Kanu Behl | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1980 (age 45–46) Kapurthala,Punjab, India |
| Alma mater | Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute |
| Occupations | Director, writer |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Spouse | |
| Parent(s) | Lalit Behl Navnindra Behl |
Kanu Behl (born 1980)[1] is anIndian film director and screenwriter. He is known for his work in Hindi cinema.
He assisted directorDibaker Banerjee on the cult hitOye Lucky! Lucky Oye! and co-wroteLSD:Love Sex aur Dhokha.
His directorial debut,Titli, appeared at several international film festivals, including Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, Zurich, Filmfest Hamburg, and BFI London. The script ofTitli was selected byNFDC for the Screenwriters' Lab 2012, later winning the Post Production Award at Film Bazaar's Work-In-Progress Lab.
Titli was nominated for Caméra d'Or at 2014 Cannes Film Festival.
Kanu Behl spent his early years inPatiala, Punjab before moving toDelhi in 1990. Both his parents,Navnindra Behl andLalit Behl[2] are writer-actor-directors and also directed telefilms for the state-runDoordarshan channel.[1]
He studied atApeejay School, Noida and sought a bachelor's degree in business fromShaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Delhi University. In 2003, he joined theSatyajit Ray Film and Television Institute and pursued a PG Diploma in Cinema.[3] While at the institute, he attended theBerlinale Talent Campus 2007 and made his documentary 'An Actor Prepares', about a struggling actor, who after seven years decides to give himself 15 days to make it in the film industry or return home. The documentary entered competitively atCinéma du Réel 2007, a documentary film festival in France.[1]
In January 2019 Behl married music composerSneha Khanwalkar.[4][5]
After graduating from SRFTI, he produced and directed documentaries for the international channelsNHK, Japan andZDF/Arte. He worked withDibakar Banerjee on the feature filmOye Lucky! Lucky Oye! as anAssistant director. In 2010, he co-wrote the critically acclaimedLove Sex aur Dhokha with Banerjee and was chief assistant director on the project.[6]
In 2012, the script of his first independent feature filmTitli, was selected byNFDC for the Screenwriters' Lab 2012, which later won the 'Post-Production Award' at Film Bazaar'sWork-In-Progress Lab in 2013.[7]Titli, appeared at several international film festivals, including the2014 Cannes Film Festival,[8]Melbourne International Film Festival,[9] Rio de Janeiro International,Zurich Film Festival,[10]Filmfest Hamburg,[11]BFI London Film Festival[12] and theChicago International Film Festival.[13] Written and directed by Behl and co-produced byDibakar Banerjee Productions andYash Raj Films,Titli was selected to take part in theUn Certain Regard section of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.[14][15]
| Year | Film | Credited as | Notes | Ref(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Lyricist | Other | ||||
| 2008 | Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! | Yes | Assistant director | [16] | |||
| Dahleez Paar | Yes | Editor | TV movie | ||||
| Three Blind Men | Yes | Yes | Short film | [17] | |||
| 2010 | Love Sex Aur Dhokha | Yes | Yes | First assistant director | [18] | ||
| 2014 | Titli | Yes | Yes | Directorial debut | [19] | ||
| 2019 | Binnu Ka Sapna | Yes | Yes | Short film | [20] | ||
| 2023 | Agra | Yes | Yes | Producer | Premiered in the Directors' Fortnight section of theCannes and screened at theBIFF in October 2023. | [21][22] | |
| 2024 | Despatch | Yes | Yes | Premiered at theMAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024 under the Gala Premieres section. | [23][24] | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
