Amit Rai is an Indian director and writer who rose to fame in 2023 with the film “OMG 2”.
Wiki/Biography
Amit Babulal Rai was born in 1977 in Goldinganj, Chhapra, Bihar, India (46 years old; as of 2023). Later he moved to Ulhasnagar in Thane, Maharashtra. He completed his education from KSP Jai Hind College, Ulhasnagar. He has had a passion for filmmaking since his teenage years. However, his father wanted him to become an engineer or a doctor, so he pursued a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and later a master’s degree in computer science from RK Talreja College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Ulhasnagar. After graduating from college, he started tutoring and was known locally as Masterji. After about three years of tuition, he became financially independent and decided to work in the entertainment industry. Later, he convinced his father to allow him to pursue a career in filmmaking and pursued a master’s degree in theater from the Performing Arts Center of Savitribai Phule Pune University, popularly known as Lalit Kala Kendra. Before turning to film, he worked in theater for 14 years as an actor, director and set designer.
Amit Rai (left) with a drama-era friend
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′ 9″
Weight (approximately): 70 kg
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Black
family
He comes from a middle-class family.
Parents and siblings
His father’s name is Babulal Rai. Amit has a younger brother.
Babulal Rai, father of Amit Rai
wife and children
He is married and has a son.
Amit Ray’s son
religion
He believes in Hinduism.
Profession
Assistant Director
After completing his education in film production, he worked as an assistant to several renowned directors such as Anurag Basu and Anurag Kashyap. In 2008, he participated in the filming of the Marathi film “Tingya”.
director
Movie
In 2010, he made his directorial debut with Road to Sangam, starring Paresh Rawal, Pavan Malhotra, Om Puri and Mahatma Gandhi Starring Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of . The idea for the film came to him in 2006 after he heard a story about a Muslim mechanic named Hasmatullah who repaired a vehicle carrying the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948. The film was well received by critics and won more than 10 international awards including Best Feature Film at Germany’s Radar Hamburg Festival and Best Narrative Feature Film at New Mexico’s White Sands Festival.
Amit Rai (left) with Om Puri and Paresh Rawal during the filming of his debut feature, Road to Sangam
Amit Rai Released in 2023 Starring Akshay Kumar, Pankaj Tripathi, Yami Gautam and the Aarush Varma-starrer film OMG 2, which earned global fame as it was well received by the public and critics for its subtle plot. Many people praised his work as a director and said that he explained the complex and sensitive topic of sex education in a very simple way without any vulgar scenes. The film received an A rating from CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification); however, upon release, Amit Rai criticized the CBFC’s decision and asked the board to change the rating.
Amit Rai (center) during the promotion of “OMG 2”
short film
In 2017, his first short film “Ipad” was based on the theme of feminine sanitary napkins. He tells the story of a man who built a machine to produce cheap sanitary napkins, inspired by Arunachalam Muruganantham in Tamil Nadu. In 2020, he directed a short film called “Chasing the Light”, which tells the story of a man who went to a remote area of Maharashtra to treat indigenous cataracts; the film won awards at multiple international film festivals. awards.
Amit Rai (centre, standing) while filming his first short film, Ipad
writer
He has written the story of OMG 2 (2023) and Dear Jassy, which is expected to be released in 2023.
Awards and Honors
- 2009 South African International Film Festival Director’s First Film Award
- Director’s Vision Award, Stuttgart Indian Film Festival
- Gollappudi Srinivas National Award 2010
Amit Rai (far right) receives the 2010 Gollapudi Srinivas National Award
- Jaglan Film Festival Best Director Award
Facts / Trivia
- Amit Rai became interested in filmmaking as a teenager while working with his father. Interestingly, his father worked in a factory and gave a loan to one of his friends who traveled to Dubai. His father has given up hope of returning his money. However, his friend came back and gave him a world-class video recorder. They didn’t have a TV, so his father tried to sell the VCR; however, the store owner, knowing that Amit’s father was out of a job, advised his father to buy a TV in installments and open a video store. Amit started helping his father run the video store business and often watched movies with customers, and over time he developed an interest in the filmmaking process.
- After passing his school examinations, Amit Rai passed the entrance examination to the National School of Drama (NSD), Delhi; however, his father prevented him from moving to Delhi. A few years later, after convincing his father to pursue a career in entertainment, he appeared for the entrance examination at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune, but failed by one point.
- When he showed up for the admission interview at the Performing Arts Center of the University of Savitri, Paipurapuna, he did not understand Marathi; however, interview panelist Waman Kendre at the NSD seminar Having met Amit, he asked Amit to perform a solo play. Amit performed a Tughlaq drama in Bhojpuri and was subsequently selected. He later learned Marathi and topped the course.
- Amit Rai’s father did not like him as a director; however, during a screening of his debut film Road to Sangam in 2010, his father saw and heard many people praising Amit’s direction Afterwards, I got emotional. According to reports, on the way home from the screening, Amit’s father kept talking about him and his applause.
Amit Rai and Jasbir Jassi (left) after the release of “Road to Sangam”
- In 2010, after the release of Amit’s debut film “Road to Sangam”, he requested the Uttar Pradesh government to make the film tax-free in the state. When an official said there was no problem with Amit’s film getting tax exemption; however, Amit was yet to submit the required documents. Amit responded that he submitted some documents during the meeting and faxed the rest on the same day.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education