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Sanal Kumar Sasidharan Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 14, 2026 • 3 min read

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Quick Info

Date of birth8 April 1977

Age48 Years

BirthplacePerumkadavila village, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

ProfessionPoet, lawyer and filmmaker

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseSreeja Suseela

FamilySon - Kailasapathi Sanal; Parents - Sasidharan and Sarojam

Sanal Kumar Sasidharan Biography

Indian poet, lawyer and filmmaker from Thiruvananthapuram known for the internationally awarded film Sexy Durga (2017). Active in independent cinema, he co

Early life and background

Sanal Kumar Sasidharan was born on 8 April 1977 in Perumkadavila village near Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Raised in the region he still lists as his hometown, he completed schooling locally and went on to study at VTMNSS Dhanuvachapuram and the Government Law College in Thiruvananthapuram. His formal education includes a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and a Bachelor of Laws. Sanal has described himself as an atheist and lists travelling and photography among his interests.

Career

Sanal began his film journey around the turn of the millennium, working as an art assistant on the Malayalam film Mankolangal in 2000. He made his directorial debut with the short film Athisayalokam in 2001 and continued to develop a body of short work over the next two decades. Notable short films directed by him include Parole (2008), Frog (2012), Ozhivudivasathe Kali (2015), Chola (2019) and Vazhakku (2021).

He is best known for the feature Sexy Durga (2017), which became the first Indian film to win the Hivos Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Sexy Durga also earned recognition at several international festivals in 2017, including awards at Yerevan and Guanajuato, and received a jury mention for direction at the Valencia International Film Festival Cinema Jove. His work has been honoured repeatedly in India as well, including Kerala State Film Awards and several jury and special mentions in regional and national film award circuits.

Sanal has spoken about a filmmaking approach that gives significant weight to locations and performers, often working from scripts that are brief on the page so that the environment and actors can contribute during production. This practice informs films such as Kayyattam (2020), which was reportedly shot on an iPhone in the Himalayas, and other projects where he embraces a pared-down scripting method and a cinematic sensibility he has described as spiritual and observational.

Beyond directing, Sanal helped set up an independent film society, Kazhcha Chalachithra Vedi, aiming to make films through crowd funding. His early influences included the parallel cinema movements and filmmakers associated with people’s cinema; he has acknowledged studying the practices of those movements while finding his own path.

Public profile

Sanal combines careers in poetry, law and filmmaking. He has been an outspoken figure on cultural matters and has often been featured in regional media. His public statements and social media posts have at times attracted criticism. In relation to film certification, Sanal challenged a Central Board of Film Certification decision in 2017 regarding the title of Sexy Durga, filing a writ petition in the Kerala High Court.

He has also taken principled stands about film festival participation, withdrawing his film Chola from the International Film Festival of Kerala in 2019 in protest of what he described as a biased selection process.

Personal life

Sanal is married to advocate Sreeja Suseela. The couple have two sons, including one named Kailasapathi Sanal. His parents are Sasidharan and Sarojam. He is known to be an animal lover and occasionally posts pictures of pets on social media.

Latest updates

In addition to ongoing festival screenings and awards recognition, Sanal received the Disruptor Award at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne in 2021. He continues to work in independent cinema, directing both short films and features and engaging in public conversations about film practice and cultural policy.

Physical profile

Sanal is listed with a height of approximately 165 cm (5 feet 5 inches). He has black hair and black eyes.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded

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Recent Work

Vazhakku

Short film directed by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan

2021
Chola

Short film directed by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan

2019
Kayyattam

Feature film reportedly shot on an iPhone in the Himalayas

2020
Sexy Durga

Feature film that won the Hivos Tiger Award at IFFR and multiple international awards

2017
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Career Highlights

  1. Winner of the Hivos Tiger Award at International Film Festival Rotterdam (2017)
  2. Golden Apricot Award at Yerevan International Film Festival (2017)
  3. Best International Feature at Guanajuato International Film Festival, Mexico (2017)
  4. Kerala State Film Award for Best Film (2015)
  5. Best Director at the Kerala State Film Awards (2014)
  6. Disruptor Award at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (2021)
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Sanal Kumar Sasidharan born?

Sanal Kumar Sasidharan was born on 8 April 1977.

What is Sanal Kumar Sasidharan known for?

Sanal Kumar Sasidharan is known for poet, lawyer and filmmaker.

What is Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s marital status?

Sanal Kumar Sasidharan's marital status is listed as Married.

Who is Sanal Kumar Sasidharan married to?

Sanal Kumar Sasidharan is publicly listed as married to Sreeja Suseela.