Nag Ashwin

Nag Ashwin Reddy (born 23 April 1986) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. He is the recipient of a National Film Award, a Nandi Award, and a Filmfare Award.

After working as an assistant director to Sekhar Kammula, he made his directorial debut in 2015 with the coming-of-age film Yevade Subramanyam, which won him the Nandi Award for Best Debut Director. In 2018, Ashwin directed Mahanati, a biopic of actress Savitri. It emerged as the highest-grossing female-led South Indian film and won him the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu and the Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu. He expanded to big-budget cinema with the science fiction film Kalki 2898 AD (2024).

Early life
Nag Ashwin was born on 23 April 1986 in a Telugu family to Jayaram and Jayanthi Reddy, who are both doctors. He has a younger sister Nikhila, who is also a doctor. Ashwin's mother hails from Visakhapatnam and runs JJ Hospital, along with his father, in Hyderabad.

Ashwin studied in The Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet, Hyderabad. He was classmates and friends with Rana Daggubati since class one. He got his bachelor's degree in Mass Communication from Manipal Academy of Higher Education. He then did a Film Direction course at the New York Film Academy. He is a relative of D. Nageshwara Reddy, the founder of the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology (AIG).

Career
Nag Ashwin began his career as an assistant director for the film Nenu Meeku Telusa?. He then worked as assistant director to Sekhar Kammula in Leader (2010) and Life Is Beautiful (2012) and acted in minor roles in all three films.

He made his directorial debut with Yevade Subramanyam (2015), which received positive reviews. It was a sleeper hit and gained a cult following post-release.

In May 2016, he announced that his next film would be a biopic of the Indian actress, Savitri, titled Mahanati. He spent six months researching about her life by reading articles and books, in addition to meeting old journalists and actors that associated with her. Backed by Vyjayanthi Movies, principal photography for the film began in May 2017 and was completed by March 2018. The film released on 9 May 2018 garnering both critical and commercial acclaim, and went on to win several awards.

Mahanati was showcased in the Indian Panorama Mainstream section at the 49th International Film Festival of India, and has also garnered the "Equality in Cinema Award" at the 2018 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. At the 66th National Film Awards 2019, the film won accolades including the Best Feature Film in Telugu. Nag Ashwin received the Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu at the 66th Filmfare Awards South.

In February 2020, he announced his next project, a science fiction action film, coinciding the occasion of 50th year since the establishment of Vyjayanthi Movies, Prabhas was announced to be the lead actor under the tentative title Prabhas 21 and was later changed to working title Project K. However, the production was delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming began in July 2021, with a futuristic set erected at Ramoji Film City, in Hyderabad. Produced on a ₹600 crore budget, it is the most expensive Indian film till date. Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan were confirmed to be a part of the film. It was the first Indian film to be presented at San Diego Comic-Con's Hall-H on 20 July 2023, where the makers unveiled the official title of the film as Kalki 2898 AD. The film released worldwide on 27 June 2024 opened to positive reviews from critics and audience. Collider in its review stated that "Kalki 2898 AD is a unique sci-fi epic that successfully combines supernatural elements with cutting-edge technology", while appreciating performances of the lead cast particularly Prabhas and Bachchan, and the screenplay by Nag Ashwin. Bunbury of Deadline Hollywood wrote that "It is terrific, cathartic fun – and, given that Vishnu’s next avatar has apparently yet to be born, what is described in the marketing blurbs as the Kalki Cinematic Universe can be expected to rage, burn and rip-roar for a good few editions yet, leaving audiences happily flattened with exhaustion" and praised Nag Ashwin's work.

Personal life
In December 2015, Nag Ashwin married Priyanka Dutt, the second daughter of producer C. Aswani Dutt of Vyjayanthi Movies. The couple has a son, Rishi.