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Pradeep Sarkar (Director) Age, Death, Wife, Family, Biography & More

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Wife: Panchali Sarkar
Hometown: Mumbai
Age: 67 Years

Pradeep Sarkar

Bio/Wiki
NicknameDada
ProfessionFilmmaker
Career
Debut (as a director)Film: Parineeta (2005)
Poster of the film Parineeta (2005)
Last Web SeriesDuranga (2022) on ZEE5
Duranga's poster
Last Unreleased FilmNoti Binodini (2022)
AwardsFor directing commercials for Aaj Tak
• Rapa Award
• Abby Award in the Best Director category (2003)

For Parineeta
• Filmfare Award for Best Art Direction (2005)
• Zee Cine Award for Most Promising Director (2005)
• Apsara Film Producers Guild Awards for Best Debut Director (2006)
• Screen Awards for Best Debutant Director (2006)
• Stardust Awards for Hottest Young Director (2006)
• Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director (2006)
Personal Life
Date of Birth30 April 1955 (Saturday)
BirthplaceCalcutta (now Kolkata), West Bengal, India
Date of Death24 March 2023
Place of DeathLilavati Hospital, Bandra, Mumbai
Age (at the time of death)67 Years
Death CauseLung infection caused by pneumonia [1]The Tribune
Zodiac signTaurus
NationalityIndian
HometownMumbai
College/UniversityDelhi College of Art
Educational QualificationHe graduated from the Delhi College of Art in 1979. [2]Pradeep Sarkar Films

Note: He was a gold medallist.
EthnicityBengali
Food HabitNon-vegetarian
Relationships & More
Marital Status (at the time of death)Married
Family
Wife/SpousePanchali Sarkar (filmmaker)
Pradeep with Panchali
ChildrenSon- Ronit Sarkar (playback singer)
A photo of Ronit Sarkar
Daughter- Raya Sarkar (artist)
Raya Sarkar, Pradeep Sarkar's daughter
SiblingsSister- Madhu Sarkar Kuriakose (entrepreneur)
A photo of Pradeep with his wife and sister (right most)

Pradeep Sarkar

Some Lesser Known Facts About Pradeep Sarkar

  • Pradeep Sarkar was an Indian director known for directing the famous 2005 Bollywood film, Parineeta. He also directed numerous commercials, music videos as well as web series. He died at the age of 67 at Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital on 24 March 2023.
  • In 1971, Pradeep Sarkar left Kolkata and shifted to Delhi to pursue graduation.
  • After completing his formal education, Pradeep was employed by an advertising agency named Tulika, which was based in Delhi.
  • He left Tulika after working with it for a few years and joined Grant Kenyon & Eckhardt, an advertising company. He served the company for seventeen years and left it from the post of vice president and joined Kelvinator.
  • He directed his first commercial after he joined Kelvinator.
  • Thereafter, he went to Mumbai, where he started working as Creative Director – Art with Vinod Chopra Productions and directed many ads for various brands.
  • On 3 October 1997, Pradeep Sarkar founded a film production company named Wavelength Film Works Private and assumed its directorship.
  • On 7 November 1997, Pradeep established Apocalypso Filmworks Private Limited and became its director.
  • Thereafter, his production companies made many advertisements for renowned brands like Catch, Eveready, Haier, Hero MotoCorp, LG, LIC, and Muthoot Finance.

    A photo of Pradeep Sarkar taken during a shooting

    A photo of Pradeep Sarkar taken during a shooting

  • Famous Hindi songs and album videos such as Dhoom Pichak Dhoom by Palash Sen (1998), Ab Ke Sawan by Shubha Mudgal (1999), Piya Basanti by K. S. Chithra and Sultan Khan (2000), and Maaeri by Euphoria and Palash Sen (2000) were directed by Pradeep.
  • In the 2003 Bollywood film Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., which was directed by Rajkumar Hirani, Pradeep worked as an editor.
  • Before Pradeep Sarkar began directing the 2005 Hindi film Parineeta, Vidhu Vinod Chopra told him that it was difficult to make a film that runs for three hours as compared to a commercial that runs only for thirty seconds. While talking about it, in an interview, he said,

    Before starting work on Parineeta, Vidhu Vinod Chopra told me, Just because you have made 30-sec ads, don’t think that you now have three hours to play around with. People are smarter and more impatient than you think.”

  • During the shoot of the film, he developed a close bond with the actress Vidya Balan. While talking about her relationship with Pradeep and his wife, Vidya, in an interview, said that she had a “love-hate relationship” relationship with him, and she saw Pradeep and Panchali as her guardian. She said,

    Without attaching labels, Dada and his wife are like my guardians. If I can depend on somebody it’s him or her. I share a love-hate relationship with Dada. I fight with him, the way I fight with my father. He’s unaffected because except work nothing matters to him.”

  • He worked as a director and a screenplay writer for the 2007 Bollywood film Laaga Chunari Mein Daag: Journey of a Woman.
  • He directed Eklavya: The Royal Guard, a Hindi film released in the same year.
  • Pradeep Sarkar directed Lafangey Parindey, a 2010 Bollywood film.
  • In 2014, he worked along with Rani Mukerji and directed the Bollywood film Mardaani.
  • He directed Helicopter Eela, a 2018 Bollywood film, starring Kajol.

    A photo of Pradeep Sarkar with Kajol

    A photo of Pradeep Sarkar with Kajol

  • He directed a Hindi comedy web series, Coldd Lassi Aur Chicken Masala, which premiered on ZEE5 and AltBalaji.
  • In Neel Samandar, a 2019 short film, he worked as a director and a screenplay writer.
  • He directed two Hindi web series titled Arranged Marriage and Forbidden Love, which premiered on ZEE5 in 2020.
  • In 2021, he worked as an executive producer in the Bengali film Jokhon Ratri Name.
  • He directed Duranga, a 2022 ZEE5 web series, which is an adaptation of the Korean drama Flower of Evil.
  • Kangana Ranaut, in 2022, announced that she was signed in the lead role for the Hindi film Noti Binodini, which was to be directed by Pradeep Sarkar. However, Sarkar died before the completion of the film.
  • Pradeep Sarkar breathed his last at Lilavati Hospital in Bandra, Mumbai on 24 March 2023 between 3.10 am to 3.30 am. As per his spouse, Pradeep was running a high fever on 22 March 2023 which did not subside even after undergoing medications. On 24 March 2023, he was taken to the Lilavati Hospital, where the doctors diagnosed him with pneumonia and put him on a ventilator as it had infected his lungs. His wife said that while Pradeep was on his way to the hospital, his condition became serious as his vitals fell. [3]The Tribune While talking about it, in an interview, his spouse said,

    He passed away between 3.10am and 3.30am at Lilavati hospital. He had viral fever on March 22. After administering some medicines his fever subsided but not completely. So he was rushed to the hospital. By the time we reached the hospital, his vitals started dropping. He was put on a ventilator in the ICU and was diagnosed with pneumonia. The infection attacked his lungs. According to doctors, he had many comorbidities which weakened his immunity. His blood pressure was fluctuating. Since covid hit him in July 2022, he was quite weak.”

    His funeral was held at the Santacruz Hindu Crematorium in Mumbai on 24 March 2023 at 4 pm.

  • Pradeep Sarkar loved dogs, and he had a Chihuahua named Lilo and another dog named Yoda.

    Raya Sarkar's photo with Lilo

    Raya Sarkar’s photo with Lilo

  • His favourite dish was Kosha Mangsho.

References/Sources:[+]