Chandraprakash Dwivedi

Chandraprakash Dwivedi is a writer, director and actor in television and film whose work draws on ancient and modern literature and on history. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2022 in the field of art, from Rajasthan ^[1].

A doctor drawn to the classics

Dwivedi was born on 7 June 1960 in Rajasthan into the family of a Sanskrit scholar ^[2]. He qualified as a doctor from the University of Bombay in 1985, but from an early age was drawn to classical Sanskrit literature and to history, which became the basis of his work ^[2].

From stage to screen

He began in theatre, writing, directing and acting in short plays such as Vetal Uvach and Eklavya, drawn from old stories and the Mahabharata ^[2]. He then wrote, directed and starred in the television series Chanakya ^[2]. He followed it with Mrityunjay, about Karna, Upanishad Ganga, on the ideas of the Upanishads, and Surajya Sanhita, on governance in ancient India ^[2].

His first film, Pinjar, was based on Amrita Pritam’s novel and won a National Film Award ^[2]. He went on to make Mohalla Assi, from Kashinath Singh’s Kashi Ka Assi, Zed Plus and Prithviraj, based on Chand Bardai’s Prithviraj Raso ^[2].

He has served on the Central Advisory Board on Culture, the trust of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts and the Central Board of Film Certification ^[2].