8 Promising Tollywood Debutant Directors Who Left A Mark In 2016

After directing a host of films for television, this was Ayan's first full-length film made for the silver screen. And we have to admit, he didn't disappoint in his debut venture. Starring Chiranjeet in the leading role, 'Shororipu' was a fascinating tale of a serial killing where the basic deadly sins of humankind become the key of ultimate revelation. Chakraborty nailed it with his smart and spontaneous storytelling.

Sujan Mukherjee, also known as Neel, has been a familiar face on TV, theatre, and cinema for a decade now. The actor was all set to take the big leap with 'Ghete Gho' where he donned the director's hat for the first time, however, as fate had it, 'Chocolate' became his debut venture to make it to the theatres. Having a Puja release, the film was pitted against the biggies like 'Zulfiqar' and ‘Byomkesh O Chiriyakhana', however, the fine comedy didn't go unnoticed by the cine-goers.

Probably he was from the most unlikely background to make it in Tollywood. Arindam Bhattacharya, an ex-corporate professional, who quit his job to pursue his goal to become a filmmaker. A thriller in its core, Arindam's debut film Antarleen set an example for several newcomers. Letting the content take all the spotlight, the new filmmaker was lauded for his first effort. The film turned out a box-office success without the presence of any star.

Srijion Bardhan's 'Postmaster' was premiered at Delhi International Film Festival in 2015 however, the common audience could watch the film in 2016 when the movie released in the theatres. Inspired by Rabindranath Tagore's short story of the same name, the modern retelling continued its successful journey in the film festivals as it got selected for the Chennai International Film Festival. Director Srijion Bardhan showed huge potential and we expect better movies from him in future.

Anirban Paria's 'BajeChobi' was screened at 22nd Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF). Lauded by the critics, it was a story of a filmmaker essayed by Kaushik Sen. As the movie kept enjoying critical acclaims, Paria has already started working in his next project 'Ebong Kiriti' which is a film adaptation of Nihar Ranjan Gupta's 'Ratibilap' starring Priyanshu Chatterjee as detective Kiriti Roy.

What happens when an 80-year-old Nandini decides to tie the knot with a handsome and young Partha to get rid of her loneliness. Hell broke loose when her children get the news and now they visit the old lady whom they otherwise ignore to stop her from taking a drastic decision. With a topic so striking and thought-provoking, the light-hearted comedy hit the right chord in the direction of Anindya Ghosh. Abir and Sabitri Chatterjee's A-class performance was a plus.

Rajib Choudhury's 'Romantic Noy', a small budget film went on to become the mirror of society a film should be and reflected an unexplored dim side of the city to what we prefer to turn a blind eye. The film, dealing with male prostitution didn't do much magic at the box-office, but was critically acclaimed for being honest and transparent in its approach. The director deserves a round of applause for being bold and relevant in his debut film.

Pathikrit is the only one in the list who ventured into the mainstream movies for his debut act. After working as the assistant of Ravi Kinagi for several years, the young filmmaker directed his first film 'Haripada Bandwala' under Venkatesh Films, which is an achievement for any newbie. Starring Ankush, Nusrat, and Kharaj Mukherjee, Pathakrit's film was inspired by a popular Punjabi film, however, while remaking he managed to bring the flavor of Bangaliana into it.