Abbas Akbar

Abbas Akbar is a Singaporean filmmaker, screenwriter and executive producer. He has written, directed, and overseen over 100 hours of award-winning television and film since 2009.[1]

Abbas Akbar
Akbar in 2010
OccupationFilmmaker
Years active2006 – present

He is well-known for Mediacorp's blockbuster hit drama series (Tamil), Vettai: Pledged to Hunt which he wrote and directed in 2010. It is touted to be one of the most watched shows in Singapore's television history and it continues to have a cult following today. Due to the show's popularity and TV ratings, the final 3 episodes of the season were shown at Cathay, Orchard Cineleisure. It won the 'Most Popular Series' at Pradhana Vizha 2011.

Personal life

Abbas Akbar was born 14 September 1983 in Singapore. His mother is from Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu and his father is from Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu. He is the second out of three sons.

Career

Abbas Akbar made the short film Certain Chapters in 2009. Certain Chapters was nominated 'Best Short Film' at the Asian Festival of First Films and was screened at several international film festivals such as Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival, 3rd New Jersey Independent South Asian Cinefest and the Stepping Stone Film Festival in Chennai.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

His music videos produced by High Breed Media featuring Shabir were the first independent Tamil content to be playing on MTV Asia (both broadcast & online) and other international channels such as Channel [V] AMP, Go! Channel Philippines, DirectTV US and Mobile TV – Vodafone UK / Ireland.[9]

He was one of the two directors for the award-winning drama series Vettai (TV series) that took Singapore television by storm. A Tamil procedural cop drama Vettai: Pledged to Hunt took home a slew of awards at Pradhana Vizha 2011, Mediacorp Vasantham's annual awards show honouring the best in the local television industry.[10]

In 2012, Abbas Akbar kickstarted his feature film journey in India. He went to the heart of Kollywood, to make his very feature film, titled 'Chennai 2 Singapore'. The film was jointly produced by Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), Vrobal, MM2 Entertainment Pte Ltd, and co-produced by Ghibran and Shabir. This film was the first collaboration between the Tamil and Singaporean film industries.by Media Development Authority (Singapore) and Comicbook Films India.[11][12]

Honors and awards

The Singapore Police Force in celebration of the Home Team National Day Observance Ceremony on 6 August 2012 awarded Akbar with a Public Spiritedness Award from Minister in Prime Minister's Office and 2nd Minister for Home Affairs and Trade and Industry Mr. S. Iswaran. This award was presented for his assistance rendered to a patrol officer in stopping an offender who attempted to escape.[13]

Filmography
Year Film Director Writer Acting role Language Note(s) Awards or Nominations
2009 Certain Chapters Yes Yes Jegan (Lead actor) Tamil Short documentary film
2017 Chennai to Singapore Yes Yes Tamil Based on the book Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Television
Year Title Director Writer Acting role Language Notes
2011-2014 Nijangal
(நிஜங்கள்)		 Yes No No Tamil
2010-2017 Vettai (வேட்டை)

1) Vettai: Pledged to Hunt

2) Vettai 2.0

 Yes Yes No Tamil Co-written with Anuradha Kanderaju

References
  1. "Indian movies being made in Singapore - BBC News". BBC News. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  2. Benjamin Nowicki (1 January 2010). "The Cinefile Presents Director Abbas Akbar & Composer Shabir". The Cinefile. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
  3. Wannabe Studios (December 2009). "Certain Chapters". The Stepping Stone Film Festival. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
  4. Administrator (7 November 2009). "List of Selected Films". Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
  5. Singapore Malay Film Society (October 2009). "Certain Chapters". Purnama 2 – A Screening of Short Films. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
  6. Businessofcinema.com Team (24 November 2009). "Tamil film nominated Best Short Film at Asian Festival". Businessofcinema.com. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
  7. Mogana Pillay (3 September 2009). "Certain Chapters – World Class". Tamil News, MediaCorp Vasantham. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
  8. Asian American Film and Theater Project (October 2009). "2009 Films". New Jersey Independent South Asian Cinefest 2009. Retrieved 21 February 2010
  9. MTV Asia (1 June 2010). "Dejavu". MTV Asia.com. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  10. "TODAYonline | Entertainment | Television | Vettai wins big at Vasantham awards show". 1 July 2011. Archived from the original on 1 July 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  11. "Details about the upcoming Tamil Movie Chennai to Singapore". www.behindwoods.com. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  12. "'Chennai Singapore' makers hope to popularise Singapore". The Indian Express. 15 September 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
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