Abhishek Kapoor (born 6 August 1971) is an Indian film director, former actor, writer and producer who works in
Hindi cinema
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
. He is known for his work in the musical drama ''
Rock On!!
''Rock On!!'' is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language musical drama film written and directed by Abhishek Kapoor, produced by Farhan Akhtar, and with music by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy. The film marks the Bollywood debut of Akhtar and Prachi Desai. A ...
'' (2008), the buddy sports drama ''
Kai Po Che!'' (2013), the musical romantic drama ''
Fitoor'' (2016), the romantic disaster film
''Kedarnath'' (2018) and the social romantic drama ''
Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui'' (2021), earning nominations for the
Filmfare Award for Best Director for ''Rock On!!'' and ''Kai Po Che!.''
Career
Initial acting work and directorial debut (1996–2006)
He started his career as an actor in 1996 with the films ''Aashique Mastane'', opposite
Monica Bedi, directed by Ajay Kashyap and ''
Uff! Yeh Mohabbat'', opposite
Twinkle Khanna
Twinkle Khanna (born 29 December 1973) is an Indian author and former actress. A daughter of actors Dimple Kapadia and Rajesh Khanna, she made her acting debut with a leading role in the film '' Barsaat'' (1995). After playing the leading lady ...
, directed by
Vipin Handa. Both films emerged as critical and commercial disasters.
He made his directorial debut with the sports drama ''
Aryan
''Aryan'' (), or ''Arya'' (borrowed from Sanskrit ''ārya''), Oxford English Dictionary Online 2024, s.v. ''Aryan'' (adj. & n.); ''Arya'' (n.)''.'' is a term originating from the ethno-cultural self-designation of the Indo-Iranians. It stood ...
'' (2006) starring
Sohail Khan
Sohail Salim Abdul Rashid Khan (born 20 December 1969) is an Indian actor and producer who works mainly in Hindi cinema. He is the younger brother of actors Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan. He has an elder sister, Alvira Khan Agnihotri. He produ ...
and
Sneha Ullal in lead roles, which emerged as a critical and commercial disaster.
Breakthrough, success and career fluctuations (2008–16)
In 2008, Kapoor achieved his breakthrough when he wrote and directed the musical drama ''
Rock On!!
''Rock On!!'' is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language musical drama film written and directed by Abhishek Kapoor, produced by Farhan Akhtar, and with music by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy. The film marks the Bollywood debut of Akhtar and Prachi Desai. A ...
'' starring debutants
Farhan Akhtar and
Prachi Desai alongside
Arjun Rampal
Arjun Rampal (born 26 November 1972) is an Indian actor and model who mainly works in Hindi films. He made his acting debut in Rajiv Rai's romance film ''Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat'' (2001) and has since gone on to Arjun Rampal filmography, act in ...
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.
''Rock On!!'' won Kapoor the
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and the
Filmfare Award for Best Story, in addition to nominations for the
Filmfare Award for Best Film,
Best Director and
Best Screenplay.
In 2013, he screenwrote and directed the buddy sports drama ''
Kai Po Che!'' (2013), starring
Sushant Singh Rajput,
Rajkummar Rao,
Amit Sadh and
Amrita Puri in lead roles. The film, based on
Chetan Bhagat
Chetan Prakash Bhagat (born April 22, 1974) is an Indian author, columnist, screenwriter, and YouTuber. He was included in ''Time (magazine), Time magazine’s'' list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2010. Several of his nove ...
's novel, ''
The 3 Mistakes of My Life'' (2008), had its world premiere at the
63rd 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. ''Kai Po Che!'' won Kapoor the
Filmfare 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 drama ''
Fitoor'', an adaptation of
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...
's ''
Great Expectations
''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by English author Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. The novel is a bildungsroman and depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip. It is Dickens' second novel, after ''Dav ...
'' (1861). The film, starring
Tabu,
Katrina Kaif and
Aditya 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.
His next screenwriting venture that year was ''
Rock On 2'', the sequel to ''Rock On!!''. Directed by Shujaat Saudagar, the film saw Akhtar, Desai and Rampal reprise their roles from the original film, with
Shraddha Kapoor and
Shashank 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.
Later career (2018–present)
In 2018, he helmed and wrote the romantic disaster drama
''Kedarnath'' starring Rajput alongside debutante
Sara Ali Khan. The film, which followed an inter-faith love story amidst the backdrop of the
2013 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 drama ''
Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui'' (2021), starring
Ayushmann Khurrana
Ayushmann Khurrana (born Nishant Khurrana; 14 September 1984) is an Indian actor and singer who works in Hindi films. Known for his portrayals of ordinary men often battling social norms, he is the recipient of several awards, including a Na ...
and
Vaani 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.
Personal life
Kapoor is a cousin of the actor
Tusshar Kapoor and producer
Ekta Kapoor
Ekta Kapoor (born 7 June 1975) is an Indian television and film producer, known for her work in Hindi television and Bollywood cinema. She is the founder of Balaji Telefilms, Balaji Telefilms Limited, where she serves as joint managing directo ...
. His mother Madhubala, is the sister of Bollywood actor
Jeetendra
Jeetendra (born Ravi Kapoor ; 7 April 1942) is an Indian actor who is known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the greatest actors of Hindi cinema. He is noted for his acting, style and dance. He has worked in more than Je ...
.
On 4 May 2015, Abhishek married Swedish actress and model
Pragya Yadav.
They have two children, Isana and Shamsher.
Filmography
Acting credits
Awards and nominations
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Indian cinema.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were introduced by Filmfare magazine of The Times G ...
IIFA Awards
Screen Awards
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kapoor, Abhishek
Living people
Hindi-language film directors
Indian male screenwriters
Filmfare Awards winners
1971 births
Film directors from Mumbai
Film producers from Mumbai
21st-century Indian people
Contestants on Indian game shows
Participants in Indian reality television series