Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Vanga in Dallas during his 2023 US tour
Born
Warangal, Andhra Pradesh, India
Occupations
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
  • editor
Years active2005–present
Spouse
Manisha Reddy
​
(m. 2014)​
Children2

Sandeep Reddy Vanga (pronounced [sˈændiːp ɹˈɛdi vˈæŋɡə]) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and editor who works in Telugu and Hindi cinema. Vanga made his screenwriting and directing debut with the 2017 Telugu romance film Arjun Reddy, starring Vijay Deverakonda. It was a commercial success, gaining him recognition. He continued his success with its Hindi-language remake, Kabir Singh (2019), with Shahid Kapoor in the lead. Kabir Singh ranks among the highest-grossing Hindi films of all time.

Vanga's prominence increased with the Hindi-language action-drama film Animal (2023), starring Ranbir Kapoor which broke several box office records and emerged as the 8th highest-grossing Indian film and the highest-grossing A (adults only) rated Indian film of all time.[1]

Early life

Vanga hails from Warangal, India. He earned a degree in physiotherapy. He studied filmmaking in Australia.[2]

Career

2005–2012: Early career

Vanga worked as an apprentice for the film Manasu Maata Vinadhu in 2005 for 25 days at Rushikonda Beach, Vizag. He worked for a few Tollywood films, including Kedi (2010) as an assistant director with Kiran Kumar and Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju (2015) as an associate director with Kranthi Madhav. He started writing the script for a film titled Sugar Factory for his directorial debut, but he eventually shelved it and started writing the script of Arjun Reddy instead.

2013–2017: Directorial debut and recognition

Vanga started writing the script for Arjun Reddy in 2013 and finished it in two years. Producer Swapna Dutt and Sharwanand showed interest to produce and act in the film, however, it did not pan out as expected as Sharwanand had multiple projects in the queue at the time. He was introduced to Vijay Deverakonda by a common friend. He cast him as the lead for his directorial debut Arjun Reddy. The film was released on 25 August 2017 to critical acclaim and became a blockbuster hit. It was produced on a minuscule budget of ₹4–5 crores, but went on to gross more than ₹50 crores (US$8 million) at the box office.[3][4][5] However, during the release, it constantly ran into trouble with the censor board for the depiction of smoking and drug use. It also created a furor for its kissing scenes and poster, which were eventually approved by the Telangana Film Chamber. Senior political leader, V. Hanumantha Rao, raged over the positioning of the film to the audience. He went on to publicly peeling off the posters of the film, encouraging the audience to not entertain such films.

2019–present: Widespread success

Vanga himself agreed to direct the Hindi version of Arjun Reddy titled Kabir Singh.[6] He signed up Shahid Kapoor as the lead. Kiara Advani was roped into playing the female lead. The film was produced by Murad Khetani and Ashwin Warde, and the rights to the original film were purchased for ₹15 million. The filming began in July 2018 and the movie was released on 21 June 2019. It became a major blockbuster success at the box office, earning over ₹379 crore (US$47 million) worldwide and over ₹278 crore (US$35 million) net domestically in India.

On 1 January 2021, Vanga's next directorial titled Animal, an action thriller film starring Ranbir Kapoor in lead was announced. It was produced by T-Series, Bhadrakhali Pictures, and Cine1Studios.[7] Animal released on 1 December 2023. It received mixed response from the critics[citation needed] and grossed over ₹900 crore (US$110 million) worldwide. Emerged as a major commercial success becoming the third highest-grossing Indian film of 2023, the eighth highest-grossing Indian film, and the highest-grossing A-rated Indian film of all time.[8]

His next directorial, Spirit, was announced in October 2021. It will star Prabhas, in his 25th film, and produced jointly by T-Series and Bhadrakali Pictures.[9] Later, he announced, his 5th directorial in March 2023. The film is set to star Allu Arjun, and produced jointly by T-Series and Bhadrakali Pictures.[10] He is also set to direct the sequel to Animal, titled Animal Park, which is in active development. It was announced in the post-credits scene of Animal.

Personal life

Sandeep married Manisha in 2014.[citation needed] The couple has a son, Arjun Reddy, and a daughter.[11]

Filmography

Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released
List of filmmaking credits
Year Title Director Screenplay Story Editor Language Notes
2017 Arjun Reddy Yes Yes Yes No Telugu Directorial debut
2019 Kabir Singh Yes Yes Yes Yes Hindi Remake of Arjun Reddy (2017)
2023 Animal Yes Yes Yes Yes Also voice dubbed for the character of Aziz Haque
Acting roles
List of Sandeep Reddy Vanga film acting credits
Year Title Role Notes
2010 Kedi Man in Boat
2018 Mahanati Vedantam Raghavayya

Awards and nominations

List of Sandeep Reddy Vanga awards and nominations
Year Ceremony Category Film Result Ref.
2018 7th South Indian International Movie Awards Best Debut Director (Telugu) Arjun Reddy Won [citation needed]
Best Director (Telugu) Nominated [citation needed]
65th Filmfare Awards South Best Director – Telugu Nominated [citation needed]
49th Cinegoers Awards Best Debut Director Won [citation needed]
2019 26th Screen Awards Best Director Kabir Singh Nominated [citation needed]
21st IIFA Awards Best Director Nominated [citation needed]
2024 69th Filmfare Awards Best Director Animal Nominated [citation needed]
Best Screenplay Nominated [citation needed]
Best Editing Nominated [citation needed]

Controversy

Vanga's films have been widely accused of allegedly glorifying misogynistic themes and elements.[12] He has been defended by filmmakers such as Anurag Kashyap,[13] Vikram Bhatt,[14] and Sanjay Gupta[15] as well as actresses Rashmika Mandanna,[16] Tanishaa Mukerji,[17] Sargun Mehta,[18] and Bhumi Pednekar.[19]

References

  1. ^ "Animal box office collection Day 8 early report: Ranbir Kapoor-starrer becomes highest grossing 'A' rated film". The Indian Express. 8 December 2023. Archived from the original on 9 December 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  2. ^ Jonnalagedda, Pranita (17 August 2017). "Director Sandeep Vanga to watch out for!". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  3. ^ "Telugu film 'Arjun Reddy' reaches the Rs 50 crore club". The News Minute. 16 October 2017. Archived from the original on 6 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  4. ^ Jayakrishnan (10 September 2017). "Arjun Reddy box office collection week 2: Vijay Devarakonda starrer collects Rs 41.5 crore worldwide". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2 April 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  5. ^ Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (9 September 2017). "Three hours and a huge hit later". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 April 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  6. ^ "Vidya defends Kabir Singh". Asian Age. 17 February 2020. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Ranbir Kapoor to star in Sandeep Reddy Vanga's crime drama Animal". The Indian Express. 2 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2021.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ "Animal box office collection Day 8 early report: Ranbir Kapoor-starrer becomes highest grossing 'A' rated film". The Indian Express. 8 December 2023. Archived from the original on 9 December 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Spirit: Prabhas and Sandeep Reddy Vanga team up for #Prabhas25 with Bhushan Kumar". The Times of India. 7 October 2021. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  10. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (3 March 2023). "Allu Arjun, Sandeep Reddy Vanga, Bhushan Kumar Team on New Indian Project (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  11. ^ Lohana, Avinash. "Kabir Singh director Sandeep Vanga: I named my son Arjun Reddy". Mumbai Mirror. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  12. ^ Mehta, Takshi (1 December 2023). "Animal review: Sandeep Reddy Vanga parades misogyny under the guise of love". thefederal.com. Archived from the original on 29 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  13. ^ "Anurag Kashyap meets Sandeep Reddy Vanga after watching Animal 'twice'; calls him 'most misunderstood, judged filmmaker at the moment'". Indian Express. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  14. ^ "Vikram Bhatt says discussions around Animal 'too much', cites Shah Rukh Khan's Darr and Al Pacino's Scarface: 'Films are not community service'". Indian Express. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  15. ^ "'Javed Akhtar isn't accepting that society has changed': Sanjay Gupta sides with Sandeep Reddy Vanga in Animal debate". Indian Express. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Rashmika Mandanna defends Sandeep Reddy Vanga; says, 'He functions differently'". Times of India. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Tanishaa Mukerji dubs Animal as a feminist movie, defends 'lick my shoe' scene: 'It was very realistic'". Indian Express. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  18. ^ "Sargun Mehta defends Sandeep Reddy Vanga on misogyny in Animal, says if people want to learn lessons from films, 'Let's shut down schools'". Indian Express. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  19. ^ "Bhumi Pednekar defends Ranbir Kapoor starrer 'Animal'; says Sandeep Reddy Vanga has right of 'self expression' as a filmmaker". Times of India. Retrieved 9 February 2024.

External links

Films directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga
SIIMA Award for Best Debut Director – Telugu
Categories