Nagraj Popatrao Manjule, a multifaceted Indian filmmaker, was born on August 24, 1978. Growing up in Jeur village, Solapur district, Maharashtra, he hails from the traditionally-nomadic Waddar community, a Dravidian tribe.
Manjule pursued higher education, earning a Master's degree in Marathi literature from the University of Pune and a master's in communication studies from New Arts, Science and Commerce College, Ahmednagar.
His National Award-winning short film, Pistulya, is a deeply personal reflection of his experiences. This marked the beginning of his illustrious career in Marathi cinema.
Manjule's feature film debut, Fandry, was released in February 2014. His second film, Sairat, premiered at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival, addressing the pressing issues of caste discrimination and honour killing, prevalent in certain parts of India.
Sairat has become the highest-grossing Marathi film of all time. Manjule is set to make his directorial debut in Hindi films with Jhund, starring Amitabh Bachchan. He has received widespread recognition for his work, including the National Film Award in the Non-Feature Film category for Pistulya.
Fandry won the prestigious Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director at the 61st National Film Awards. Manjule has also ventured into poetry, publishing a book titled Unhachya Katavirudhha in Marathi, which won the Bhairuratan Damani Sahitya Puraskar in 2018.
