Kabir Khan | |
|---|---|
 Khan in 2022 | |
| Born | (1968-09-14)14 September 1968 (age 57) |
| Alma mater | Kirori Mal College,Delhi University Jamia Millia Islamia |
| Occupations |
|
| Spouse | Mini Mathur |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent | Rasheeduddin Khan |
| Relatives | Vijay Krishna Acharya (brother-in-law) |
Kabir Khan is an Indian film director, screenwriter and cinematographer who works inHindi cinema. He started his career working in documentary films, and then made his feature film directorial debut in 2006 with the adventure thrillerKabul Express (2006). He is best known for directingNew York (2009),Ek Tha Tiger (2012),Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) and83 (2021).
He is the board member ofMumbai Academy of the Moving Image.[2]
Khan was born to political scientistRasheeduddin Khan, aPashtunMuslim, andHinduTelugu-speaking mother, Leela Narayan Rao. Rasheeduddin, who was a Pathan hailing fromKaimganj inFarrukhabad district,Uttar Pradesh, was a nephew of Dr.Zakir Hussain (President of India – 1967 to 1969) and a communist politician favored byIndira Gandhi as a nominated member of theRajya Sabha at a relatively young age, in the early 1970s. His sister, Anusheh, is married to film-makerVijay Krishna Acharya, director of films likeTashan andDhoom 3.[3]
Khan studied atKirori Mal College ofDelhi University, as well asJamia Millia Islamia inDelhi.[4] He is married to television host & actressMini Mathur, with whom he has 2 children,[5] Vivaan and Sairah.[6]
In initial days, he worked with prominent journalistSaeed Naqvi.[7] 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 asNelson Mandela andFidel Castro.[8][7]
Khan started his career at age 25 as a cinematographer for theDiscovery Channel documentary filmBeyond the Himalayas (1996) directed byGautam Ghosh. He then made his own directorial debut with the documentaryThe Forgotten Army (1999) based onSubhas Chandra Bose'sIndian National Army. He then directed two more documentaries before shifting his focus to mainstream cinema.[9]
Khan made his mainstream directorial debut with theYash Raj Films-backed adventure thrillerKabul Express (2006). StarringJohn Abraham andArshad Warsi in lead roles, the film received mixed-to-positive reviews upon release, but emerged as a commercial failure at the box-office.[10] It, however, earned Khan theIndira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director. He then worked on the movie New York, which was successful.
His next directorial venture, the action thrillerEk Tha Tiger (2012), again starring Kaif alongsideSalman Khan, marked the end of his 3-film deal with Yash Raj Films. The first instalment in theYRF Spy Universe, the film received positive reviews from critics upon release, and emerged as thehighest-grossing Hindi film of the year.[11]
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-dramaBajrangi Bhaijaan (2015), starring Salman Khan andKareena Kapoor in lead roles. The film received widespread critical acclaim upon release, and emerged as a major commercial success at the box-office, as well as thehighest-grossing Indian film at the time, and currently ranks as thethird highest-grossing Hindi film of all time and theseventh highest-grossing Indian film of all time. It also won him theNational Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, in addition to earning him his first nomination for theFilmfare Award for Best Director.[12][13] Asked about the films use of the phraseJai 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."[14][15]
After the widespread critical and commercial success ofBajrangi Bhaijaan, he collaborated with Kaif for the third time, alongsideSaif Ali Khan in the action thrillerPhantom (2015). The film was based onHussain Zaidi's bookMumbai Avengers which revolved around the aftermath of26/11 Mumbai attacks. It received mixed reviews from critics upon release, and emerged as a below-average grosser at the box-office.[16]
Khan again collaborated with Salman for the third time on the war dramaTubelight (2017), an official remake of the 2015 American filmLittle Boy, which was based in the backdrop of the1962 Sino-Indian war and marked the Hindi film debut of Chinese actressZhu 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.[17]
In 2021, he directed the biographical sports drama83, based on India's historic victory at the1983 Cricket World Cup, withRanveer Singh plays the role ofKapil 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.[18] Made on a budget of₹270 crore, the film only managed a worldwide gross collection of₹190.86 crore and was deemed abox-office bomb.[19]
His next film was theKartik Aaryan starrer sports biopicChandu Champion which released on 14 June 2024.[20] The film is based on the life and achievements of the boxer turned Paralympic gold medalist,Murlikant Petkar, including his historic triumph at the1972 Summer Paralympics inHeidelberg,Germany. The received positive reviews and emerged as a modest success at the box office[21][22]
He is also set to directThe Zookeeper, aSino-Indian production.[23][24] It is a travel-relateddrama film which is being shot in the Chinese city ofChengdu its the surrounding regions.[25][26] The film has an estimated budget of$25 million (₹185crore), and it will star a leading Indian actor and a leading Chinese actress.[27]
| Year | Work | Credited as | Notes | Producers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Producer | Writer | ||||
| 1996 | Beyond the Himalayas | No | No | No | Documentary;Cinematographer | |
| 1999 | The Forgotten Army | Yes | No | No | Documentary | |
| 2006 | Kabul Express | Yes | No | Yes | Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director | Yash Raj Films |
| 2009 | New York | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2012 | Ek Tha Tiger | Yes | No | Yes | First Installment in theYRF Spy Universe | |
| 2015 | Bajrangi Bhaijaan | Yes | Yes | No | National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment Nominated –Filmfare Award for Best Director | Eros International Salman Khan Films Rockline Venkatesh Kabir Khan |
| Phantom | Yes | No | Yes | Sajid Nadiadwala Siddharth Roy Kapur | ||
| 2017 | Tubelight | Yes | Yes | Yes | Salman Khan Films Kabir Khan | |
| 2020 | The Forgotten Army - Azaadi Ke Liye | Yes | Yes | Yes | Web Series | Amazon Studios Kabir Khan |
| 2021 | 83 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Director | Kabir Khan Deepika Padukone Vishnu Vardhan Induri Sajid Nadiadwala Madhu Mantena Reliance Entertainment |
| 2024 | Chandu Champion | Yes | Yes | No | Kabir Khan Sajid Nadiadwala | |
| My Melbourne | Yes | No | No | Anthology film "Emma" Segment | Mitu Bhowmick Lange | |
| Artists | Kabul Express (2006) | New York (2009) | Ek Tha Tiger (2012) | Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) | Phantom (2015) | Tubelight (2017) | 83 (2021) | Chandu Champion (2024) |
| Salman Khan |  | | | |||||
| Katrina Kaif | | | | |||||
| John Abraham | | | ||||||
| Roshan Seth | | | ||||||
| Nawazuddin Siddiqui | | | ||||||
| Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub | | | ||||||
| Om Puri | | | ||||||
| Pritam | | | | | | | ||
| Julius Packiam | | | | | | | | |
| KK | | | | | | |
In 1995, I got the opportunity to assistSaeed Naqvi, a senior journalist who was shooting a documentary in South Africa on the role of people of Indian origin in the African National Congress
Media related toKabir Khan at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
