Rajesh Touchriver

Rajesh Touchriver Biography

Rajesh Touchriver is a critically acclaimed filmmaker from Kerala who works on feature films, short films as well as documentaries. His films have been shown in many international film festivals and have received recognition as well. He is also known as a production designer and scriptwriter. In the Name of Buddha – shot in English/Sinhalese/Tamil/Hindi languages is one of his noted works. In 2013, he directed Malayalam film ‘Ente’ which was praised by critics for its excellence. This film marked the Malayalam debut of theatre and Bollywood actress, Anjali Patil. Its Telugu version "Naa Bangaaru Talli" won the Best Feature Film Award at Trinity International Film Festival and Award of Excellence from IFFCRM, Indonesia. He has also directed a few commercials and music videos before completing moving to film and documentary making.

 Touchriver was born in Arakulam of Idukki district, Kerala. His parents are Siva Sankaran Nair and Rukmini Amma. His father was a veteran Kathakali artist and Rajesh was inclined to this art form since childhood. Rajesh took training in Kalaripayattu, the martial art of Kerala. He took his bachelor degree in Design and Direction from the School of Drama in Thrissur. In 1995, he joined National School of Drama, New Delhi as a designer where he worked for 3 years. By this time, he directed more than 30 plays in Malayalam, English and Telugu languages. Rajesh won the Charles Wallace Trust Award in 2001 and took Masters in Visual Language/Scenography and Direction from the Wimbledon College of Art, London.

In the Name of Buddha (2002) marked his debut as a director. This movie was premiered at the Oslo International Film Festival and won critical acclaim. It also received a nomination for the Best Debut Director category at the Cannes Film Festival. One Life, No Price, Anamika and Sacred Face are his noted short films.

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Updated: February 24, 2014