Thota Tharani
Thota Tharani is an Indian film art director and production designer who has predominantly worked in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi cinema. As of 2013, he has won two National Film Awards, two Filmfare Awards South and four Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. In 2001, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri, for his contributions in the field of Art. His work consists of paintings, murals, paper collages, wooden montages, and installations.
Thota Tharani | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 16 December 1949 Chennai, India |
| Alma mater | The American College in Madurai |
| Occupation(s) | Art director, production designer |
| Children | 1 |
Film career
Thota Tharani has been involved in the art of set design since he was just twelve when he helped his father. His work in the films Nayakan and Indian earned him National Film Awards. His works include construction of a huge set replica of the Madurai Meenakshi Temple for the Telugu movie Arjun, Dasavathaaram, Kanthaswamy and Leader. He has worked in more than 100 feature films as a production designer, including three foreign productions: Pondichéry, dernier comptoir des Indes (French), Hanuman (French) and Branchie (Italian).
In addition to being an art director, Thota Tharani has worked as a Production designer and in the art department of various films.
Background
Thota Tharani completed his Graduate Diploma in Mural Painting in 1971 and subsequently was offered a Fellowship from the Government of France to study print-making. Additionally, he completed print making courses from the Royal College of Art in London and New Delhi.
Awards
Tiltles and honours
- 2001 – Padma Shri[1]
- 2010 – Honorary doctorate (D.Litt) from Sathyabama University[2][3]
National Film Award for Best Art Direction
Nandi Award for Best Art Director[4]
- 1983 – Sagara Sangamam
- 1989 – Geethanjali
- 2004 – Arjun
Kerala State Film Award for Best Art Director
- 1991 – Abhimanyu
Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Art Director
- 1991 – Thalapathi
- 1994 – Kaadhalan
- 2005 – Chandramukhi
- 2007 – Sivaji, Sringaram
Vijay Award for Best Art Director
- 2007 – Sivaji
- 2008 – Dasavathaaram
Partial filmography
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
References
- "Awards for Amjad Ali Khan, Ashoke Sen". The Hindu. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
- "Koodankulam project by September". The Hindu. 17 April 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- "Honoris Causa 2010 - Satyabhama University". Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- "నంది అవార్డు విజేతల పరంపర (1964–2008)" [A series of Nandi Award Winners (1964–2008)] (PDF). Information & Public Relations of Andhra Pradesh. Retrieved 21 August 2020.(in Telugu)
- "DAM 999 Official Website". Thotta Tharani in the crew list of DAM 999 Movie