V. Vijayendra Prasad | |
|---|---|
_02_(cropped)_(cropped).jpg) Prasad in 2018 | |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
| Assumed office 7 July 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Roopa Ganguly |
| Constituency | Nominated (Cinema) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Koduri Viswa Vijayendra Prasad[1] (1942-05-27)27 May 1942 (age 83)[2] |
| Spouse | Raja Nandini |
| Children | 2 includingS. S. Rajamouli |
| Occupation |
|
| Writing career | |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Notable works | Full list |
Koduri Viswa Vijayendra Prasad (born 27 May 1942) is an Indian screenwriter and film director who predominantly works inTelugu cinema.[3] With a career spanning across nearly three decades, his filmography consists of over 25 films as a screenwriter.[4] He is considered to be one of the most successful screenwriter ofIndian cinema.[5][6] He has frequently collaborated with his son, directorS. S. Rajamouli, to deliver some of thehighest-grossing Indian films of all time.
His notable work as a writer includes films likeBobbili Simham (1994),Magadheera (2009),Eega (2012),Baahubali duology (2015–2017),Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) andRRR (2022).[7][8][9][10] In 2011, he has directedRajanna, for which he won theNandi Award for Best Feature Film.[11] In 2016, he won theFilmfare Award for Best Story forBajrangi Bhaijaan.[12]
On 6 July 2022, President of IndiaRam Nath Kovind nominated him as a member ofRajya Sabha, theupper house ofIndian Parliament.[13]
Koduri Viswa Vijayendra Prasad was born on 27 May 1942 in aTelugu family, inKovvur nearRajahmundry,Andhra Pradesh. He studied atSir C. R. Reddy College in Eluru.[4]
Prasad's family had lands in Kovvur which were lost when the railway lines went through most of them.[14] Then, Prasad moved toKarnataka from Kovvur in 1968. He, along with his elder brother K. V. Sivashankar, bought sevenacres of paddy fields inHirekotikal village of Manvi Taluk inRaichur district. Their family moved back to Kovvur in 1977.[15] He also ventured into various businesses which ended up as losses.[4]
His brother Siva Shakthi Datta's passion for films made Vijayendra Prasad and his family to shift toMadras. Datta assisted a couple of directors for some time and started a film titledPillanagrovi which was stopped midway due to financial reasons. As his brother was already in the film industry, Prasad started assisting his brother.[4]
Prasad got introduced toK. Raghavendra Rao through Samatha Arts' Mukherjee who was a friend of his. Raghavendra Rao started giving he and Datta small assignments. They got their first break withJanaki Ramudu (1988) which became successful at the box office.[4][16]
Next, he wrote the filmBangaru Kutumbam (1994) which won theNandi Award for Best Film.[17] His next film wasBobbili Simham (1994) which was commercially successful and earned Prasad recognition as a screenwriter.[4] He later provided the story forSamarasimha Reddy (1999) which became one of the biggest hits of the time inTelugu cinema.[18]
Prasad married Raja Nandini.[19][20] They have two children—a daughter who now lives inAustralia and a sonS. S. Rajamouli, a filmmaker.[19] Prasad is uncle to music composersM. M. Keeravani,M. M. Srilekha, andKalyani Malik.
Prasad dropped 'K' from his name, K. V. Vijayendra Prasad as he felt it was an indicator of his caste.[21][19] He cited Hindu epicsMahabharata andRamayana as a source of his inspiration.[22] He cites 1957 Telugu filmMayabazar, as his all-time favourite film.[23] He also cited the screenwriting duoSalim–Javed (Salim Khan andJaved Akhtar) as a major inspiration on his work, especially their screenplay forSholay (1975), among other films.[24] On 6 July 2022, Indian government nominated Prasad to theRajya Sabha.[13]
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Story | Screenplay | Direction | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Janaki Ramudu | Yes | No | No | Telugu | |
| 1994 | Bangaru Kutumbam | Yes | No | No | ||
| Bobbili Simham | Yes | No | No | |||
| 1995 | Gharana Bullodu | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| Aalu Magalu | Yes | Yes | No | |||
| 1996 | Ardhangi | Yes | Yes | Yes | Directorial debut | |
| Sarada Bullodu | Yes | No | No | Also dialogues | ||
| Appaji | Yes | No | No | Kannada | ||
| 1998 | Kurubana Rani | No | Yes | No | ||
| Yuvarathna Rana | Yes | Yes | No | Telugu | ||
| 1999 | Samarasimha Reddy | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| 2000 | Okkadu Chalu | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2003 | Simhadri | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2004 | Sye | Yes | No | No | ||
| Vijayendra Varma | Yes | Yes | No | |||
| 2005 | Naa Alludu | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| Chatrapathi | Yes | No | No | |||
| Pandu Ranga Vittala | Yes | No | No | Kannada | ||
| 2006 | Sri Krishna 2006 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Telugu | |
| Vikramarkudu | Yes | No | No | |||
| 2007 | Yamadonga | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2009 | Mitrudu | Yes | No | No | ||
| Magadheera | Yes | No | No | |||
| 2011 | Rajanna | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2012 | Eega | Yes | No | No | Telugu Tamil | |
| 2015 | Baahubali: The Beginning | Yes | No | No | ||
| Bajrangi Bhaijaan | Yes | Yes | No | Hindi | ||
| 2016 | Jaguar | Yes | No | No | Kannada Telugu | |
| 2017 | Baahubali 2: The Conclusion | Yes | No | No | Telugu Tamil | |
| Srivalli | Yes | Yes | Yes | Telugu | ||
| Mersal | No | Yes | No | Tamil | ||
| 2019 | Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi | Yes | Yes | No | Hindi | |
| 2021 | Thalaivii | No | Yes | No | Tamil Hindi | |
| 2022 | RRR | Yes | No | No | Telugu | |
| 2025 | Baahubali: The Epic | Yes | No | No | Telugu | |
| 2027 | Varanasi† | Yes | No | No | Telugu |
| Award | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filmfare Awards | 2016 | Best Story | Bajrangi Bhaijaan | Won | [25][26] |
| International Indian Film Academy Awards | 2016 | Best Story | Nominated | [27][28] | |
| Best Screenplay | Won | ||||
| Nandi Awards | 2011 | Second Best Feature Film | Rajanna | Won | |
| Producers Guild Film Awards | 2015 | Best Story | Bajrangi Bhaijaan | Won | [29][30] |
| Screen Awards | 2016 | Best Story | Won | [31] | |
| Stardust Awards | 2015 | Best Story | Nominated | [32][33] | |
| Best Screenplay | Nominated |
{{cite web}}:|last2= has generic name (help)Very early in his career, he dropped 'K' from his name, KV Vijayendra Prasad, because "it was an indicator of my caste". "The caste system is at the root of most problems our country faces. I want it eradicated but it's not enough to preach without practising it."
