Aditya Kripalani was born on a chilly Tuesday morning in Pune on October 20th, 1981. He spent his first few years in Pune living with his grandparents, and later moved to Bombay to live with his parents when he was three. Mischievous and enthusiastic from an early age, Aditya finished his schooling from Arya Vidya Mandir, Juhu in Mumbai. From his early teens Aditya displayed a keen interest in the creative fields, especially with regards to writing and film-making. He didn’t know it then, but his habit of keeping a daily journal would later prove invaluable to him as both an accomplished writer in the film industry and as a first time author. By the time he started college, it was evident that Aditya had a flair for creative writing. Over the years, his passion for his art transformed into a lasting love affair that has since launched him into several new and exciting avenues.
A few years after he completed his Bachelors Degree in Commerce from MMK College in Mumbai, Aditya moved to Pune to pursue his dream of becoming a writer in a field that he had been most exposed to in his younger days, film. In 2003, he enrolled himself in the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII)’s Film Appreciation course and later went on to complete the Film Screenplay Writing course from the same institute in 2004. During this period, Aditya explored film for the very first time as an Assistant Director for the mainstream feature film ‘Gumnaam’, and then again for a commemorative documentary ‘Prabhat Classics’ which went on to win the National Award for Best Marathi Film in 2003.
At the end of his two years at FTII in 2005, having topped the interview and placed second in the written exam, Aditya started off his professional career as a writer working with renowned film directors such as Sudhir Mishra, Abhishek Kapoor, and Prakash Jha.
In 2006, at only age 25, Aditya began a year as Faculty In Charge of Screenplay Writing at Xavier’s Institute of Communication. Simultaneously, he took on the role of Script Department In Charge at I Dream Production and he continued working with the company, recruiting and heading a team of writers for internal content and script development, till 2008.
During this period, despite having an extremely busy professional schedule, Aditya made time to pursue his passion for fitness. He began training in karate under Shihan Pervez Mistry and later participated in the I.O.G.K.F karate international annual Gasshuku in Goa. Aditya also tried his hand at conventional fitness training, completing the Reebok Certified Course in Fitness Training and Aerobics. Additionally, he has participated in a Storywork and Healing Workshop under Marguerite Theophill. And if that weren’t enough, he wrote a monthly column which covered fitness and watches in the popular publication, Man’s World, and a fitness column for the teen magazine, Yuva.
From 2008 to 2009 Aditya played a vital role as Creative Head and Script Consultant on several I Dream Production mainstream feature films such as ‘Straight’ starring Vinay Pathak and Gul Panag, directed by Parvati Balgopalan; ‘Tahaan’ starring Anupam Kher and Rahul Bose, directed by Santosh Sivan; and ‘Kusar Prasad Ka Bhoot’ starring Paresh Rawal, Randeep Hooda, and Neetu Chandra. Once again in 2009, Aditya took on a role as Faculty In Charge of Creative Writing at Kishanchand Chellaram College.
Having gained a fair advantage in his career as a film writer, Aditya set his sights on the tremendous challenge of authoring a book. After four years of dedication and hard work, Aditya went on to become not only a first time fiction novelist but also a first time publisher, releasing his book ‘Back Seat’ in 2008 under the label of his self-owned publishing house Neurotic Ink. ‘Back Seat’, which began as a film script written by the young author years before, had blossomed into a fascinating piece of literature. Provocative in theme, plot, and language, the book has also been called ‘a writer’s wet dream’ by one critic, and nothing makes Aditya happier than to be the man behind the book.
Since its release, ‘Back Seat’ has received widespread appreciation. It has been placed in the top 10 against 300 other titles in the 2009 HOLLYWOOD BOOK FEST; and nationally amongst the 152 winning novels of the 2008 Kala Ghoda Book Competition. The book has made its way into every major book store chain, single store, website – including amazon.com,barnesandnoble.com, borders.com, ebay.com, flipkart.com, and about 15 other online retail portals.
In 2016, Aditya Kripalani started his own production house, ‘Mumba Devi Motion Pictures’ and his third novel, ‘Tikli and Laxmi Bomb’ became his first feature film, which he wrote, directed and produced. Along with being screened at various national and international film festivals, the film has won many awards like Best Film award at the ‘9th Berlin Independent Film Festival, 2018’; Best Film – Gender Equality award at the 20th UK Asian Film Festival, 2018 and Best feature at the New Jersey Indian & International Film festival, 2018. Tikli and Laxmi Bomb also had its Premiere in Singapore in May 2018 and received an overwhelming response from the audience.
In 2018, Aditya wrote his second film, ‘Tottaa Pataaka Item Maal’ which he also directed and produced. The film is about these four women from various parts of Delhi, meet by chance in a ‘ladies only’ taxi ride and get into an altercation with a man who’s teasing them. They end up choosing to make an example of him by teaching him what the fear of rape is. This film was also screened at various national and international Film festivals like Kala Ghoda Art festival in Mumbai, the 21st UK Asian Film Festival in London, UK and 17th Garden State Film Festival, New Jersey, 2019.
In 2019, Aditya wrote his third film, ‘Devi Aur Hero’ which is about a A therapist who is himself seeking help for his sex addiction, fights hard to try to help his newest client, a sex slave who’s escaped her captor but is plagued by multiple Selves in her mind that emanate from years of abuse. The film won the NETPAC award for Best Film at the 25th Kolkata International Film Festival, 2019.
Aditya Kripalani’s fourth feature film, ‘Not Today’ deals with the sensitive and relevant topic of ‘Suicide Prevention’ and ‘Mental health’. The film recently won the prestigious International Critics ‘FIPRESCI Award’ and ‘Best Asian Film’ at the 13th Bengaluru International Film Festival and Festival Directors Award at the 23rd UK Asian Film Festival. ‘The Ray of Hope Igniting Flame award for film on mental health’. It has also screened at multiple International and Asian film festivals across and received overwhelming reactions .
When asked about the secret to his success, Aditya humbly replies “I couldn’t have achieved what I have without the people in my life. My loving wife, Sweta, has stood by me every step of the way; helping me take ‘Back Seat’ to the streets, cafés, stalls and college fests across Mumbai and Pune. Not to forget my friends and students, most of who are now close friends, for their incredible support. Thanks to people like Candice Pereira, who owns ‘Candies’, and Ankit of ‘Crepe Station’, I was able to put up stalls outside their restaurants and sell the book. Today, if ‘Back Seat’ is a success it’s most definitely because of the tremendous following the book has garnered on Facebook and twitter.”