Namit Malhotra, an Indian graphics and visual effects (VFX) engineer, is in the spotlight after the epic science fiction film Dune won the 2022 Oscar in the "visual effects" category on Monday, 28 March.
His VFX company, DNEG, was one of the main contributors to the same.
Malhotra works as the CEO of DNEG (Double Negative), which even led the VFX of the most recent James Bond movie, No Time to Die.
Even the Bond film was nominated in the VFX category for the 94th Academy Awards, but lost out to Dune.
This is not the first time DNEG has encountered such thumping success. It has been responsible for the VFX of six Oscar-winning films, all released in the recent past – Tenet, Blade Runner 2049, First Man, Ex Machina, Interstellar, and Inception.
The company is also known for its work in films and TV shows like The Dark Knight Rises, Sherlock Holmes, and Chernobyl.
Anurag Thakur, the Minister of Sports, Youth Affairs and Minister of Information and Broadcasting in the Modi government, also tweeted about Malhotra's success.
From 'Video Workshop' to DNEG – Namit Malhotra's Journey
Malhotra is the eldest son of Bollywood director and producer Naresh Malhotra.
He grew up in Mumbai and attained a bachelor's degree in commerce from HR College of Commerce and Economics.
After learning computer graphics, he co-started Video Workshop, an editing studio that began to work for serials in channels like Zee Entertainment and Star Plus.
He then merged Video Workshop with his father's business Video Works, and created Prime Focus, a company that provided technological creative services like visual effects and sound for films.
Prime Focus then went global (Prime Focus World), with over 8,000 professionals across 16 cities, and started converting hugely successful films from 2D to 3D.
Some of these films are Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (both parts), Shrek 2, Wrath of the Titans, and even some Star Wars films.
In 2014, Malhotra merged Prime Focus World with DNEG, the successful VFX company that has made its way to several Oscars, including the 2022 one.
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