Sankalp Reddy

1. Overview

Sankalp Reddy is an Indian film director and screenwriter primarily known for his work in Telugu cinema and Bollywood. He gained prominence with his directorial debut, the 2017 Pan-Indian war film Ghazi, which earned him the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu. Following this success, Reddy ventured into the science fiction genre with Antariksham 9000 KMPH in 2018. His career reflects a diverse range of cinematic interests, from historical war dramas to futuristic thrillers, demonstrating his versatility as a filmmaker.

2. Early Life and Education

Sankalp Reddy's formative years and academic pursuits laid the groundwork for his eventual career in filmmaking.

2.1. Early Life and Background

Sankalp Reddy was born on October 20, 1984, and grew up in Hyderabad, India. His family originates from the Ranga Reddy district, specifically from Ibrahimpatnam.

2.2. Education

Reddy pursued his engineering studies at CVR College of Engineering, graduating in 2006. He then moved to Australia to pursue an MBA at Griffith University in Brisbane. However, he dropped out after a single semester to follow his passion for film. He subsequently enrolled in Griffith Film School, a renowned creative arts institution in Australia, where he earned his MFA in film direction in 2009.

3. Career

Sankalp Reddy's career trajectory began with a brief stint in software engineering before transitioning into filmmaking, marked by early short films and entrepreneurial ventures that ultimately led to his feature film debut.

3.1. Early Professional Experience

After completing his engineering degree, Reddy worked as a software engineer at Infosys for six months. During his time in Australia for higher education, he produced four short films prior to his commercial feature film debut. Notably, these early short films were shot using an iPhone.

3.2. Entrepreneurial Ventures

Reddy founded an animatics company named Krystal 3C. This company later provided animatics for his debut feature film, Ghazi. Before embarking on Ghazi, Reddy dedicated approximately a year to researching submarines, which culminated in him writing a book titled The Blue Fish. He specifically wrote this book to retain the copyrights, ensuring he could adapt it into a film himself. This book later served as the foundational script for Ghazi.

4. Directorial Career

Sankalp Reddy's directorial career is characterized by his innovative approach to storytelling, particularly in the genres of war and science fiction.

4.1. Ghazi (2017)

Ghazi marked Sankalp Reddy's feature film directorial debut in 2017. This Pan-Indian war film is inspired by true events from the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. The narrative is an underwater tale of courage and patriotism, focusing on the Indian submarine INS Karanj (S21). The film depicts how the INS Karanj destroyed the Pakistani submarine PNS Ghazi when it ventured into Indian waters with the objective of destroying the INS Vikrant off the coast of R. K. Beach in Visakhapatnam. Ghazi was screened at the Jagran Film Festival and received critical acclaim, earning the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu at the 65th National Film Awards in 2018.

Year	Title	Language	Role	Note
2017	Ghazi	Telugu, Hindi	Director, Screenwriter
2018	Antariksham 9000 KMPH	Telugu	Director, Screenwriter
2021	Pitta Kathalu	Telugu	Director, Screenwriter	Segment: "Pinky"
2023	IB71	Hindi	Director

6. Awards and Recognition

Sankalp Reddy has received several significant awards for his work, particularly for his debut film, Ghazi.

National Film Awards
- 2018: Best Feature Film - Telugu for Ghazi
Filmfare Awards South
- 2018: Best Director for Ghazi
South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA)
- 2018: Best Director (Telugu) for Ghazi
- 2018: Best Debut Director for Ghazi
Santosham Film Awards
- 2018: Best Director for Ghazi

7. Personal Life

Sankalp Reddy is married to Keerthy Reddy.