Prakash Varma
Prakash Varma | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Varma in 2012 | |
| Born | |
| Occupations |
|
| Spouse | Sneha Iype |
| Relatives | Jagannatha Varma (uncle) |
| Website | nirvanafilms |
Prakash Varma is an Indian filmmaker who is known for directing and producing advertisement campaigns.[1][2][3] He has directed commercials for Vodafone featuring the ZooZoos, Incredible India, Cadbury and the Indian Railways.[4] Varma is the co-founder of Nirvana Films, a Bangalore-based production company, for which he has directed commercials for Kit Kat, Bisleri, Netflix, Amazon Prime, iPhone, PhonePe and UltraTech Cement.[5] He has also directed campaigns for Kerala Tourism and Dubai Tourism, which featured Shah Rukh Khan.[6]
In 2009, American filmmaker Michael Bay hired Varma to direct commercials for his company The Institute.[7]
Early life
[edit]Varma was born and brought up in Alappuzha, Kerala, India.[8] His father and mother were teachers. He is an alumnus of SD College, Alappuzha.[9] Varma is nephew to Malayalam film actor Jagannatha Varma.[10] He has four brothers. In an interview, Varma said that he knows his family is related to painter Raja Ravi Varma, but has "no clue how". He worked in Pfizer before pursuing his passion in filmmaking.[11]
Career
[edit]After graduation from college, Varma worked as assistant director to filmmakers A. K. Lohithadas and Viji Thampi.[8] He began a career is commercials as an assistant to then ad filmmaker V. K. Prakash.[9] After three years of assisting Prakash under the ad company Trends, in 2001, Varma and his wife set up their own production house, Nirvana Films, in Bangalore.[11] The company's first notable ad was for WagonR's Feel at Home series, which won an awards for the best campaign of 2001. He also directed ad for Bajaj XCD 135.[8] His campaign for Hutch featuring a pug was so popular that the price for pugs rose in India. He has also done ad for Airtel.[11] He directed campaigns for Vodafone featuring the characters ZooZoos, sketched by himself. He then went on to make notable ads, including Titan, Hyundai Santro, Chevrolet Optra, Frooti, Lee, Pond's.[8]
In 2009, American filmmaker Michael Bay hired Varma to direct commercials for his company The Institute.[7]
He also directed ads for Cadbury Gems, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Facebook, iPhone, Indian Railways, Kerala Tourism, Rajasthan Tourism, Madhya Pradesh Tourism, West Bengal Tourism, Incredible India. In 2013, he produced the Malayalam film Ezhu Sundara Rathrikal directed by Lal Jose and also directed a promo song in the film, "Pettidamaarum Aapathil".[9] His ad for Greenply served as the inspiration for Lijo Jose Pellissery's 2022 film Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam. In 2025, he made his acting debut with Thudarum, playing CI George Mathan, for which he received widespread critical acclaim.[1]
Personal life
[edit]Varma married Sneha Iype, whom he met when the two were working in V. K. Prakash's Trends in Bangalore. The couple has twin sons. In 2001, they founded the production company Nirvana Films. He resides in Whitefield, Bengaluru.[11]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Ezhu Sundara Rathrikal | — | Producer |
| 2014 | Gangster | — | Opening narrator |
| 2025 | Thudarum | CI George C. Mathan | Acting debut |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Who is Prakash Varma, the debut actor who gave Mohanlal a run for his money in Tharun Moorthy's Thudarum?". The Indian Express. 28 April 2025. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "Meet actor who directed ads with Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone; is now going toe-to-toe with Mohanlal in Thudarum". Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "Meet Prakash Varma: The Ad Filmmaker Who Stole The Show As CI George Mathan In Mohanlal's Thudarum". News18. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "Vodafone's beloved 'ZooZoo' ad creator makes brilliant debut in 'Thudarum': Meet Prakash Varma". Vodafone's beloved 'ZooZoo' ad creator makes brilliant debut in 'Thudarum': Meet Prakash Varma. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "Film & Ads: Best Advertisement Production Houses - Economic Times". web.archive.org. 18 March 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "Meet Prakash Varma, the first-time villain from Mohanlal's Thudarum. Bonus: He also created the famous ZooZoo ads". Financialexpress. 27 April 2025. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ a b Nyayapati, Neeshita (27 April 2025). "Meet actor who directed ads with Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone; is now going toe-to-toe with Mohanlal in Thudarum". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
- ^ a b c d "The world of Zoozoos". The Hindu. 21 May 2009.
- ^ a b c "'കരണം നോക്കി ഒന്ന് പൊട്ടിക്കാൻ തോന്നുന്ന വില്ലൻ'; ആരാണ് 'തുടരും' ചിത്രത്തിലെ സിഐ ജോർജ് സാർ". Mathrubhumi (in Malayalam). 26 April 2025. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
- ^ Alexander, Princy (1 May 2025). "Mohanlal was very protective while filming an action scene with me: 'Thudarum' actor Prakash Varma | Exclusive". OnManorama. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Meet the Zoozoo creator". Bangalore Mirror. 9 May 2009. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
External links
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