Happy birthday, Prashanth Neel: Interesting facts about 'Salaar', 'KGF' director

Kannada filmmaker Prashanth Neel debuted in 2014 with Ugramm. But it was his second venture, KGF: Chapter 1, that bought him nationwide popularity, which only increased with its sequel. Presently, he is gearing up for his next directorial Salaar, starring Prabhas and Shruti Haasan. On his 43rd birthday on Sunday (June 4), here are some interesting facts about Neel.

Many of his fans are unaware that the KGF franchise director's real name is Prashanth Neelakantapuram, which has been shortened by him to Neel. He belongs to Madakasira, a village located in Andhra Pradesh's Anantapur district. Interestingly, his father, Subhash Reddy, is the brother of politician Raghuveera Reddy. He was born into a Telugu family, which eventually settled in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Another interesting fact that many are unversed with is that Neel comes from a political family. His uncle, Raghuveera, is a former minister and a Congress leader from Andhra Pradesh. His family doesn't only have a political background but also has family relations in the film industry. Kannada actor Sriimurali is Neel's brother-in-law as he is married to his sister, Vidya.

All the KGF lovers would definitely remember the impressive performance by actor Balakrishna Neelakantapuram. He essayed the role of Inayat Khalil in both installments of the blockbuster franchise. Per reports, Neel has family relations with Balakrishna's family too. Speaking of KGF, it was Yash's Googly performance that made Neel cast him for the movie to play the iconic character of Rocky Bhai.

Neel made his debut with Ugramm, which starred Sriimurali in the lead. But what many don't know is that he had initially finished the script for a film called Aa Hudugi Neene. However, it was dropped even before he pitched it to Sriimurali. Instead, he worked on a new script keeping the mannerisms of Murali in mind. That's how Ugramm came into existence.