Mangaluru: Sandeep Malani completes 25 years in film industry

[email protected] (Media Release)
May 10, 2017

Mangaluru, May 9: Sandeep Malani, a Mangalurean filmmaker had joined the film industry in 1991, when he started his career in Bombay as an assistant to cameraman Jaggi Gupta, wherein he had the opportunity to work for some ad films, magazine shoots and also two episodes of a serial in Doordarshan that lead him connect with filmmaker Lawrence Dsouza for whom he worked for a short period as an unit assistant.

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Back to his native Mangaluru, Malani acted in a Tulu film Bangar Patler and then continued with September 8, after which he was seen as one of the lead in the Konkani film Bogsanhe. This all happened during the period 1991-92. Malani has now successfully completed 25 years of his career in films having worked as an actor, assistant director, associate, writer, producer and director. In these years he has worked in Tulu, Konkani, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Hindi, Sindhi, Punjabi, Gujarathi and Japanese film too.

Being an actor in Mangaluru for the Konkani and Tulu films, he has during the period of 1993 to 1996 had done several successful shows in Town Hall namely film dance competitions, valentine contests, Hindi play and award shows for dancers namely Chitrahaar, Flop Show and the biggest dance event 1995 A Dance Story. He then moved to Kannada films with Z, Aryabhata, Idhu Yentha Premavayya, Masala, Jootata, Julie, C/o Footpath, Tirupathi to name a few.

It was then he got a chance to co-direct the Kannada version of the trilingual film (also made in Tamil and Telugu) titled One Two Three with Prabhu Deva and his brothers. The film was directed by K Subaash, to whom Malani was an associate and penned scripts with him. One such film was the super hit film Chennai Express. Malani also was the associate director for the Kannada film Manasella Neene.

Malani then co-directed Miss California with Diganth and Janu and then independently directed the first Kanglish film, repeating the same cast in SMS 6260. The film was first of its kind with several other languages too incorporated in it. With SMS 6260, Malani introduced a whole lot of newcomers – artists and technicians to the film industry. He repeated the same trend, working with newcomers in his Hindi film Woh 5 Din and Janleva 555. From doing commercial films to some short films like Moments, Shaayad, Hum Tum Aur Loan, he turned to do some meaningful films that got him noticed in the different category of films. His films on social awareness, HIV Aids issue, Jo Jo Laali won him 17 awards and on women empowerment Sulige Sikkidaaga got him awards, festival entries and International recognition too.

Malani started his own production company titled Malani Talkies and to start with, he made a musical on his family titled Malaniya, celebrating 75 years of his dad Ramesh Malani, who was a film distributor and had connections with the industry. Malani, then made musical documentaries – Yashraj Heroines De Jayenge and a wonderful tribute to his all time favorite in 3 languages titled Roop Ki Rani, Senthoora Poove, Athiloka Sundari – Sridevi. He also gave a humble tribute to the 100 years of Indian cinema and had it showcased in Mangalore, Bombay and in Sydney, Australia.

Malani has also released and promoted several films with Malani Talkies production namely Beyond, Mumbai Connection, Tum Ho Yaara, Pritipal Singh.

And now, on his verge of completion of 25 years in the film industry, Malani is ready with his new film series titled MAA – yeh Cinemaa Hai, that has 100 plus stars and has entirely been shot on an iPhone camera. The film deals with mother sentiment, woman empowerment and wholesome entertainment.

From actor to director and fully being behind the screens, of lately Malani has got back to acting playing major roles in two Kannada films, Mooka Vismitha and Darpana, and also he will be seen in Hindi films Elena, Filmi Raasleela and Divorced Happily.

Malani says that he plans to do a four language film in Kannada, Konkani, Tulu and Byaari and will start beginning the shoot from July this year.

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News Network
December 16,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 16: The Mangaluru City police have significantly escalated their campaign against drug trafficking, arresting 25 individuals and booking 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. The crackdown resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of illicit substances, including 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of ganja.

The success of this recent drive has been significantly boosted by the city’s innovative, QR code-based anonymous reporting system.

"The anonymous reporting system has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers," said the City Police Commissioner.

The latest arrests contribute to a robust year-to-date record, underscoring the police's relentless commitment to combating the drug menace.

Up to December 14 this year, the police have registered a total of 107 cases of drug peddling, leading to the arrest of 219 peddlers. Furthermore, they have booked 562 cases of drug consumption, resulting in the arrest of 671 individuals.

The scale of the seizure for the year reflects the magnitude of the problem being tackled: police have seized 320.6 kg of ganja worth ₹88.7 lakh and 1.4 kg of MDMA valued at ₹1.2 crore. Other significant seizures include hydro-weed ganja worth ₹94.7 lakh and cocaine worth ₹1.9 lakh, among others.

The Commissioner emphasized a policy of rigorous enforcement: "We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence."

To counter the rising trend of substance abuse among youth, the Mangaluru City police have rolled out uniform guidelines for random drug testing across educational institutions.

As part of the drive, tests were conducted in approximately 100 institutions, screening an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 students in the first phase. 20 students tested positive for drug consumption during the initial screening.

Students who tested positive have been provided counselling and are scheduled for re-testing in the second quarter. The testing will also be expanded to students not covered in the first phase. In a move to ensure strict implementation, police personnel were deployed in mufti in some institutions. Reiterating a zero-tolerance stance, the Commissioner confirmed that random testing will continue, and colleges have also been instructed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse from an early stage.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Air India Express has announced that it will resume direct flight services between Mangaluru and Muscat from March 2026, restoring an important international air link for passengers from the coastal region.

Airport authorities said the service will operate twice a week—on Sundays and Tuesdays—from March 1. The initial flights are scheduled on March 3, 8 and 10, followed by March 15 and 17, with the same operating pattern to continue thereafter. The flight duration is approximately three hours and 25 minutes.

The Mangaluru–Muscat route was earlier operated under the 2025 summer schedule, with services beginning on July 14. At that time, Air India Express had operated four flights a week before suspending the service.

Officials said the summer schedule will come into effect from March 29, after which changes in flight timings and departure schedules from Mangaluru are expected. Passengers have been advised to check the latest schedules while planning their travel.

The resumption of direct flights to Muscat is expected to significantly benefit expatriates, business travellers and others, further strengthening Mangaluru’s air connectivity with the Gulf region.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru police have arrested a 27-year-old NRI on his return from Saudi Arabia in connection with an Instagram post allegedly containing derogatory and provocative remarks about the Hindu religion, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Abdul Khader Nehad, a resident of Ulaibettu in Mangaluru, was working in Saudi Arabia when the post was uploaded, police said.

A suo motu case was registered at the Bajpe police station on October 11 after an allegedly offensive post circulated from the Instagram account ‘team_sdpi_2025’. Police said the content was flagged for being provocative and derogatory in nature.

During the investigation, technical analysis traced the Instagram post to Nehad, who was residing abroad at the time, a senior police officer said. Based on these findings, a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him.

On December 14, Nehad arrived from Saudi Arabia at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, where he was taken into custody on arrival. Police said further investigation is underway.

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