Prem Prakash Modi

Prem Prakash Modi (born 17 July 1968) is an Indian filmmaker, writer, producer and actor known for his works in Hindi & Bengali cinema. He made his debut as a director in 2013 with the Bengali feature film Arjun – Kalimpong E Sitaharan starring Sabyasachi Chakrabarty, Om, Manoj Mitra and Churni Ganguly, based on Samaresh Majumdar's novel Khunkharapi and Kalimpong e Sitaharan. His next directorial venture was Panchlait (2017), which was well received by the audiences. He has worked as an Associate for noted directors such as Aparna Sen, Gul Bahar Singh, Anjan Dutt, Anjan Das, Suman Mukhopadhyay.

Early life
Prem Modi, also known as Prem Prakash Modi, was born on 17 July in the village Nonihat, Jharkhand, India. His father, Parmeshwar Lal Modi, worked as a small businessman in the village. There was no television or cinema halls, so Prem would travel 30 kilometers to Dumka to watch movies. This ignited his interest in cinema.

He started performing in local village theater during festivals. For his education, he was sent to live with his elder brother in Jamshedpur, where he attended Beldih Church School. Later, he joined Bhagalpur University to pursue his graduation.

Career
After graduation, Modi moved to Kolkata. His first job was at Howrah Gases Ltd as an accounts assistant. Because he had a strong interest in acting since childhood, he joined a theater group. During the day, he worked at his job, and in the remaining time, he rehearsed with his group. After a few years, he decided to quit his job and pursue a full-time career in theater and films. Soon after, he moved to Mumbai and had the opportunity to be mentored by Gul Bahar Singh, a six-time National Award-winning director and shifted behind the camera. Later, he became an associate and worked with other renowned directors such as Aparna Sen, Anjan Das, Suman Mukhopadhyay, Anjan Dutt, etc.

Prem began his career as a chief assistant director for The Goal, a Children's Film Society (CFSI) production which starred Irrfan Khan and directed by Gul Bahar Singh. The film won the Best Children's Film at 47th National Film Awards, Special International Jury Prize at Cairo International Film Festival and Special Mention at International Federation of Film Societies in the Czech Republic. He then worked with Suman Mukhopadhyay as an associate in Chaturanga and later collaborated with Aparna Sen for the film Iti Mrinalini, which received acclaim nationally and internationally. Prem served as the Indian Creative Adviser and Coordinator for the American Reality Show The Amazing Race and the Brazilian television show The Embarcados (On a Boat).

Prem wrote the story and lyrics for the film Sixer a CFSI production starring Amrish Puri, directed by Gul Bahar Singh. Later, he wrote dialogues for the film Antarmahal, directed by Rituparno Ghosh. Modi has directed over 300 episodes of musical series for DD1 (Doordarshan) and DD7 television channels. He also directed a fiction series titled Mukti for Doordarshan. Additionally, he directed documentaries, corporate, and promotional films for the Government of India.

His directorial debut was with Arjun – Kalimpong E Sitaharan starring Sabyasachi Chakrabarty, Om, Manoj Mitra and Churni Ganguly. His next release was Panchlait  , based on Phanishwar Nath Renu's short story starring Amitosh Nagpal, Anuradha Mukherjee, Yashpal Sharma, Rajesh Sharma, Ravi Jhankal and Brijendra Kala in lead roles. The film received acclaim from both audiences and was featured in prestigious film festivals, including the International Film Festival of India. He also co-produced a Hindi feature film Ateet starring Rajeev Khandelwal, Priyamani and Sanjay Suri, for ZEE5.

Awards and honors

 * Panchlait - Official Selection in 49th International Film Festival of India (IFFI)
 * Panchlait awarded as best Inspiring Film in 2nd Haryana International Film Festival.
 * Panchlait awarded as best Art Film in Jharkhand International Film Festival.
 * Best Inspiring Director in 2nd Haryana International Film Festival for Panchlait
 * Samaj Ratna from Honorable Governor of Bihar in 2018.
 * Best Actor award for theater from The Government of West Bengal in 1995.