| Abhinav Sunder Nayak | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Kozhikode, Kerala, India |
| Occupations |
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Abhinav Sunder Nayak is an Indian film director and editor. He has worked in Malayalam and Tamil language films. He is best known for directing, co-writing & co-editing the Malayalam film Mukundan Unni Associates.
Early life
A native of Kozhikode, Abhinav attended Kendriya Vidyalaya before graduating in Visual Communication from Dr G R Damodaran College of Science, Coimbatore.
Career
Abhinav edited and directed several short films before serving as an assistant director to Vineeth Sreenivasan for the Malayalam film Thira (2013). His feature film debut came with Tamil-Malayalam bilingual Vaayai Moodi Pesavum (2014), as the editor. The film, which was Dulquer Salmaan's first Tamil release, received positive reviews and was a success. S.Rajasekar of Cinemalead, in his review wrote "Debut editor Abhinav Sundar Nayak's editing is flawless and he is a welcome addition to the promising feature film editors of Kollywood".
He subsequently went on to work as the editor in Malayalam and Tamil films including You too Brutus (2015), Uriyadi (2016), Aanandam (2016), Kurangu Bommai (2017) and Godha (2017).
Aside from editing, he has cut the trailers for numerous films, notably Thira (2013), Oru Vadakkan Selfie (2015), Kunjiramayanam (2015), Jacobinte Swargarajyam (2016), Njandukalude Naattil Oridavela (2017) and Aravindante Athidhikal (2018).
In 2022, he made his film directorial debut with Mukundan Unni Associates. He also co-wrote and co-edited the film with Vimal Gopalakrishnan and Nidhin Raj Arol respectively. The film starred his longtime collaborator Vineeth Sreenivasan, as the lead with a supporting cast of Suraj Venjaramoodu, Aarsha Chandini Baiju, Sudhi Koppa and Tanvi Ram. It premiered on November 11, 2022, to a positive response from audiences and critics alike and was a moderate box-office success. Princy Alexander of OnManorama wrote "Mukundan Unni is delightfully deceptive.The director and writer Abhinav Sunder Nayak and co-writer Vimal Gopalakrishnan have to be credited." Jose K George of The Week praised the film, saying "It is refreshing to see filmmakers not falling into the trap of shouldering the moral responsibility to make a movie the monolith of morality."
In 2023, Abhinav expressed his interest in developing a sequel to Mukundan Unni Associates. He is presently working on Althaf Salim's sophomore film Odum Kuthira Chadum Kuthira as its editor. In May 2024, he announced his next film called Mollywood Times, with a quirky tagline - 'A hate letter to cinema', produced by Aashiq Usman, set to release in 2025.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Editor | Director | Writer | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Vaayai Moodi Pesavum | Yes | No | No | Tamil film; simultaneously shot in Malayalam as Samsaaram Aarogyathinu Haanikaram | |
| 2015 | You Too Brutus | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2016 | Uriyadi | Yes | No | No | Tamil film | |
| Aanandam | Yes | No | No | |||
| 2017 | Godha | Yes | No | No | ||
| Kurangu Bommai | Yes | No | No | Tamil film | ||
| 2022 | Mukundan Unni Associates | Yes | Yes | Yes | Co-written with Vimal Gopalakrishnan Co-edited with Nidhin Raj Arol |
|
| TBA | Mollywood Times † | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Short films
| Year | Title | Credited as | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Editor | Writer | ||
| 2017 | Touch | Yes | No |
| 2015 | Raah | Yes | No |
| 2013 | Ghazal (The Music of Redemption) | Yes | No |
| 2013 | Muktibodh | Yes | No |
| 2013 | Kuttimaa | Yes | No |
| 2012 | Dharmam | Yes | No |
| 2012 | Inbox | Yes | No |
| 2012 | Karai | Yes | No |
| 2011 | Unakkagavey Piranthaen | Yes | No |
| 2011 | Cat Story | Yes | Yes |
| 2011 | Oorukku 4 Peru | Yes | No |
| 2010 | Maranthittiya | Yes | No |
| 2010 | Status Updated | Yes | Yes |
| 2008 | Kuppi | Yes | Yes |
References
- ^ Joy Mathew, Mathew (26 September 2016). "Smart Cut: How Abhinav went from amateur to editor". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- Praveen, S. R. (2022-11-11). "'Mukundan Unni Associates' movie review: A darkly funny take on a man obsessed with material success". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- ^ Ghosh, Devarshi. "'Mukundan Unni Associates': How the hit Malayalam thriller got made, a deep dive with director Abhinav Sunder Nayak and co-writer Vimal Gopalakrishnan". Moneycontrol. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- "Abhinav Sunder Nayak". LinkedIn.
- Anand, Shilpa Nair (2022-11-11). "Malayalam actor Vineeth Sreenivasan says the unpredictability of the lead character drew him to the movie 'Mukundan Unni Associates'". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- ചന്ദ്ര, അനു (2023-01-15). "വിനീതിന് 'മുകുന്ദൻ ഉണ്ണി'യുടെ ക്ലൈമാക്സിൽ എതിർപ്പുണ്ടായിരുന്നു -അഭിനവ് സുന്ദർ നായക് | Madhyamam". www.madhyamam.com (in Malayalam). Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- Seshagiri, Sangeetha (2014-04-25). "'Vaayai Moodi Pesavum' (VMP) Review Roundup: Feel Good Entertainer Worth Watching". www.ibtimes.co.in. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- ^ "Abhinav Sunder Nayak". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- "Vineeth Sreenivasan to lead editor Abhinav Sundar Nayak's directorial debut". Cinema Express. October 2021. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- Srinivasan, Latha (17 January 2023). "Mukundan Unni Associates was not a failure as producer made money, says director Abhinav Sunder Nayak". India Today. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- Alexander, Princy. "Vineeth Seenivasan's 'Mukundan Unni' is delightfully deceptive | Quick Review". OnManorama. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- K George, Jose. "Portrait of an antihero: Why 'Mukundan Unni Associates' is one of the finest Malayalam movies". The Week. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- Alex, Jijo. "We want the sequel to be bigger, better, and more exciting, says 'Mukundan Unni Associates' director Abhinav Sunder Nayak - Exclusive - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- Shrijith, Sajin (14 September 2022). "Fahadh's next' Odum Kuthira Chaadum Kuthira' is a rom-com". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- "Abhinav Sunder Nayak's next titled 'Mollywood Times' to feature Naslen". The Times of India. 2024-05-05. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-10-25.
- "Abhinav Sunder Nayak's next titled 'Mollywood Times' to feature Naslen". The Times of India. 2024-05-05. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2024-10-17.