Anjali Menon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Anjali Menon
2016
Born	Kozhikode, Kerala, India
Alma mater	Providence Women's College Pune University London Film School
Occupation	Film director Screenwriter
Years active	2009–present
Spouse(s)	Vinod Menon
Parent(s)	T. Madhavan Nair Sarada Nair

Anjali Menon is a talented Indian film director and screenwriter. She is well-known for her work in Malayalam cinema, which is the film industry in the Indian state of Kerala. Anjali has won many awards for her movies, both in India and internationally.

Some of her most famous films include Manjadikuru, Ustad Hotel, Bangalore Days, Koode, and Wonder Women. People see her as someone who brings new ideas and changes to Indian cinema. Her movies are popular with both audiences and critics.

Anjali also started her own film company called Little Films. It makes both fiction films and documentaries. She is also one of the people who helped create the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC). This group works to make sure there is fairness for women in the Malayalam film industry.

Early Life and Education

Anjali Menon was born in Kozhikode, a city in Kerala, India. Her parents are T M Nair and Sarada Nair. She grew up in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, but visited India every year.

Before she studied filmmaking, Anjali went to Providence Women's College in Kozhikode. She then earned a Master's degree in Communication Studies from Pune University. Anjali also learned Indian classical dance and music. In 2003, she graduated with honors from the London Film School. There, she studied film direction, producing, and editing.

Personal Life

Anjali Menon divides her time between India and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Early Career and First Films

Anjali Menon (second from left) at a press conference in 2012.

Anjali started her career by helping to edit and produce educational documentaries. She also worked as a photographer for events and wrote articles for magazines.

Her graduation film from London Film School was called Black Nor White. This short film was shown at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. It also won an award called the British Film Institute Imagine Asia award.

Anjali's first full-length movie was Manjadikuru (2008). It's a story about growing up, set in the early 1980s. The film won the FIPRESCI award for Best Malayalam film. It also won the Hassankutty Award for Best Indian Debut Director. This was at the International Film Festival of Kerala. Manjadikuru also won many awards at the South Asian International Film festival. Anjali received the Kerala State Film Award for Best Screenplay for this movie.

The film's release was delayed for four years because of problems with the producer. Anjali's company, Little Films India, took over and finished the movie. It was finally released in 2012 and received great reviews.

While Manjadikuru was on hold, Anjali worked on her first movie released in theaters. This was Kerala Cafe (2009). It was the first-ever Malayalam film made up of several short stories. Anjali directed a funny part of it called Happy Journey. This segment was about gender roles and was shown at the Abu Dhabi International Film festival. It also won an award at IFFK 2009.

Hit Movies and Recognition

In 2012, Anjali wrote the story and script for Ustad Hotel. This film was a big success and was loved by critics and audiences. It tells the story of a young man who grew up abroad and his grandfather. His grandfather runs a restaurant by the sea.

Ustad Hotel was a huge hit. Anjali won the National Film Award for Best Screenplay (Dialogues) for her writing. The film also won the National Award for Most Popular Film. Anjali also received Best Writer awards from other film groups.

In 2014, Anjali wrote and directed Bangalore Days. This movie is about three cousins from Kerala who move to Bangalore. It became a massive commercial success. This film showed that Anjali could make popular movies that also had meaningful stories. The movie had many famous actors like Dulquer Salman and Nivin Pauly.

Bangalore Days was a huge hit right away. It also helped introduce Malayalam cinema to people who didn't speak Malayalam. Anjali won the Kerala State Award for Best Writer. She also won Best Director awards at the Filmfare Awards and the Asianet Film Awards.

Later, Anjali directed Koode (2018). This film starred Prithviraj, Parvathy, and Nazriya Nazim. It was praised for its acting and beautiful storytelling. Koode was based on a Marathi film but Anjali added many new ideas to it.

Anjali's first film released directly on a streaming service was Wonder Women (2022). She wrote and directed this English film. It's a drama about six pregnant women who meet in a prenatal class. The movie was released on Sony Liv.

Other Work

Anjali Menon is also a speaker who gives talks on many topics. These include filmmaking, community, helping women, starting businesses, and parenting. She has been a judge for several film festivals and awards. Anjali also works to preserve culture by documenting performers and old stories. She has written short stories, scripts, and articles. She also shares her thoughts on her blog AM Blog.

Themes and Inspirations

Anjali's films often explore themes like family, the experience of moving to a new place, gender, and different cultures meeting. She has said that filmmakers like Mira Nair and Padmarajan have inspired her.

She often tells stories about Indians who live outside India. Anjali believes her own experience of living in different places helps her work. She also speaks out about the importance of fairness for women in the workplace. She also believes in showing sensitivity in how women are portrayed in movies.

Filmography

Year	Title	Director	Screenwriter	Notes
2000	Black Nor White			Short film
2009	Kerala Cafe			Directed the "Happy Journey" part
2012	Manjadikuru
	Ustad Hotel
2014	Bangalore Days
2018	Koode
2022	Wonder Women			English film, released directly on Sony LIV.

Awards