Kaizaad Kotwal

Kaizaad Kotwal
Born
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Alma materWabash College
Ohio State University
Occupations
  • Actor
  • producer
  • writer
  • director
Years active2003–present
Known forThe Vagina Monologues, Indian production

Kaizaad Kotwal is an Indian producer, director, actor, writer and designer. He has worked on over 200 theatre and film productions, including the Indian production of the Vagina Monologues. He won an Emmy Award for Art Direction in 1996.[1]

Life and career

Kotwal was the first person to graduate with a triple major Bachelor's degree from Wabash College in Indiana, USA.[2] He also studied at Ohio State University where he received a Master's degree in feminist and post-colonial literature, as well as a doctorate in new media and technology in art, film, and theatre.[2]

Activism

Kotwal co-owns a production company called Poor-Box Productions with his mother and co-director Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal. Through this company, they began a long-running production of The Vagina Monologues in India, which debuted at the Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai in 2003.[3] They have translated the play into Hindi and Gujarati.[4] It has been performed consistently since then by actors like Dolly Thakore and Mona Ambegaonkar.[5] Together, Kotwal and Mody-Kotwal founded the Make-A-Difference Foundation in 2008 to advocate for women's empowerment.[6]

In 2014, he participated in the second annual Women of India Leadership Summit in New Delhi alongside other artists and women's rights activists.[7]

In December 2018, Kotwal held a TED talk entitled "Art and the Accidental Activist".[8]

In 2019, Kotwal and Mody-Kotwal were awarded the Karmaveer Puruskar Mahartna award for their activism for women's rights.[6][2]

Filmography (selected)

Year Film Role Notes
2014 Khoobsurat Pritam Chakravorty, Mili's father
2015 Phantom Pakistan ambassador
2016 Airlift Behram Poonawalla
2016 Udta Punjab
2017 Raees Mill Owner
2018 2.0 Manoj Lulla. Tamil Movie
2019 Thinkistan Visti Khodaji
2019 Fittrat Teckchand Sareen Web series released on ALTBalaji and ZEE5
2019 Kadakh Kaizaad
2020 Malang
High Vikram Lohiya 2 episodes
Bhaag Beanie Bhaag Therapist 1 episode
2021 Flight Mr. Rawat
Ray Maneckjee Web series released on Netflix
2022 Ek Villain Returns Siya's Father
2024 Raisinghani vs Raisinghani Kersay 1 episode

Awards and nominations

  • 2012 - Karmaveer Chakra Award[6]
  • 2014- Verghese Kurian Karmaveer Puraskar[9]
  • 2019 - Karmaveer Puruskar Maharatna Award[6]
  • 2020- 2020 National Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitivity[10]

References

  1. ^ Willis, John; Monush, Barry (1 June 2005). Screen world: 2004 film annual. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 193–. ISBN 978-1-55783-638-0. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  2. ^ a b c arZan (3 December 2019). "Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal And Son Dr. Kaizaad Kotwal Felicitated With Karmaveer Puruskar Maharatna Award". Parsi Khabar. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  3. ^ College, Wabash (13 January 2005). "Kotwal's Work Fights Violence Against Women". Wabash College. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  4. ^ "20 years later, The Vagina Monologues is still relevant, says Kaizaad Kotwal". The Times of India. 6 March 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  5. ^ Venkatesh, Aarthi (6 June 2017). "The monologues continue". Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d "Alum Kaizaad Kotwal Receives Award for Activism | Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts". theatreandfilm.osu.edu. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  7. ^ Summit, Women of India Leadership. "Join the Movement With 'Women of India Leadership Summit - 2014' - Invest in Yourself This September". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  8. ^ Kotwal, Kaizaad (30 May 2019). Art and the Accidental Activist. Retrieved 23 May 2024 – via www.ted.com.
  9. ^ Almeida, Jeroninio (27 February 2014). "REX CONCLiVE - to discuss Ideas for Action, held in New Delhi". Thomas Reuters Foundation News. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  10. ^ "Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal And Son - Kaizaad Win 2020 National Laadli Media Award". Parsi Times. 19 December 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2024.

Kaizaad Kotwal at IMDb

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