| Occupation: | Filmmaker |
| Yearsactive: | 2006 – present |
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]
He is 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.
Abbas Akbar was born on 14 September 1983 in Singapore. His mother is from Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu and his father is from Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu. He is the second of three sons.
Abbas Akbar made the short film Certain Chapters (2009), which was nominated 'Best Short Film' at the Asian Festival of First Films, and was screened at several international film festivals including 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 and highly successful drama series Vettai (TV series), and directed the Tamil procedural police drama Vettai: Pledged to Hunt, which won a number of awards at Pradhana Vizha 2011, Mediacorp Vasantham's annual awards show honoring the best in the local television industry.[10]
In 2012, Abbas Akbar created his first feature film in India, '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]
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 the Minister of 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]
| 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 |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Acting role | Language | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-2014 | Nijangal (நிஜங்கள்) | Yes | No | No | Tamil | ||
| 2010-2017 | Vettai (வேட்டை) 1) 2) Vettai 2.0 | Yes | Yes | No | Tamil | Co-written with Anuradha Kanderaju |