Vishaal Nityanand

Vishaal Nityanand (born Vishal Puri in Deoria district, Uttar Pradesh, India) is in Indian actor and filmmaker.

Education
Nityanand completed his undergraduate studies at Allahabad University and received an MA degree from Makhanalal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication.

Career
Nityanand began as a documentary filmmaker in early 2005, producing and directing many development communication projects, documentaries and media tools. Simultaneously, he performed in several theatrical productions, and founded his own theatre troupe named "Awaaz".

His feature film debut will be in the as yet unreleased Hindi film Aarambh directed by Smitha Sashidaran.

In 2007, Nityanand founded Cinematic Arts Productions, a film production company, and directed several documentaries on national and international issues. In 2009, he founded Avagat, a media services company focused on development communication projects.

Honors and awards

 * 2011 CMS Vatavaran Film Festival: "Best Story" for  Kosi: Injustice with Millions of Villagers and Revolt by Kosi River
 * Best Director Award for the documentary Farmers in Hi-tech World by PEACE, India, 2005.
 * Best Actor Award for the play 'Hum Ek Rub Ek'' in intra-state theatre competition, New Delhi, 2004.

Personal
In 2007, he denounced affiliation with any particular caste or religion, changing his surname from Puri to Nityanand.