Kabir Khan (director)

Kabir Khan is an Indian film director, screenwriter and cinematographer who works in Hindi cinema. He started his career working in documentary films, and then made his feature film directorial debut in 2006 with the adventure thriller Kabul Express. He is best known for directing New York (2009), Ek Tha Tiger (2012), Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015), and 83 (2021). His latest film Chandu Champion was released on 14 June 2024 opening to positive reviews. This was his second sports biopic after 83.

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

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

Initial work and directorial breakthrough (1996-2012)
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.

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.

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.

Film production and screenwriting (2015-present)
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 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.

His next film was the Kartik Aaryan starrer sports biopic Chandu Champion which released on 14 June 2024. The film is based on the life and achievements of the boxer turned Paralympic gold medalist, Murlikant Petkar, including his historic triumph at the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg, Germany. Like 83, it received positive reviews but underperformed at the box office, grossing ₹88 crore against a budget of ₹100-140 crore.

He is also set to direct The Zookeeper, a Sino-Indian production. It is a travel-related drama film which is being shot in the Chinese city of Chengdu its the surrounding regions. The film has an estimated budget of US$25 million (₹crore), and it will star a leading Indian actor and a leading Chinese actress.