Biography
Manahar Kumar is a BAFTA Connect Fellow, multiple student EMMY® award winning filmmaker-actor. While acting on-stage in classics like The Night of January 16 (John Graham Whitfield), The Mousetrap (Detective Sergeant Trotter) and 12 Angry Men (Juror No. 8), Manahar learnt, grew and fell in love with performing arts. He's acted in the Shah Rukh Khan blockbuster Jawan and Amazon Prime's International EMMY® nominated, Made In Heaven S2. He completed a stint in the Writers Room for Jio Hotstar Series, Hai Junoon.
In Manipal, he founded Untied Laces Studio. During his graduate program, MFA in Film & TV at Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD), Atlanta, Manahar won the "Most Likely to be a Renowned Actor" Ambassador's Choice Award, the "Outstanding Academic Achievement Award", and was also the lead in the Pilot Production - What Remains of Emily. He has trained under Bradley Cooper's acting coach for Maestro, Kim Gillingham, the Margie Haber Studio in Los Angeles, Whole World Improv Theatre in Atlanta and pursued acting workshops by the Film Television Institute of India.
As a Director-Producer he's worked with non-profits like, Men Against Rape and Discrimination (MARD) and Chhoti si Asha (A Small Wish) and brands like Deloitte and Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC). Manahar's thesis, Stardust won the "Audience Award" at Georgia Film Festival, recently screened at the International Film Festival of South Asia, Toronto, competing with his own shorts where he starred as the lead in Distant (Talent Performance EMMY® winner) and Mabrook. Manahar's films have been immensely appreciated at the Academy Award qualifying Atlanta Film Festival, Palm Springs International, Bentonville Film Festival, to name a few, also being a nominee by the Georgia Film Critics Association for the Oglethorpe Award for Excellence.
Manahar's strength lies in his creative instincts with strong entrepreneurial acumen, being a bridge to stories that are both meaningful and commercially viable. Known for his hands-on leadership, mentorship and ability to manage diverse teams, he brings a grounded, unique approach to every project. Manahar is an Entertainment & Media Future Creators Fellow at the prestigious Gold House as well, where he actively supports emerging talent and ventures in the creative industry.
Next up, Manahar is gearing up for his US Feature debut and multiple short films in post production in Atlanta and Los Angeles. Moreover, as Director of Content Development, Distribution & Acquisitions at House of REUX, Atlanta, Manahar has brought the Indian indie darling hit, Dilli Dark to US markets, as Executive Producer.
What draws Manahar to filmmaking and acting is the desire to move and entertain audiences.
