Actor-director Manahar Kumar, who is a part of BAFTA Newcomers Program, is all set for a thrilling ride

Mona

Jack of all trades, master of none, but often better than a master of one… believes Manahar Kumar, a BAFTA newcomer, multiple student EMMY Award winning filmmaker and actor.

Manahar has played John Graham Whitfield, Detective Sergeant Trotter and Juror No 8 in classics like The Night of January 16, The Mousetrap and 12 Angry Men, respectively, on stage. He was one of 10 finalists selected for the Film Impact Georgia Grant for his thesis, Stardust. While doing his Masters at Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD), Atlanta, Manahar won the ‘Most Likely to be a Renowned Actor’ Ambassador’s Choice Award, the Outstanding Academic Achievement Award, Class of 2021 and was cast as the lead in the pilot production — What Remains of Emily. As a director-producer he’s worked with non-profit organisations like Men Against Rape and Discrimination (MARD) and Chhoti Si Asha (A Small Wish).

Interestingly, his journey in the entertainment world started from Chandigarh. A student of St Kabir and later at St John’s, he first got the taste of stage though Wings Theatre Academy.

Born into a family of entrepreneurs and educationists, Manahar joined engineering but moved stream to mass communication later. “I told my family, even if I become an engineer, I would be a very bad one,” he chuckles.

Calling Mumbai home now, the Chandigarh lad avers, “It’s my desire to move and entertain audiences that put me on this path.”

For his different projects, Manahar picks up stories from life. The film Distant explores the life of an illegal migrant. Manahar was the lead actor and producer of this Student EMMY Award winning short film.

Short documentary Kya Dekh Raha Hai? (What Are You Looking At?)) came after Manahar spotted young boys collecting liquor bottles to earn a living. Manahar was the director, cinematographer, editor and producer of this one that also made it to Student EMMY Award – Best Short Form – Non-Fiction.

Why go for sad stories that paint India in the negative light, one asks. “The idea was not to highlight poverty, but my curiosity to learn about these children collecting bottles,” he explains.

Manahar wants to be an observer of life stories. “I want to tell stories that talk of our common past and present, aiming at a better future for everyone!”

Currently, he is loving the rhythm of Mumbai. “The energy is upbeat, matching my wavelength at the moment. My family is still in Chandigarh, so whenever I want some peace and bliss, I head home.”

With a couple of projects in hand, he is waiting for the official announcement first. “There are some really good projects that you will soon see me in.”

Manhar is happy to be a part of the BAFTA Newcomers Program. “It’s just begun! It’s going to be a four-year long thrilling ride, the best that a newcomer can dream of.”

He is thrilled about his passion project. “It’s the story of my great grandmother who brought her five pre-teen children from Pakistan after Partition and how she changed from a meek woman to a ferocious lioness.”