# Nagraj Manjule

Nagraj Popatrao Manjule (born 24 August 1978) is an Indian film director, actor, producer, scriptwriter, poet, screenwriter, and filmmaker. He works in Marathi cinema, and is best known for Sairat and Pistulya—the latter for which he received National Film Award in the National Film Award for Best First Non-Feature Film of a Director. He made his Hindi Cinema debut in 2022, with a film called Jhund, starring Amitabh Bachchan.
At the 61st National Film Awards, Fandry won the Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director. In 2018, Manjule published a book of poetry in Marathi titled Unhachya Katavirudhha which won the Bhairuratan Damani Sahitya Puraskar. He owns a wrestling team called 'Veer Marathwada' in Zee Maharashtra Kusti Dangal.

## Early life and education

Manjule grew up in Jeur village in the Solapur district of Maharashtra. Baburao Manjule, who is the brother of Nagraj's father Popatrao Manjule, adopted Nagraj due to financial hardships. However, Nagraj decided early on that if he achieved anything significant, he would honor his biological father, Popatrao Manjule. Since starting his career in the film industry, he has been known by the name 'Nagraj Popatrao Manjule' in all his professional endeavors. He belongs to the traditionally-nomadic Waddar community, a Dravidian tribe.
He earned his M.A. in Marathi literature from University of Pune, followed by a master's in communication studies from New Arts, Science and Commerce College, Ahmednagar.

## Career

Manjule is strongly inspired by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, the emancipator of downtrodden and the drafting chairman of the Indian constitution. His films are deeply rooted in his own experience growing up as a dalit in rural Maharashtra. His films have focused on the plights faced by members of these communities, including social discrimination at the hands of high-caste communities as well as the resulting economic hardships.
His first National Award-winning short film Pistulya is a reflection of his 'felt experience'. The film focuses on the desire of a dalit boy to attend school, and his inability to do so because of his family's poverty and a deep-seated disdain for formal education within his community.
His debut feature film, Fandry, was released in February 2014; the word means "pig" in the Kaikadi language, which is a metaphor for the dehumanizing treatment of the dalit community in rural India. This film also addresses caste discrimination. This film won the Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director.
Manjule's second film, Sairat, premiered at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. Like Fandry and Pistulya, it deals with caste discrimination and honour killing, a practice still widespread in parts of India. Sairat also seeks to address the role of women in society, with the character of Archie (Archana Patil), the female protagonist of Sairat, garnering both popular and critical acclaim. Sairat is currently the highest grossing Marathi film of all time. In 2019, Manjule hosted Marathi Kaun Banega Crorepati. Manjule made his directorial debut in Hindi films with Jhund starring Amitabh Bachchan.
In 2023, Manjule appeared in Ghar Banduk Biryani, playing the role of a police officer. This film marked his first collaboration with Sayaji Shinde and his third with Akash Thosar.

## Filmography
### Film

Key :
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
* All films are in Marathi, unless mentioned.
| Year | Film | Actor | Director | Writer | Producer | Role | Notes |
| 2010 | Pistulya | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Ambadas | National Film Award for Best First Non-Feature Film of a Director |
| 2013 | Fandry | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Chankeshwar "Chankya" Sathe | Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director |
| 2015 | Baji | Yes | No | No | No | Inspector Mahesh | |
| 2015 | Highway | Yes | No | No | No | | |
| 2016 | Sairat | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Cricket commentator | Selected For 66th Berlin International Film Festival |
| 2016 | The Silence | Yes | No | No | No | Uncle | |
| 2017 | Pavsacha Nibandh | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Short film |
| 2018 | Naal | Yes | No | No | Yes | Chaitya's father | Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director |
| 2020 | Taar | Yes | No | No | No | Postman | Short film |
| 2022 | Unpaused: Naya Safar | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Hindi film |
| 2022 | Jhund | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Hitler Bhai | Hindi film (Bollywood Debut) |
| 2023 | Ghar Banduk Biryani | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Raya Patil | Dubbed in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu |
| 2023 | Naal 2 | Yes | No | No | Yes | Chaitya's father | |
| TBA | Khashaba † | No | Yes | No | Yes | | Based on K.D. Jadhav |
| TBA | Frame † | Yes | No | No | Yes | | |

### Web series

| Year | Title | Language | Ref. |
| TBA | Matka King † | Hindi | |

## Personal life

Manjule was married to Sunita Manjule in 1997 when he studied in 12th, but later divorced on November 10, 2014. He gave Sunita ₹7 lakh as permanent alimony. It was revealed that the allegations were false and Manjule found innocent. Manjule was being defamed for no reason. In 2017, Manjule married Gargi Kulkarni and has two children Raya and Shahu.

## Books

* Unhachya Kataviruddha – poetry.

## Awards

| Year | Awards | Categories | Work |
| 2010 | National Film Awards | Best First Non-Feature Film | Pistulya |
| 2013 | National Film Awards | Best Debut Film of a Director | Fandry |
| 2014 | 1st Filmfare Awards Marathi | Best Director | Fandry |
| 2017 | National Film Awards | Best Director in Non-Feature Film | Pavsacha Nibandh |
| 2017 | Maharashtracha Favourite Kon? | Favourite Director | Sairat |
| 2017 | Filmfare Marathi Awards | Best Director | Sairat |
| 2017 | Zee Chitra Gaurav Puraskar | Best Director | Sairat |
| 2019 | National Film Awards | Best Debut Film of a Director | Naal |
| 2022 | Maharashtracha Favourite Kon? | Favourite Director of the Decade | Sairat |
| 2023 | Fakt Marathi Cine Sanman | Fakt Marathi Cine Sanman for Best Actor in a Lead Role | Ghar Banduk Biryani |
| 2023 | Maharashtracha Favourite Kon? | Favourite Supporting Actor | Naal 2 |