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Dharmesh Darshan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Dharmesh Sabharwal (1967-05-16)16 May 1967 (age 58) |
| Occupation(s) | Director, Producer, writer |
| Years active | 1993–2006 |
| Family | Bhatt family |
| Website | www.dharmeshdarshan.com |
Dharmesh Darshan is an Indian filmmaker, film director and writer who works inBollywood. He was born intoBhatt family. He began his illustrious career as one of the youngest filmmakers of Indian Cinema, in the league ofSooraj Barjatya,Aditya Chopra,Karan Johar, andSanjay Leela Bhansali. He began his directorial career with the action romanceLootere (1993), starringSunny Deol andJuhi Chawla, which was a big hit that gave him a huge breakthrough early in his career. He later created box-office history with the romantic dramaRaja Hindustani (1996) starringAamir Khan andKarisma Kapoor. He then directed the musical romantic dramaDhadkan (2000) starringAkshay Kumar,Suniel Shetty andShilpa Shetty, another commercial success.
Dharmesh was born Dharmesh Sabharwal, the son of film producer Darshan Sabharwal and his wife Sheila, who is the elder sister of filmmakers,Mahesh Bhatt andMukesh Bhatt.[1] Thus, both his parents were linked to the Hindi film industry. At some point, Dharmesh decided to adopt his father's first name as his own surname, and came to be known as Dharmesh Darshan.
Dharmesh made his directorial and screenwriting debut with the action romanceLootere (1993), starringSunny Deol andJuhi Chawla in lead roles. Produced by his brother,Suneel Darshan, the film emerged as a commercial success at the box office.[2]
Dharmesh achieved his breakthrough with his next directorial venture, the romantic drama,Raja Hindustani (1996), starringAamir Khan andKarisma Kapoor in lead roles. The film told the story of acab driver (Khan) from a small town who falls in love with a rich young woman (Kapoor). It received positive reviews from critics upon release, with praise for its direction, story, screenplay, soundtrack, and performances of the cast. The film emerged as a major blockbuster at the box office, grossing ₹76.34 crore worldwide, ranking as thehighest-grossing Hindi film of the year, and the fourth highest-grossing film in India of the 1990s.[3]Raja Hindustani won several awards including theFilmfare Award for Best Film, and earned Dharmesh his first nomination for theFilmfare Award for Best Director.
Dharmesh began the new millennium with directing and screenwriting themasala filmMela and the musical romantic dramaDhadkan.Mela, which starred Khan,Twinkle Khanna and his real-life younger brotherFaisal Khan in lead roles, was the firstBollywood release of the new millennium. The film opened to highly negative reviews from critics upon release, and emerged as a major commercial disaster at the box-office.[4]Mela is considered to be one of the worst films of Hindi cinema.[5][6]
Dharmesh's next directorial that year wasDhadkan, starringAkshay Kumar,Shilpa Shetty,Suniel Shetty, andMahima Chaudhry in lead roles. Inspired byEmily Brontë'snovelWuthering Heights, the film received positive reviews from critics upon release, with praise for its direction, soundtrack, and performances of the cast. It emerged as a major commercial success at the box office, grossing ₹26 crore worldwide, ranking as thefourth highest-grossing Hindi film of the year.[7]Dhadkan earned Dharmesh his second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director.
After doing three back-to-back successes—Lootere,Raja Hindustani andDhadkan—and one forgettable filmMela, his next venture was the romanceHaan Maine Bhi Pyaar Kiya (2002), starringAkshay Kumar,Karishma Kapoor andAbhishek Bachchan in lead roles. Inspired byT. Rama Rao's Hindi-language drama filmEk Hi Bhool (1981), the film received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics, and emerged as a commercial failure at the box office.[8]
He next directed and screenwrote the romantic dramaBewafaa (2005) starringAkshay Kumar,Kareena Kapoor,Anil Kapoor andSushmita Sen in lead roles. Inspired byB. R. Chopra'sGumrah (1963), the film received mixed reviews from critics upon release, and emerged as an average grosser at the domestic box office; however, it emerged as a commercial success in overseas markets.[9]
His last directorial to date is the romantic comedyAap Ki Khatir (2006) starringAkshaye Khanna andPriyanka Chopra in lead roles. Inspired by the 2005 American film,The Wedding Date (2005), the film received negative reviews from critics upon release, and emerged as a commercial disaster at the box office.[10]
| Year | Film | Role(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Lootere | Director, Writer |
| 1996 | Raja Hindustani | |
| 2000 | Mela | |
| 2000 | Dhadkan | |
| 2002 | Haan Maine Bhi Pyaar Kiya | |
| 2005 | Bewafaa | |
| 2006 | Aap Ki Khatir | Director |
| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Filmfare Awards | Best Director | Raja Hindustani | Nominated | [11] |
| 2001 | Dhadkan | [12] | |||
| 2001 | IIFA Awards | Best Director | [13] | ||
| Best Story | |||||
| 1997 | Screen Awards | Best Director | Raja Hindustani | Won | [14] |
| 2001 | Dhadkan | Nominated | [15] |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
