Shiladitya Bora

Shiladitya Bora is an Indian film producer, director, marketer and distributor.[1] He is the founder of Platoon One Films, a Mumbai-based film production studio. Bora was born and brought up in Assam and completed his undergraduate and post-graduate studies in Ahmedabad. He started his film career by spearheading the indie release banner PVR Pictures' Directors' Rare, a limited release arm of India's biggest film exhibitor, PVR Cinemas group. Under this banner, he successfully released more than 85 independent films. In 2015, Bora was recognised for his work in marketing and distribution and was selected as one of the Berlinale Talents of the year.[2] As the first CEO of Drishyam Films,[3] Bora served as an Associate Producer on critically acclaimed films like Masaan (2015) and Newton (2017). He helped develop Newton from a one-line pitch to a story and greenlit the film to production. Newton went on to be selected as India's official entry for the 90th Academy Awards. In 2017, Bora founded Platoon One Films, a Mumbai based production studio with his wife and costume designer Shilpi Agarwal. Platoon One Films' maiden Hindi production Yours Truly, directed by Sanjoy Nag, starring Soni Razdan, Pankaj Tripathi and Aahana Kumra, premiered at the Busan International Film Festival 2018 and travelled to many festivals worldwide. Platoon One Films then went on to produce the National Award-Winning Marathi film Picasso, directed by Abhijeet Warang and starring Prasad Oak.[4] He is also the producer for 2023 Indian Marathi-language thriller drama, Ghaath (2023 film) which was nominated to compete for the Panorama Audience Award and GWFF Best First Feature Award at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival.[5]

Shiladitya Bora
Born
Assam
NationalityIndian
Occupation(s)Director, producer, distributor
Years active2015–present
SpouseShilpi Agarwal
Websitewww.platoon.one

Early life and education

Bora did his schooling in Assam and then his Bachelor's in Engineering from Lalbhai Dalpatbhai College of Engineering, Ahmedabad in 2005. He enrolled into Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA) for the Post Graduate program in Communication Management and Entrepreneurship. During his studies, he started FulMarxx Shorts Fest[6] in 2008 which was rebranded in 2009 to a full-fledged film festival called Ahmedabad International Film Festival.[7] Bora was awarded the MICA Award for Creative and Entrepreneurial Excellence in 2008 for this venture.[8]

Career

2010-2015

Bora started his film career by founding a film club called Sunset Boulevard.[9][10] In tie-up with PVR Cinemas, who offered the venue, the film club conducted regular screenings for its members for a nominal fee. Impressed by the business model, PVR Cinemas decided to collaborate with Bora to replicate this format on a larger scale and conduct multi-city film festivals. In 2010 Bora, under the tutelage of Gautam Dutta, started PVR Cinemas' first indie release banner called PVR Directors' Rare.[11] Under this banner, Shiladitya released around 85 films, which included fiction, documentary and experimental cinema from over the world.

2015-2017

In 2015, Bora became the first CEO of Drishyam Films, one of India's biggest independent film production companies. He served as an Associate Producer on critically acclaimed films such as Masaan,[12] Waiting, Rukh and Newton.[13] Each film garnered tremendous international acclaim and Newton went on to be selected as India's official entry into the Oscars in 2018.[14] Bora also worked as the Executive Producer on the National Film Award winner Dhanak directed by Nagesh Kukunoor.

2017–Present

In 2017, Bora founded Platoon One Films, a Mumbai based film production studio, with costume designer and wife Shilpi Agarwal.

Platoon One Films has marketed and distributed over 60 films, both domestic and international, over its 4-year span. In 2020, Bora marketed and distributed the Cannes Film Award Winning Is love enough? Sir[15] directed by Rohena Gera, starring Tillotama Shome and Vivek Gomber. The film also went on to win two Indian Filmfare Awards, for Best Actress and Best Screenplay in 2021.[16]

Platoon One Films' maiden Hindi production Yours Truly[17] was directed by the National Award-Winning director Sanjoy Nag. The film starring Soni Razdan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aahana Kumra and Mahesh Bhatt had its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival 2018.[18] In 2019, Bora directed his first short film Aapke Aa Jane Se starring Manu Rishi Chaddha.[19][20] The short premiered at New York Indian Film Festival in 2019 and was screened at over 20 film festivals worldwide.[21]

The second production undertaken by the banner was a Marathi language film called Picasso[22] directed by Abhijeet Mohan Warang. The film stars the National Award-winning actor Prasad Oak and child artist Samay Tambe. In 2021, it won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Special mention.[23]

Bora's Hindi feature directorial debut film Bhagwan Bharose starring Masumeh Makhija, Vinay Pathak, Shrikant Verma and Manu Rishi Chaddha was selected as the closing film for 25th UK Asian Film Festival, London.[24] It won the Flame Award for Best Film at the festival.[25]

Filmography
Year Title Credited as Notes
2015 Black Horse Memories Executive Producer
2015 Dhanak Executive Producer Won the Crystal Bear Grand Prix for Best Children's Film at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival.  
2015 Masaan Associate Producer Won FIPRESCI Prize (Un Certain Regard) and Prix de l'Avenir (Un Certain Regard) at Cannes Film Festival 2015
2015 Waiting Associate Producer
2017 The Song of Scorpions Executive Producer
2017 Rukh Associate Producer
2017 Newton Associate Producer 65th - National Film Award - Best Feature Film (Hindi)

65th - National Film Award - Special Mention (Actor)

2018 Yours Truly Producer
2019 Aapke Aa Jane Se Director, producer Short Film. 'Aapke Aa Jane Se' had its world premiere at the New York Indian Film Festival 2019 and was subsequently screened at over 17 film festivals worldwide. Some notable ones are:
  • Cindependent Film Festival 2019 USA
  • Chicago South Asian Film Festival 2019
  • New Generations-Independent Indian Film Festival 2019
2021 Picasso Producer 67th –National Film Award – Special Mention (feature film)
2022 Aye Zindagi Producer
2023 Bhagwan Bharose Director, producer Flame Award for Best Film at 25th UK Asian Film Festival, London
2023 Minimum Producer
2023 Ghaath Producer World Premiere - Berlin International Film Festival 2023
2023 Toh, Ti Ani Fuji Producer

References
  1. "Shiladitya Bora: I had a debt of Rs 35 lakh, my mom's provident fund bailed me out". The Indian Express. 26 November 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  2. "Berlinale Talents - Shiladitya Bora". Berlinale Talents. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  3. Rosser2015-04-29T15:08:00+01:00, Michael. "India's Drishyam Films names Shiladitya Bora CEO". Screen. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  4. "Picasso: Amazon Prime Video Is Now Streaming Its First Marathi Direct-To-Service Offering On The Service". Box Office Worldwide. 19 March 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  5. "Chhatrapal Ninawe's Marathi feature 'Ghaath' to premiere at 73rd Berlin International Film Festival". Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  6. "Shiladitya Bora". For the love of Celluloid. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  7. Ahmedabad International Film Festival on NDTV Good Times, retrieved 16 June 2021
  8. "MICA lauds creative skills at convocation". The Times of India. 27 November 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  9. "Alternative cinema finds takers in Ahmedabad". The Indian Express. 15 July 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  10. "New film society to screen world cinema every week". The Indian Express. 18 March 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  11. Guha, Aniruddha (20 January 2013). "In search of the rare indie". DNA India. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  12. "Masaan review: A hard-hitting narrative about life, death and hope". Hindustan Times. 24 July 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  13. Ramnath, Nandini. "'Newton' film review: Is this the movie of the year? We vote 'yes'". Scroll.in. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  14. "These are the 91 other films Rajkummar Rao's Newton is competing with at the Oscars". Hindustan Times. 6 October 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  15. Lee, Maggie (17 May 2018). "Film Festival: 'Sir'". Variety. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  16. "Filmfare Awards 2021 Nominations". filmfare.com. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  17. Verma, Shikhar (15 December 2019). "The 10 Best Hindi Films of 2019". High On Films. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  18. "Yours Truly Trailer: An Extraordinary Love Saga Of Soni Razdan's Ordinary Mithi Kumar". ZEE5 News. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  19. "Aapke Aa Jaane Se - An Ode To Lost Passion". The Red Sparrow. 22 June 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  20. "Picturing the Real". The Indian Express. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  21. "19th Annual New York Indian Film Festival May 7-12, 2019". Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  22. "Platoon One Films launches the first look of their new Marathi film Picasso". Box Office India. 23 September 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  23. Parasuraman, Prathyush (19 March 2021). "Picasso On Amazon Prime Video Review: A Still, Immersive World Of Marathi Folk Theater And Possessed Artists Who Can't But Be Artists". Film Companion. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  24. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/shiladitya-boras-directorial-debut-bhagwan-bharose-to-be-showcased-at-uk-asian-film-festival/articleshow/98995317.cms
  25. "Vinay Pathak's Bhagwan Bharose bags Best Film award at UK Asian Film Festival". Hindustan Times. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
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