Kanu Behl

Kanu Behl is a multiple award-winning writer and director. He previously assisted director Dibaker Banerjee on the cult hit Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! and also co-wrote LSD: Love Sex aur Dhokha.

Kanu Behl
Born (1980-06-13) 13 June 1980
Kapurthala, Punjab, India
NationalityIndian
Alma materSatyajit Ray Film and Television Institute
OccupationDirector, writer
Years active2005–present
Spouse(s)
Sneha Khanwalkar (m. 2019)
Parent(s)Lalit Behl
Navnindra Behl

Titli, his directorial debut, has excelled and been honoured at several prestigious international film festivals, including Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, Zurich, Filmfest Hamburg, and BFI London, among several others. The script of Titli was selected by NFDC 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, the only Indian feature film in Cannes that year, and was awarded at multiple international film festivals. He is currently developing his next feature, Agra, as well a series for a leading platform.

Early life and education

Kanu Behl spent his early years in Patiala, Punjab before moving to Delhi in 1990. Both his parents, Navnindra and Lalit Behl are writer-actor-directors and also directed telefilms for the state-run Doordarshan channel.[1]

He studied at Apeejay School, Noida and sought a bachelor's degree in Business from Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Delhi University. In 2003, he joined the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute and pursued a PG Diploma in Cinema.[2] While at the Institute, he attended the Berlinale 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 at Cinéma du Réel 2007, a documentary film festival in France.[1]

He is son of indian actor, director Lalit Behl.[3] in January 2019 Behl married to the music composer Sneha Khanwalkar.[4][5]

Career

After graduating from SRFTI, he produced and directed documentaries for international channels like NHK, Japan and ZDF/Arte. He worked with Dibakar Banerjee on the feature film Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! as an Assistant director. In 2010, he co-wrote the critically acclaimed Love Sex aur Dhokha with Banerjee and was the chief assistant director on the project.[6]

In 2012, the script of his first independent feature film Titli, was selected by NFDC for the Screenwriters' Lab 2012, which later won the 'Post-Production Award' at Film Bazaar's Work-In-Progress Lab in 2013.[7] Titli, his directorial debut, has excelled and been honoured at several prestigious international film festivals since its completion, including the 2014 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] & Chicago International Film Festival[13] among several others. Written and directed by Behl and co-produced by Dibakar Banerjee Productions and Yash Raj Films, Titli was selected to take part in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival,[14][15] the only Indian Feature Film in Cannes that year.

Filmography
Film Year Credited as Notes Ref(s)
Director Writer lyricist Editor Other
Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! 2008 Yes [16]
Dahleez Paar Yes T.V documentary
Three Blind Men Yes Short film [17]
Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2010 Yes Yes [18]
Titli 2014 Yes Yes [19]
Binnu Ka Sapna 2019 Yes Yes Short Film [20]

Awards and nominations

References
  1. Dipti Nagpaul (4 May 2014). "Ties That Bind". The Indian Express. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  2. "Distressing portrait of Indian family life in Cannes". telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  3. Khan, Taran (5 October 2015). "Kanu Behl & Sharat Katariya: 'We weren't interested in a top-down gaze on the world'". Mint. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  4. Coutinho, Natasha CoutinhoNatasha; Jan 24, Mumbai Mirror | Updated; 2019; Ist, 06:00. "Kanu Behl and Sneha Khanwalkar tie the knot". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 12 February 2019.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. "Music composer Sneha Khanwalkar ties the knot with director Kanu Bahl". India Today. Ist. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  6. "India's Kanu Behl and Dibakar Banerjee Explain 'Titli' Challenges". https://variety.com/. 20 May 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2015. External link in |publisher= (help)
  7. "YRF's Titli to compete at Cannes Film Festival". India Today. 18 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  8. "India's Indie Film 'Titli' Shines at Cannes". The Wall Street Journal. 21 June 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  9. "11 Indian films at Melbourne International Film Festival". DearCinema. 4 August 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  10. "Indian new-age cinema a hit at Zurich fest". The Indian Express. 31 October 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  11. "Titli". http://www.filmfesthamburg.de/. Retrieved 15 January 2015. External link in |publisher= (help)
  12. "Picks from the upcoming 58th London Film Festival 2014". http://www.easternkicks.com/. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2015. External link in |publisher= (help)
  13. "Kanu Behl's TITLI at 50th Chicago International Film Festival by Chicago International Film Festival in Chicago". Chicago Indian. 15 October 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  14. "After 'Titli', 'True Love Story' at Cannes film fest". Livemint. 22 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  15. "2014 Official Selection". Festival de Cannes 2014 (International Film Festival). Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  16. Lohana, Avinash LohanaAvinash; Jan 8, Mumbai Mirror | Updated; 2019; Ist, 06:00. "Kanu Bahl, Sneha Khanwalkar to get married on January 22–23 in Indore". Ahmedabad Mirror. Retrieved 12 February 2019.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. "Kanu Behl". IFFR. 31 August 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  18. "'Titli' about patriarchy and violence in family: Kanu Behl". The Indian Express. 18 October 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  19. Kumar, P. K. Ajith (9 February 2019). "I am in no hurry". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  20. Venkatesa, Nikhil (25 January 2019). "Kanu Behl takes his short film to the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  21. "First-time director from India in the running for Camera d'Or at Cannes". The National. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  22. "Titli, Teenkahon winners at SSAFF 2014". Dear Cinema. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  23. "Titli, Killa winners at SAIFF 2014". Dear Cinema. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  24. "Turkish film festival awards Indian 'Titli'". wn.com. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  25. "Titli takes top prize at Gijón". wn.com. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
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