Kabir Khan (director)

Kabir Khan is an Indian film director, screenwriter and cinematographer who works in Hindi cinema.

Rasheeduddin, who was a Pathan hailing from Kaimganj in Farrukhabad district, Uttar Pradesh, was a nephew of Dr. Zakir Hussain (President of India – 1967 to 1969) and a communist politician favored by Indira Gandhi as a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha at a relatively young age, in the early 1970s.

His sister, Anusheh, is married to film-maker Vijay Krishna Acharya, director of films like Tashan and Dhoom 3.

Khan studied at Kirori Mal College of Delhi University, as well as Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi.

He is married to television host & actress Mini Mathur, with whom he has 2 children, Vivaan and Sairah.

In initial days, he worked with prominent journalist Saeed Naqvi.

Before becoming a full-time filmmaker he worked with Saeed Naqvi as a cameraman and director and travelled around the world covering international issues.

He travelled to about 60 countries with Saeed Naqvi and shot interviews and documentaries for him.

During his work as a cinematographer, he had the opportunity to meet world leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Fidel Castro.

Khan started his career at age 25 as a cinematographer for the Discovery Channel documentary film Beyond the Himalayas (1996) directed by Gautam Ghosh.

He then made his own directorial debut with the documentary The Forgotten Army (1999) based on Subhas Chandra Bose's Indian National Army.

He then directed two more documentaries before shifting his focus to mainstream cinema.

The series has a different premise from his 1999 documentary of the same name.

In 2021, he directed the biographical sports drama 83, based on India's historic victory at the 1983 Cricket World Cup, with Ranveer Singh plays the role of Kapil Dev, the Captain of the Indian Cricket Team.

The film received widespread critical acclaim upon release, and earned Khan his second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director.

Made on a budget of ₹270 crore, the film only managed a worldwide gross collection of ₹190.86 crore and was deemed a box-office bomb.

He started his career working in documentary films, and then made his feature film directorial debut in 2006 with the adventure thriller Kabul Express.

Khan made his mainstream directorial debut with the Yash Raj Films-backed adventure thriller Kabul Express (2006).

Starring John Abraham and Arshad Warsi in lead roles, the film received mixed-to-positive reviews upon release, but emerged as a commercial failure at the box-office.

It, however, earned Khan the Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director.

He followed it up with the crime thriller New York (2009), again starring Abraham alongside Katrina Kaif and Neil Nitin Mukesh in lead roles.

The film, which revolved around the impact of the September 11 attacks and its aftermath on the lives of three college students (played by the lead trio), received highly positive reviews upon release.

It also emerged as a commercial success at the box-office, ranking as the seventh highest-grossing Hindi film of the year.

He is best known for directing Ek Tha Tiger (2012) and Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015).

His latest film 83 was released in 2021.

He is the board member of Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image.

Khan was born to Rasheeduddin Khan, a Muslim Urdu Speaking father and Leela Narayan Rao, a Hindu Telugu-speaking mother.

His next directorial venture, the action thriller Ek Tha Tiger (2012), again starring Kaif alongside Salman Khan, marked the end of his 3-film deal with Yash Raj Films.

The first instalment in the YRF Spy Universe, the film received positive reviews from critics upon release, and emerged as the highest-grossing Hindi film of the year.

After his 3-film deal with Yash Raj Films ended, Khan set up his own production company, and ventured into mainstream screenwriting with the adventure comedy-drama Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015), starring Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor in lead roles.

The film received widespread critical acclaim upon release, and emerged as a major commercial success at the box-office, emerging as the highest-grossing Hindi film of the year, and currently ranks as the third highest-grossing Hindi film of all time and the seventh highest-grossing Indian film of all time.

It also won him the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, in addition to earning him his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director.

Asked about the films use of the phrase Jai Shri Ram, he said that when he grew up, Jai Shri Ram was a benevolent expression, "rooted in our culture", but that the words have become aggressive, and that "it bothers me to see how we are becoming increasingly intolerant."

After the widespread critical and commercial success of Bajrangi Bhaijaan, he collaborated with Kaif for the third time, alongside Saif Ali Khan in the action thriller Phantom (2015).

The film was based on Hussain Zaidi's book Mumbai Avengers which revolved around the aftermath of 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

It received mixed reviews from critics upon release, and emerged as a below-average grosser at the box-office.

Khan again collaborated with Salman for the third time on the war drama Tubelight (2017), an official remake of the 2015 American film Little Boy, which was based in the backdrop of the 1962 Sino-Indian war and marked the Hindi film debut of Chinese actress Zhu Zhu, with a worldwide release in June 2017.

The film, just like the original, met with negative reviews, but was slightly better received for its direction and Salman's performance.

It also emerged as a commercial failure at the box-office.

In 2020, his first web series, The Forgotten Army: Azaadi Ke Liye, a 5-episode original based on Subhas Chandra Bose's Azad Hind Fauj, released on Amazon Prime Video.