Mahesh Narayanan | |
|---|---|
 Mahesh in 2011 | |
| Born | (1982-05-02)2 May 1982 (age 43) Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala, India |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Spouse | Ramya |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | |
Mahesh Narayanan (born 2 May 1982) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, editor and cinematographer who predominantly works inMalayalam cinema, he has also worked inTamil andHindi films. He is a recipient of theKerala State Film Award for Best Debut Director (2017) andKerala State Film Award for Best Director (2022).
He is best known for his editing inVishwaroopam andVishwaroopam II, directed byKamal Haasan. His best works as a director includeTake Off (2017)C U Soon (2020)Malik (2021) andAriyippu (2022)
After completing his graduation fromUniversity College Thiruvananthapuram; he joinedM.G.R. Government Film and Television Training Institute inTamil Nadu after which he started working as an advert editor. He subsequently progressed to editing documentaries, short films and entered the film industry withRathri Mazha, a Malayalam film which won fiveKerala State Film Awards.[1]
A few of his most popular films as an editor includesBeautiful,Traffic,Kanyaka Talkies,Viswaroopam, andEnnu Ninte Moideen. After establishing himself as an accomplished and successful editor, Mahesh ventured into writing and made his debut as a writer with 2015 Malayalam filmMili, which opened to rave reviews in Kerala.
In 2017 Mahesh Narayanan progressed into film-making directing his debut featureTake Off,[2] a 2017 Indiandramathriller film, based on theordeal of Indian nurses in the city ofTikrit,Iraq, in 2014 withParvathy Thiruvothu,Kunchacko Boban andFahadh Faasil starring in the lead roles. It is written by Mahesh Narayanan andP. V. Shajikumar. The film was shot in various parts ofDubai and Kerala.Take Off was released on 24 March 2017. The film was a blockbuster at the box office grossing ₹40 crore and running for over 125 days in theaters. The film was in the competition section at various international festivals, includingInternational Film Festival of India andInternational Film Festival of Kerala. The film won a Special Jury Award at the48th International Film Festival of India. The film won fiveKerala State Awards including theBest Debut Director's Award for Mahesh Narayanan.
In June 2020, Mahesh Narayanan announced that his next venture would be en experimental one titledC U Soon, starringFahadh Faasil in a lead role. Mahesh described the film as a small exercise using aniPhone rather than a feature film. It was also revealed that the film would be about 60–65 minutes (the final release time amounted to 1h 38min) in length, and shot in Faasil's flat. Although the film got approval from theFilm Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA), the Kerala Film Producers Association (KFPA) was opposed to the shoot with regards to the disruptions caused by theCOVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, filming was successfully completed on 21 August. Upon itsOTT release inAmazon prime Video the film received positive reviews from the critics. It is India's firstcomputer screen film.[3]C U Soon was screened under the category of screen-life at the42nd Moscow International Film Festival[4]
Mahesh Narayanan was born inThiruvananthapuram to Dr. Geetha and Narayanan. He has a younger brother named Dr.Ganesh Narayanan. He is married to Ramya and has one daughter.
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Editor | Director | Screenwriter | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Rathri Mazha | Yes | No | No | |
| 2008 | Positive | Yes | No | No | |
| Phir Kabhi | Yes | No | No | Hindi film | |
| 2009 | Kavya's Diary | Yes | No | No | Telugu film |
| 16 mm: Memories, Movement and a Machine | Yes | No | No | English film | |
| Gulumaal: The Escape | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2010 | Plus Two | Yes | No | No | |
| Pokkiri Raja | Yes | No | No | ||
| Kaaryasthan | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2011 | Makaramanju | Yes | No | No | |
| Seniors | Yes | No | No | ||
| A Pestering Journey | Yes | No | No | English film | |
| The Metro | Yes | No | No | ||
| Three Kings | Yes | No | No | ||
| Karayilekku Oru Kadal Dooram | Yes | No | No | ||
| Beautiful | Yes | No | No | ||
| Traffic | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2012 | Mallu Singh | Yes | No | No | |
| Mr. Marumakan | Yes | No | No | ||
| Casanovva | Yes | No | No | ||
| Trivandrum Lodge | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2013 | Natholi Oru Cheriya Meenalla | Yes | No | No | |
| Kammath & Kammath | Yes | No | No | ||
| Chennaiyil Oru Naal | Yes | No | No | Tamil film | |
| Olipporu | Yes | No | No | ||
| Vishwaroopam | Yes | No | No | Best Editor atJagran Film Festival 2013; Hindi-Tamil bilingual film | |
| Mumbai Police | Yes | No | No | ||
| Sound Thoma | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2014 | How Old Are You? | Yes | No | No | |
| Cousins | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2015 | Mili | Yes | No | Yes | Also Writer |
| 36 Vayadhinile | Yes | No | No | Tamil film | |
| Nirnayakam | Yes | No | No | ||
| Love 24x7 | Yes | No | No | ||
| Ennu Ninte Moideen | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2016 | Traffic | Yes | No | No | Hindi film |
| 2017 | Udaharanam Sujatha | Yes | No | No | |
| Take Off | Yes | Yes | Yes | Kerala State Film Award for Best Debut Director | |
| 2018 | B.Tech | Yes | No | No | |
| Abrahaminte Santhathikal | Yes | No | No | ||
| Vishwaroopam II | Yes | No | No | Hindi-Tamil bilingual film | |
| 2019 | Uyare | Yes | No | No | |
| 2020 | C U Soon | Yes | Yes | Yes | Amazon Prime Film; Also as cinematographer |
| 2021 | Aarkkariyam | Yes | No | No | |
| Nayattu | Yes | No | No | ||
| Mālik | Yes | Yes | Yes | Amazon Prime Film | |
| 2022 | Malayankunju | No | No | Yes | Also as cinematographer |
| Ariyippu | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also as co-Producing with Udaya Pictures and shebin backer | |
| 2024 | Manorathangal | No | Yes | Yes | Segment:Sherleck |
| 2025 | Thalavara | No | No | No | As producer[29] |
| 2026 | Patriot† | No | Yes | Yes | |
| TBA | Phantom Hospital† | No | Yes | Yes | Directorial debut in Hindi film; Co-writer with Akash Mohimen |