Abhishek Kapoor | |
|---|---|
 Kapoor andPragya Yadav at Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla show for 'Volvo S90' | |
| Born | (1971-08-06)6 August 1971 (age 54) India |
| Other names | Gattu Kapoor |
| Occupations |
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| Known for |
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| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Jeetendra (uncle) Ekta Kapoor (cousin) Tusshar Kapoor (cousin) |
Abhishek Kapoor (born 6 August 1971) is an Indian film director, former actor, writer and producer who works inHindi cinema. He is known for his work in the musical dramaRock On!! (2008), the buddy sports dramaKai Po Che! (2013), the musical romantic dramaFitoor (2016), the romantic disaster filmKedarnath (2018) and the social romantic dramaChandigarh Kare Aashiqui (2021), earning nominations for theFilmfare Award for Best Director forRock On!! andKai Po Che!.
He started his career as an actor in 1996 with the filmsAashique Mastane, oppositeMonica Bedi, directed by Ajay Kashyap andUff! Yeh Mohabbat, oppositeTwinkle Khanna, directed byVipin Handa. Both films emerged as critical and commercial disasters.
He made his directorial debut with the sports dramaAryan (2006) starringSohail Khan andSneha Ullal in lead roles, which emerged as a critical and commercial disaster.[1][2][3]
In 2008, Kapoor achieved his breakthrough when he wrote and directed the musical dramaRock On!! starring debutantsFarhan Akhtar andPrachi Desai alongsideArjun Rampal in lead roles. The film opened to positive reviews from critics upon release, with praise for its novel concept, screenplay, soundtrack and performances of the cast; however, it emerged as an average commercial success at the box office.[2][4]Rock On!! won Kapoor theNational Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and theFilmfare Award for Best Story, in addition to nominations for theFilmfare Award for Best Film,Best Director andBest Screenplay.
In 2013, he screenwrote and directed the buddy sports dramaKai Po Che! (2013), starringSushant Singh Rajput,Rajkummar Rao,Amit Sadh andAmrita Puri in lead roles. The film, based onChetan Bhagat's novel,The 3 Mistakes of My Life (2008), had its world premiere at the63rd Berlin International Film Festival's World Panorama segment. It opened to positive reviews from critics, with praise for its direction, screenplay and performances of the cast, in addition to emerging as an above-average commercial success at the box-office.[5]Kai Po Che! won Kapoor theFilmfare Award for Best Screenplay, in addition to his second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director.
In 2016, he directed and produced the musical romantic dramaFitoor, an adaptation ofCharles Dickens'sGreat Expectations (1861). The film, starringTabu,Katrina Kaif andAditya Roy Kapur, opened to mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, with high praise for its soundtrack, cinematography, production design, costumes and performances of the cast, with Tabu's performance receiving widespread critical acclaim; however, its screenplay and pacing received criticism. However, it emerged as an underwhelming grosser at the box-office.[6]
His next screenwriting venture that year wasRock On 2, the sequel toRock On!!. Directed by Shujaat Saudagar, the film saw Akhtar, Desai and Rampal reprise their roles from the original film, withShraddha Kapoor andShashank Arora appearing in new roles. It opened to mixed-to-negative reviews from critics upon release, with its story, screenplay and soundtrack receiving sharp criticism. The film also emerged as a commercial disaster at the box-office.[7]
In 2018, he helmed and wrote the romantic disaster dramaKedarnath starring Rajput alongside debutanteSara Ali Khan. The film, which followed an inter-faith love story amidst the backdrop of the2013 North India floods, proved to be a commercial success at the box office and received positive reviews from critics upon release.
In 2021, he directed the social romantic dramaChandigarh Kare Aashiqui (2021), starringAyushmann Khurrana andVaani Kapoor, which narrated the story of a gym trainer who falls in love with a trans-woman. The film received positive reviews from critics and emerged as a moderate commercial success at the box office. It earned Kapoor his second Filmfare Award for Best Story.
Kapoor has launched his production company, Guy in the Sky Pictures.
Kapoor is a cousin of the actorTusshar Kapoor and producerEkta Kapoor. His father Prasanna Kapoor is the brother of Bollywood actorJeetendra.[8]
On 4 May 2015, Abhishek married Swedish actress and modelPragya Yadav.[9] They have two children, Isana and Shamsher.[citation needed]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Aryan | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2008 | Rock On!! | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2013 | Kai Po Che | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2016 | Fitoor | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rock On 2 | No | Yes | No | |
| 2018 | Kedarnath | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2021 | Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2025 | Azaad | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Acting credits
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Aashique Mastane | Mohan Prasad | |
| 1997 | Uff! Yeh Mohabbat | Raja | |
| 2000 | Shikaar | Vikram "Vicky" Nath | |
| 2011 | Game | Film director | Cameo |
| Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Best Feature Film in Hindi | Rock On!! | Won | [10] |
| Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Best Story | Rock On!! | Won | [11] |
| Best Film | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | |||
| Best Director | Nominated | |||
| 2014 | Kai Po Che! | Nominated | [12] | |
| Best Screenplay | Won | [13] | ||
| 2022 | Best Story | Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui | Won |
| Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Best Director | Rock On!! | Nominated | [14] |
| 2014 | Kai Po Che! | Nominated | [15] | |
| Best Story | Nominated |
| Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Best Director | Rock On!! | Nominated | [16] |
| 2014 | Kai Po Che! | Nominated |
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