Chandraprakash Dwivedi

Biography:

Indian actor, director, and screenwriter Chandraprakash Dwivedi is most renowned for helming the 1991 television epic Chanakya, in which he also portrayed the titular character, the political strategist Chanakya, a source of inspiration for millions of people.

In 1996, he earned a Screen Videocon Best Director award for directing the television series Mrityunjay, which is based on the life of Karna, one of the key characters in the epic Mahabharata.

His other notable work is the 2003 film Pinjar, which is based on the same-titled novel by Amrita Pritam and tells the tragic story of a love story set against the backdrop of Hindu-Muslim tensions during India’s Partition.

In addition, he wrote and directed Samrat Prithviraj (2022), starring Akshay Kumar. In 2022, the Indian government bestowed upon him the Padma Shri, the nation’s fourth-highest civilian honor.

Dr. Dwivedi is a trained physician who left the field to pursue a career in theater after developing a strong passion for Indian literature. He wrote, directed, and starred in the television series Chanakya from 1990 to 1992.

The show’s well-crafted dialogue, command of Hindi, and political and philosophical lessons made it a huge hit in India. He was Zee TV’s chief of the programming section in the late 1990s.

He attempted to recount the Mahabharata (Ek Aur Mahabharat) during his time at Zee, but the effort was abandoned after 14 episodes because of a lackluster reception from sponsors and fans. Advertisers were not drawn to the Chanakya replay either.

Dwivedi penned the dialogue for the Chhatrapati Shivaji-focused Doordarshan television series in 2001. Bobby Bedi revealed in February 2008 that he was collaborating with Dwivedi to direct a new Mahabharata.

However, Dwivedi withdrew from the project in April, claiming pressure brought on by Kahaani Hamaaray Mahaabhaarat Ki, Ekta Kapoor’s rival. Upanishad Ganga, a television series based on the Upanishads, was directed by Dr. Dwivedi in 2008.

He is reportedly working on a movie called The Legend of Kunal, which is based on the life of Emperor Asoka’s son Kunala. Dwivedi received the Cultural Catalyst Award from the South Asian Cinema Foundation in 2009 “in recognition of his commitment to exploring India’s ancient culture and history in television and popular cinema.”

His movie Mohalla Assi, which is based on the well-known novel by Dr. Kashi Nath Singh and is centered around Varanasi’s Assi Ghat, began production in January 2011 and starred Sunny Deol in the lead role. Filming was conducted in Mumbai’s Film City.

Zed Plus was his next movie. Starring Adil Hussain (well known for Life of Pi and English Vinglish) and Mona Singh (of Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi fame), this movie was a combination of humor and political satire.

In this movie, K K Raina, Sanjay Mishra, and Kulbhushan Kharbanda have significant roles as well. The Indian government bestowed upon him the esteemed Padma Shri award in January 2022.

He is the director of the Yash Raj Films production Prithviraj Chauhan, which features Akshay Kumar in the title role. On June 3, 2022, Samrat Prithviraj, a Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu film, was released throughout India.