Anup Bhandari (born 2 March 1982) is an Indian film director, composer and lyricist who works primarily in Kannada cinema. He made his directorial début with the mystery thriller film Rangitaranga (2015), featuring his brother Nirup Bhandari, with whom he frequently collaborates with.[3][4]
Early life
Anup Bhandari was born on 2 March 1982 in Puttur, Karnataka to Sudhakar Bhandary, the director of the television serials Premada Kadambari (1996) and Kurigalu Sir Kurigalu,[5] and Rathna Bhandary. He was brought up in Mysore, where he started learning piano at the age of four[5] and obtained his bachelor's degree in Information Science from Vidya Vikas Institute of Engineering and Technology. After graduating, he joined Infosys Technologies as a Software Engineer in Mysore and eventually moved to New York, where he worked for almost a decade before returning to India to make his debut feature film.[2][6]
Career
Bhandari started off making short films while working for Infosys and won several awards. While in the US, he directed a short film called Words starring Russell Harvard.[7] This paved way for his debut feature film RangiTaranga, starring his brother Nirup Bhandari, Radhika Narayan, Avantika Shetty and Sai Kumar.[8]
RangiTaranga turned out to be one of the biggest blockbusters. It also opened overseas market for Kannada films in a big way. It became the first Kannada film to release in many countries, the first Kannada film to appear on the New York Box Office Listing and the first and only Kannada film to run for 50 days in USA.[9][10][11][12] RangiTaranga was also one of the 305 films shortlisted for the Academy Awards (The Oscars) but did not make it to the final nominations.[13][14]
Anup won several awards for his direction, music direction and lyrics including Filmfare, SIIMA, IIFA and Karnataka State Award.[15][16] Anup followed this up with Rajaratha starring Nirup and Avantika Shetty. The film is narrated from the point of view of a bus, which was voiced by Puneeth. He also provided the music and wrote lyrics for Rockline Productions' Aadi Lakshmi Puraana directed by V. Priya and starring Nirup and Radhika Pandit. 2022 saw the release of the mystery thriller Vikrant Rona.[17]
Personal life
Anup Bhandari is married to Neetha Shetty, who works as costume designer for all his films. They have a daughter Nishka Bhandari. His brother Nirup Bhandari is an actor, who has featured in all of his directorials.
Filmography
As film director
| Year | Film | Notes | Template:Tooltip |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | RangiTaranga | ||
| 2018 | Rajaratha | ||
| 2022 | Vikrant Rona | [18] | |
| 2026 | Billa Ranga Baashaa Template:Dagger | [19] | |
| Template:TBA | Ashwattama Template:Dagger |
As an actor
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Words | 'R' announcer | Short film[20] |
| 2015 | RangiTaranga | Gautham Suvarna | |
| 2018 | Rajaratha | Media reporter | Cameo appearances |
| 2022 | Vikrant Rona | Old photographer | |
| 2025 | Just Married | Anand | [21] |
As lyricist
| Year | Film | Notes | Template:Tooltip |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | RangiTaranga | ||
| 2018 | Rajaratha | ||
| 2019 | Aadi Lakshmi Puraana | ||
| 2019 | Dabangg 3 | Kannada dubbed version | [22] |
| 2021 | Kotigobba 3 | ||
| 2022 | Vikrant Rona | [18] | |
| 2024 | Max | ||
| 2026 | Billa Ranga Baashaa Template:Dagger | [19] | |
| Template:TBA | Ashwattama Template:Dagger |
Short films
| Year | Title | Template:Tooltip |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Life Meets Life | [23][24] |
| Template:N/a | Nemesis | |
| 2010 | Words |
Discography
As composer and playback singer
| Year | Title | Songs | Score | Notes | Template:Tooltip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:N/A | Kurigalu Sir Kurigalu | Template:Yes | Template:No | TV serial; composer of title song | [7] |
| 2015 | RangiTaranga | Template:Yes | Template:No | Playback singer for "Akka Pakka" | |
| 2018 | Rajaratha | Template:Yes | Template:No | Playback singer for "Gandaka", "Banana" and "Mundhe Banni" | |
| 2019 | Aadi Lakshmi Puraana | Template:Yes | Template:Yes | Playback singer for "Mutthaala" |
Awards
| Movie | Award | Category | Result | Template:Tooltip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RangiTaranga | 2015 Karnataka State Film Awards | Best Debut Film Of Newcomer Director | Template:Won | [25] |
| 1st IIFA Utsavam | Best Picture | Template:Won | [26] | |
| Best Direction | Template:Won | |||
| Best Music Direction | Template:Won | |||
| Best Lyrics (for "Kareyole") | Template:Won | |||
| 63rd Filmfare Awards South | Best Director | Template:Won | [15] | |
| Best Music Director | Template:Nom | |||
| 5th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Film- Kannada | Template:Nom | [16][27] | |
| Best Debut Director | Template:Won | |||
| Best Music Director | Template:Nom | |||
| Best Lyricist for "Ee Sanje" | Template:Won | |||
| IBNLive Movie Awards | Best Director South | Template:Won | [28] |
References
- ↑ Read about Rakshit Shetty's books of dreams(27 January 2015). Retrieved 4 February 2015.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 It's hard to away from my family: Anup Bhandari - Times of India. The Times Of India(31 May 2015). Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- ↑ 'RangiTaranga' director Anup Bhandari talks about his debut Kannada film completing 100 days | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis. DNA India(13 October 2015). Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- ↑ 3d胆码预测10中10-官网. www.rangitaranga.com. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Saying it aloud. Bangalore Mirror.
- ↑ Techie dumps job to make Kannada flick. Bangalore Mirror.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Filling the silence with Words. Rediff.
- ↑ RANGITARANGA - Bengaluru International Film Festival. engaluru International Film Festival. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- ↑ Box Office Collection: 'RangiTaranga' Creates History to Overpower 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan', 'Baahubali', 'Vaalu' but fails to Beat "Brothers in US, IBTimes. www.ibtimes.co.in(2015-08-18). Retrieved 2021-09-07.
- ↑ Rangitaranga. The Times of India(2020-07-28). Retrieved 2021-09-07.
- ↑ Rangi Taranga does a Bahubali in USA, S, Shyam Prasad. Bangalore Mirror(August 18, 2015). Retrieved 2021-09-07.
- ↑ RangiTaranga Becomes Biggest Overseas Release Ever. Desimartini(2015-08-18). Retrieved 2021-09-07.
- ↑ Never expected 'RangiTaranga' to make it to Oscar race: Anup Bhandari. The Indian Express(2015-12-16). Retrieved 2021-09-07.
- ↑ 88th reminder list Template:Webarchive oscars.org
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Winners: 63rd Filmfare South Awards. The Times of India(19 June 2016). Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 5th SIIMA WINNERS LIST. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- ↑ Kiccha Sudeep - Anup Bhandari's film to be titled 'vikrantrona. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Phantom first look: Sudeep is Vikranth Rona. Indian Express(11 August 2020). Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Kiccha Sudeep shelves 'Billa Ranga Baashaa' to work with director Anup Bhandari?. The News Minute(6 June 2019). Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ↑ WORDS - A Film By Anup Bhandari (FULL MOVIE HQ) *ing RUSSELL HARVARD, MIRIAM GANZ(27 June 2012).
- ↑ CR Bobby's directorial debut, Just Married, wraps shoot(22 April 2024).
- ↑ Anup Bhandari on writing Dabangg 3 Kannada lyrics - Times of India. The Times of India. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
- ↑ Rocking the Box Office With his First Shot, Mohammed, Akram. The New Indian Express(19 December 2015).
- ↑ Saying it aloud(7 March 2010). Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ↑ Karnataka State Film Awards, 2015: Full List, May 17, 2016. Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
- ↑ 'Srimanthudu', 'Rangitaranga' win laurels at IIFA Utsavam. The Indian Express(27 January 2016). Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ↑ 5th SIIMA Awards 2016 Winners List, Nominees, Voting Details. Scoop times(30 June 2016). Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ↑ IBNLive Movie Awards
- IBNLive Movie Awards: Anup Bhandari wins Best Southern director for 'Rangi Taranga'. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
Template:Filmfare Award for Best Director - Kannada Template:Authority control