Nalin Kumar Pandya
Mini Biography
Pan Nalin, came into limelight with his debut feature film Samsara (2001).
Nalin, a self-taught filmmaker, was born in a remote village in Gujarat, India. The richest thing his family gave to him was his spiritual upbringing. As a child, Nalin disliked schools; instead he used to paint and draw. He also actively participated in staging folk theater and mythological dramas.
However, he only saw his first movie at age of nine - since that day he always wanted to make movies. Later, as a teenager, he left his family and village in pursuit of cinema. After studies in Fine arts and Design and after shooting some four animation and twenty short silent films, Nalin concluded that the best film school is life itself.
He traveled widely all over India and finally moved to Mumbai (Bombay) where he worked as production runner. In no time the producers recognized Nalin's talent and offered him a chance to direct commercials and corporate films.
Nalin lived in USA and UK for short time and then went on a six-months' nomadic existence in Europe. On returning to India, he roamed the Himalayas in search of his voice. After a long process of unlearning he developed ideas for several feature films. Along with the process of writing he experimented with the short fiction film forms. Nalin also made several documentaries. His recent feature length documentary Ayurveda: Art of Being (2001) is at present in theatrical release worldwide.
His first feature film Samsara was a huge commercial and critical success worldwide and won him some thirty plus international awards. Many critics and spectators considered it a groundbreaking film. Samsara has already grossed US$ 20million.
Nalin's latest feature film Valley of Flowers has been pres-sold to 40 countries and is currently enjoying theatrical release with critical and commercial success worldwide. Valley of Flowers was filmed in remote, high altitude Himalayas and in Japan. Valley of Flowers won best Picture at IFFLA Los Angles, also won four nominations at IAAC New York including The Best Picture and The Best Director.
In 2006 Pan Nalin was awarded Spain's highly prestigious Award Vida Sana for his contribution as a filmmaker to the ecology, thus an earth keeper.
Also in early 2007, TMG (David Flint's Triangle Media Group UK) awarded Pan Nalin as one of the Top 50 Achievers in Global Mainstream Media in the field of Film, Theater & Drama.
Pan Nalin is probably the only Indian screenwriter to be twice invited to a prestigious Screenwriter's lab Equinoxe with top Hollywood screenwriters including; Ron Bass (Rainman..), David and Janet People (Unforgiven, Blade Runner...) Jim Hart (Dracula, Contact, Lara Croft), and Shane Black, (Lethal Weapon, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang...) among others. The writer's lab is headed by legendary Diva of French cinema Jeanne Moreau.
On many occasions Pan Nalin has also been invited to many prestigious literature, arts or Media conclaves. The recent one being at the Jaipur Literature Festival where Nalin was invited to be on the panel for "Art of Adaptation for Screen" with Oscar winner Christopher Hampton.
Pan Nalin is currently working on his first English language epic Buddha.
Pan Nalin lives in France & India.
Trivia
Lives and works in France & India. Post-Samsara he was being chased by many Hollywood agents and producers.
He has done indepth research on Asian Martial Arts and met some of the greatest masters, yet unknown to the world.
As a teenager, he ran a film club in India and has the biggest collection of world cinema.
He writes all his scripts in English but has made films in Hindi, Japanese, Tibetan, Manipuri and English.
Lived among Rastafarians in Jamaica.
He is considered a great savy of Asian Religions and Spirituality, Martial Arts, Literature and cinema. Has done groundbreaking work on the life of Buddha and Bodhidharma in India, Japan, China & Korea.
Taking inspiration from "Notes on the Cinematographer" a book by Robert Bresson, Pan Nalin has written a book titled "Notes on the Zenematographer."
Awarded, Along with M. Night Shyamalan, as one of the Top 50 Achievers in Global Mainstream Media in the field of Film, Theater & Drama by TMG in UK (David Flint's Triangle Media Group).
At an age of 24, one of the first job as director, Nalin directed six episodes on Jazz Fusion in India starring Max Roach, Freddie Hubbard, Stephane Grappelli, L. Shankar and Alla Rakha.
Pan Nalin, at an age of 22, created a TV series concept together with India's most famous cartoonist R.K. Laxman. In their idea the main central character never speaks. Later the same concept became all time successful TV series in India known as Wagle ki Duniya. However the producers did not keep the hero silent!.
Acting is an act of self realization but in an other self then yours.
Working with actors is to understand non-actor within them. Working with non-actors is to understand actor within them.
If cinema is a manifestation of our life than keep dialogs to minimum or avoid the over-use. Ninety percent of our life we spend in silence, we live in silence.
Invention of the tripod was the best thing that happened to the photography and worst to the cinematography.
We all meet to celebrate life and depart to create memories.
Image is seen by eyes. Sound is seen by mind. Together the images they form are seen by soul.
