Nila Madhab Panda


Nila Madhab Panda is a film producer. Panda has produced and directed over 70 diverse and cutting edge films, documentaries and shorts. These films are based on important social issues such as climate change, child labor, education, water issues, sanitation and many other developmental issues in India. His films have won him several awards and critical acclaim. Most of his films have unique insights drawn from his own life, the metaphorical distance that he has traversed from a small obscure village based in one of the remotest parts of India, to metropolitan cities across the globe. His films are entertaining, yet portray profusely socially relevant themes; driving home the point that films can be a powerful medium of positive social change.

Career

Nila Madhab Panda is the most successful Odia director and producer who has been making mainstream and parallel Hindi films. Panda has produced and directed over hundreds of diverse and cutting edge films, documentaries, shorts films and public service advertising campaigns. These films are based on topical societal issues such as climate change, child labor, education, water issues, sanitation and many other developmental issues in India. These are made for national broadcasters, different UN organizations, Governments, BBC, Discovery Channel, National Geography Channel and various ministries/ departments. His films have won him several awards and critical acclaims. He has also served on the juries of several national and international film festivals. Most of his films have unique insights drawn from his own life and experiences, the metaphorical distance that he has traversed from a small obscure village located in one of the remotest parts of India, to metropolitan cities across the globe. His films are entertaining yet portray profusely on socially relevant themes and proved that films can be a powerful medium of positive societal change. The journey started by assisting the director Robin Romanov and Producer, Barbara Brocholli. They both literally shown him the window to the world.
His first feature film “I am Kalam” has become an iconic film winning 34 international awards along with a national award. His second feature film “ received the MIP Junior award at Cannes. He continued his journey of making path breaking films on various burning themes like “Babloo Happy Hai, “Kaun Kitney Paani Mein. His recent master piece is “Kadvi Hawa ”, which was highly rated and critically acclaimed globally. The film also got a national award and many international recognitions. This is one of the first films that brought climate change into cinema. His feature-length documentary “God’s own people” narrated by Amitabh Bachhan connects between people's faith with tree and God.
“Halkaa is his new production, a musical film with children. A very sensitive film brings a fun story about the “Swachhata Abhiyaan” and the importance of sanitation. This film has already won two Grand prix at international film festivals.

Early life

Panda has a humble background, born as the youngest of 5 siblings in a poverty-stricken village Dasharajpur, of Subarnapur district of Western Odisha. His childhood and teenage years were an endless saga of daily struggle for necessities of life, such as daily food, clothing or education. Panda studied till 5th class in a school that had no building in his village. For class 6 & 7, he had to walk 4 km through difficult mud paths. High school was 9 km away from his home.
In 1995, when he failed in graduation at the age of 22, Panda left Delhi to explore new life and avenues. With no money in hand, but with enormous determination and rock-solid will power to excel. With big dreams in mind, he sustained himself by doing small jobs. One thing led to another and he landed in a job of a camera attendant. There he learnt the intricacies of filmmaking that became the stepping stone for his lifelong tryst with the medium which finally led to a life of great fame and accomplishment. He also studied Entrepreneurship at IIM Bangalore.
Today, we know him as the true visionary, he created his own means to shape his destiny from an early age. He is one of the most successful Social entrepreneurs because of his sheer hard work, perseverance, passion for quality and excellence.

Direction

Feature films

Film awards