicle]] |url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/141207/lifestyle-booksart/article/book-review-dispatches-wall-corner-book-movie-lovers |access-date=1 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150425111005/http://www.deccanchronicle.com/141207/lifestyle-booksart/article/book-review-dispatches-wall-corner-book-movie-lovers |archive-date=25 April 2015}}</ref> which he describes as a "panoramic view of Indian cinema".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Trilok |first=Krishna |date=24 October 2014 |title=South's Most Wanted |work=[[Indulge Express]] |url=http://indulge.newindianexpress.com/souths-most-wanted/chennai/19681 |access-date=30 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217213836/http://indulge.newindianexpress.com/souths-most-wanted/chennai/19681 |archive-date=17 December 2014}}</ref> He also wrote an essay in ''Subramaniyapuram: The Tamil Film in English Translation'' (2014).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kamath |first=Sudhish |author-link=Sudhish Kamath |date=20 January 2014 |title=Subramaniapuram in English |work=The Hindu |url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/subramaniapuram-in-english/article5597346.ece |access-date=19 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140124233303/http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/subramaniapuram-in-english/article5597346.ece |archive-date=24 January 2014}}</ref> Rangan made his debut as a dialogue writer with ''[[Kadhal 2 Kalyanam]]'',<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 March 2013 |title='Kadhal 2 Kalyanam' to release finally |work=[[The Times of India]] |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Kadhal-2-Kalyanam-to-release-finally/articleshow/20328670.cms? |url-status=dead |access-date=30 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017155133/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Kadhal-2-Kalyanam-to-release-finally/articleshow/20328670.cms |archive-date=17 October 2015}}</ref> which never saw a theatrical release.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kamath |first=Sudhish |date=19 April 2014 |title=No country for new films |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/no-country-for-new-films/article5928808.ece |access-date=30 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426090820/http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/no-country-for-new-films/article5928808.ece |archive-date=26 April 2014}}</ref> He later wrote the screenplay for ''[[Kalki (2017 film)|Kalki]]'', a 2017 release.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Srivatsan |date=17 May 2017 |title=Kalki movie review: A low-key yet intriguing story about love and time |work=[[India Today]] |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/kalki-movie-review-kishore-kumar-yasmin-ponnappa-dhilip/1/955923.html |url-status=live |access-date=24 July 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170724115004/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/kalki-movie-review-kishore-kumar-yasmin-ponnappa-dhilip/1/955923.html |archive-date=24 July 2017}}</ref> He also teaches a course on cinema at the [[Asian College of Journalism, Chennai]],<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Ford-Powell |first=Ken |date=2 January 2013 |title=Conversations with Mani Ratnam by Baradwaj Rangan |url=http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2013/01/conversations-with-mani-ratnam-by-baradwaj-rangan.html |magazine=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530063748/http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2013/01/conversations-with-mani-ratnam-by-baradwaj-rangan.html |archive-date=30 May 2015 |access-date=30 November 2015}}</ref> and has interviewed notable personalities like producer/writer [[G. Dhananjayan]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rangan |first=Baradwaj |date=17 March 2011 |title=Romancing the screen |work=The Hindu |url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/romancing-the-screen/article1546436.ece |access-date=5 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141203220410/http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/romancing-the-screen/article1546436.ece |archive-date=3 December 2014}}</ref> and director [[Gautham Vasudev Menon]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rangan |first=Baradwaj |date=17 December 2006 |title=Interview: Gautham Menon |url=https://baradwajrangan.wordpress.com/2006/12/17/interview-gautham-menon/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723103129/https://baradwajrangan.wordpress.com/2006/12/17/interview-gautham-menon/ |archive-date=23 July 2015 |access-date=5 December 2015 |website=Baradwaj Rangan}}</ref> Rangan wrote the English narrative for the 2014 play ''Meghadootam: The Cloud Messenger''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Saranyan |first=Vidya |date=31 July 2014 |title=This love missive was magical |work=[[The Hindu]] |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/review-of-operatic-dance-ballet-meghadootam-the-cloud-messenger/article6267749.ece |url-status=live |access-date=28 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309103304/https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/review-of-operatic-dance-ballet-meghadootam-the-cloud-messenger/article6267749.ece |archive-date=9 March 2021}}</ref> A short story written by him, ''The Call'', was published in ''The Indian Quarterly'' magazine.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Rangan |first=Baradwaj |date=April–June 2016 |title=The Call |url=http://indianquarterly.com/the-call/ |url-status=live |magazine=The Indian Quarterly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411112448/http://indianquarterly.com/the-call/ |archive-date=11 April 2019 |access-date=11 April 2019}}</ref> As of 2017, Rangan was the editor of ''[[Film Companion South]]'',<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rangan |first=Baradwaj |date=7 April 2017 |title=The Mani Ratnam formula: 'Be entertaining, but remain honest to your original thought' |work=[[The Hindu]] |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/the-mani-ratnam-formula-be-entertaining-but-remain-honest-to-your-original-thought/article17867080.ece |url-status=live |access-date=10 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713080031/http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/the-mani-ratnam-formula-be-entertaining-but-remain-honest-to-your-original-thought/article17867080.ece |archive-date=13 July 2017}}</ref> and left in 2022.<ref>{{Cite tweet |number=1503700552848347143 |user=fcompanionsouth |title=“Iron Man exits the frame” - Thank you @baradwajrangan for everything you did to build Film Companion South. There's no one like you! |author=Film Companion South |author-link=Film Companion South |date=15 March 2022 |access-date=18 March 2022}}</ref> He is also a member of the [[Film Critics Circle of India]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Members |url=http://filmcriticscircle.com/members/# |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324080037/http://filmcriticscircle.com/members/ |archive-date=24 March 2017 |access-date=24 March 2017 |website=[[Film Critics Circle of India]]}}</ref>

In October 2018, Rangan was a guest speaker at [[India Film Project]] where he discussed about a critic's job and the role of criticism in the 'Insta Generation' along with critics [[Rajeev Masand]] and [[Vikramaditya Motwane]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=1 October 2018 |title=Ali Fazal, Mallika Dua to attend India Film Project |work=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]] |agency=[[Indo-Asian News Service|IANS]] |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/ali-fazal-mallika-dua-to-attend-india-film-project/1394297 |url-status=live |access-date=9 April 2019 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190409090106/https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/ali-fazal-mallika-dua-to-attend-india-film-project/1394297 |archive-date=9 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rangan |first=Baradwaj |last2=Masand |first2=Rajeev |author-link2=Rajeev Masand |last3=Motwane |first3=Vikramaditya |author-link3=Vikramaditya Motwane |date=13 October 2018 |title=The Critic's job: Role of criticism in the Insta generation |url=https://www.facebook.com/IndiaFilmProject/videos/274012466558495/ |access-date=9 April 2019 |publisher=[[India Film Project]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

== Awards ==
At the [[53rd National Film Awards]] which took place in 2006, Rangan won in the [[National Film Award for Best Film Critic|Best Film Critic]] category. The citation given to him by the jury of the 53rd National Film Awards reads, "The Award is presented for intelligent and reader-friendly reviews of popular cinema with a depth of understanding of the form, a discernible passion for the medium bulwarked consistently by a knowledge of the trends and touchstones of global cinema."<ref name="DFF" /> In 2013, Arul Mani of ''Tehelka'' described Rangan as "far and away the most intelligent writer we have in India when it comes to cinema".<ref name="tehelkaMani" />

== Works ==
* ''[[Conversations with Mani Ratnam]]'' (2012) [[Penguin Books|Penguin UK]], {{ISBN|9788184756906}}
* ''Dispatches from the Wall Corner: A Journey through Indian Cinema'' (2014) Westland, {{ISBN|9789384030568}}

== References ==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="tehelkaMani">{{Cite magazine |last=Mani |first=Arul |date=24 November 2012 |title=Talking Pictures |url=http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main54.asp?filename=hub241112book.asp |magazine=[[Tehelka]] |volume=9 |issue=47 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151028051916/http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main54.asp?filename=hub241112book.asp |archive-date=28 October 2015 |access-date=1 December 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="DFF">{{Cite web |title=53rd National Film Awards |url=http://dff.nic.in/2011/53rd_nff_2006.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029195640/http://dff.nic.in/2011/53rd_nff_2006.pdf |archive-date=29 October 2013 |access-date=24 August 2014 |publisher=[[Directorate of Film Festivals]] |pages=132–133}}</ref>
<ref name="MagnaMags">{{Cite web |last=Shekhar |first=Divya J. |date=28 March 2014 |title=In conversation with Baradwaj Rangan |url=http://www.magnamags.com/stardust-year-book-2015/in-conversation-with-baradwaj-rangan/3715 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151206041712/http://www.magnamags.com/stardust-year-book-2015/in-conversation-with-baradwaj-rangan/3715 |archive-date=6 December 2015 |access-date=6 December 2015 |website=Mandate}}</ref>
}}

== External links ==
* {{official|baradwajrangan.wordpress.com}}
* [https://penguin.co.in/book_author/baradwaj-rangan/ Baradwaj Rangan] at [[Penguin India]]

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rangan, Baradwaj}}
[[Category:Best Critic National Film Award winners]]
[[Category:Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani alumni]]
[[Category:English writers]]
[[Category:Indian film critics]]
[[Category:Indian male journalists]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Writers from Chennai]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]

Baradwaj Rangan - Revision history

UpdateBot at 06:42, 22 June 2022