David Dhawan (born Rajinder Dhawan; 16 August 1951) is an Indian director of

Hindi films 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 "Hollywood". The industry, producing films in th ...

. A member of the Dhawan family, he has directed over 42 films. The 1993 action thriller and 1999 comedy ''

Biwi No.1 ''Biwi No.1'' () is a 1999 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by David Dhawan, being a remake of the 1995 Tamil language, Tamil film ''Sathi Leelavathi (1995 film), Sathi Leelavathi''. It stars Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Karisma Kapoor, ...

'' earned him nominations for the

Filmfare Award for Best Director The Filmfare Best Director Award is one of the main awards presented given by the annual Filmfare Awards to recognise directors working in Hindi cinema. It was first presented in 1954 in the inaugural year. Superlatives Bimal Roy has the re ...

. His notable works include ''

Swarg ''Swarg'' () is a 1990 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by David Dhawan, released in 1990. It stars Rajesh Khanna, Govinda, Juhi Chawla, Madhavi in lead roles. Swarg is the fourth last certified hit of Rajesh Khanna, as this was follo ...

'' (1990), '' Shola Aur Shabnam'', ''

Bol Radha Bol ''Bol Radha Bol'' is a 1992 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by David Dhawan, starring Rishi Kapoor and Juhi Chawla. Plot Kishen Malhotra is an industrialist who heads the Malhotra empire. His relatives are his mother, his ...

'' (both 1992), '' Raja Babu'' (1994), '' Coolie No.1'' (1995), ''

Saajan Chale Sasural ''Saajan Chale Sasural'' () is a 1996 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film starring Govinda, Tabu, Karisma Kapoor, Kader Khan, and Satish Kaushik. It was directed by David Dhawan. It is a remake of the Telugu film ''Allari Mogudu'' (199 ...

'' (1996), ''

Judwaa ''Judwaa'' () is a 1997 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film, directed by David Dhawan, produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and starring Salman Khan, Karisma Kapoor and Rambha with Kader Khan, Dalip Tahil, Shakti Kapoor, Deepak Shirke, An ...

'', '' Hero No. 1'', ''

Deewana Mastana ''Deewana Mastana'' is a 1997 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by David Dhawan. The film stars Govinda, Anil Kapoor, and Juhi Chawla in pivotal roles. Johnny Lever, Anupam Kher, Reema Lagoo, Shakti Kapoor, Saeed Jaffrey, and ...

'' (all 1997), ''

Bade Miyan Chote Miyan Bade Miyan Chote Miyan ( in Hindi) may refer to these Indian films: * ''Bade Miyan Chote Miyan'' (1998 film), action film by David Dhawan, starring Govinda and Amitabh Bachhan * ''Bade Miyan Chote Miyan'' (2024 film), sci-fi action thriller film, ...

'' (1998), ''

Haseena Maan Jaayegi ''Haseena Maan Jaayegi'' () is a 1999 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by David Dhawan. It stars Govinda, Sanjay Dutt, Karisma Kapoor and Pooja Batra, with Anupam Kher, Kader Khan, Aruna Irani, and Paresh Rawal in supporting. The fil ...

'' (1999), ''

Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge ''Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge'' () is a 2000 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by David Dhawan, starring Salman Khan and Karisma Kapoor. The film was one of the List of Hindi films of 2000, top-grossing commercially successful films o ...

'' (2000), ''

Jodi No.1 Jodi No.1 or Jodi Number One () may refer to: * ''Jodi No.1'' (film), a 2001 Indian film * ''Jodi No.1'' (2003 film) or ''Mysterious Girl'', a 2003 Indian film * ''Jodi No.1'' (TV series), an Indian dance competition show aired from 2006 ** ''J ...

'' (2001), '' Ek Aur Ek Gyarah'' (2003), ''

Mujhse Shaadi Karogi ''Mujhse Shaadi Karogi'' () is a 2004 Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by David Dhawan and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. The film stars Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra with Amrish Puri, Kader Khan, Satish Shah and ...

'' (2004), '' Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya?'' (2005), '' Partner'' (2007), '' Chashme Baddoor'' (2013), ''

Main Tera Hero ''Main Tera Hero'' () is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language masala film directed by David Dhawan, with script and dialogues from Tushar Hiranandani and Milap Zaveri, and produced by Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor under Balaji Motion Pictures. The f ...

'' (2014), ''

Judwaa 2 ''Judwaa 2'' () is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed by David Dhawan. A reboot of the 1997 film '' Judwaa'', itself a remake of the Telugu film '' Hello Brother'' (1994), the film stars Varun Dhawan playing twins Raja and ...

'' (2017), and '' Coolie No. 1'' (2020).

Personal life

David Dhawan was born on 16 August 1951 as Rajinder Dhawan in

Agartala Agartala (, , ) is the capital and the List of cities and towns in Tripura, largest city of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tripura, situated on the banks of Haora River, Haora/Saidra River, about east of the border ...

Tripura Tripura () is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a populat ...

in a

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...

family. His father, a manager in UCO Bank, got transferred to

Kanpur Kanpur (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), originally named Kanhapur and formerly anglicized as Cawnpore, is the second largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow. It was the primary ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

. He studied in Christ Church College and BNSD Inter College until Class XII, and then joined FTII for acting, where he changed his name to David Dhawan, a pet name given by his

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

neighbours in Agartala. Seeing other actors like

Satish Shah Satish Ravilal Shah is an Indian actor. He is best known for his comic roles in films like '' Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro'' (1983), '' Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi'' (1984), '' Sarabhai vs Sarabhai'' (2004), '' Main Hoon Na'' (2004), ''Kal Ho Naa Ho'' (2003), '' ...

and

Suresh Oberoi Suresh Oberoi (born 17 December 1946) is an Indian actor and politician who appeared in Hindi films. He is a recipient of the 1987 National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. He started his career in radio shows, modelling and later moving ...

, Dhawan realised that he cannot act. So he took up editing as an option. He became a fan of

Manmohan Desai Manmohan Desai (26 February 1937 – 1 March 1994) was an Indian film producer and director. He was one of the most successful filmmakers of the 70s and 80s. Desai was an influential and sought-after film director of Bollywood and a pioneer of ...

and

Hrishikesh Mukherjee Hrishikesh Mukherjee (30 September 1922 – 27 August 2006) was an Indian film director, editor and writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of Indian cinema. Popularly known as ''Hrishi-da'', he directed 42 films during his car ...

. Watching the Bengali film '' Meghe Dhaka Tara'', directed by

Ritwik Ghatak Ritwik Kumar Ghatak (; 4 November 19256 February 1976) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, actor and playwright. Widely considered as one of the greatest film makers of all time, his works remained largely underrated and ignored during hi ...

, made him interested in filmmaking and passed with a gold medal. Dhawan has two brothers, actor

Anil Anil or Anıl may refer to: People * Anil (given name), an Indian and Nepalese given name (including a list of persons with the name) * Anıl (given name), a Turkish given name (including a list of persons with the name) * Anil (director), active ...

and Ashok. Dhawan is married to Karuna Dhawan (née Chopra), with whom he has two sons,

Rohit Dhawan Rohit Dhawan (born 26 December 1983) is an Indian filmmaker and screenwriter. He is the elder son of filmmaker David Dhawan, and the brother of Varun Dhawan. Personal life Rohit Dhawan was born to director David Dhawan and Karuna Chopra on 26 ...

and

Varun Dhawan Varun Dhawan (; born 24 April 1987) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. One of India's highest-paid actors, he has been featured in ''Forbes India'' Celebrity 100 list in the 2010s. He starred in 11 consecutive box-office successes b ...

. His brother is actor

Anil Dhawan Anil Dhawan is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films and television. He made his acting debut with ''Chetna'' (1970) and followed it up with a big hit in ''Piya Ka Ghar'' (1971). He is also known for his 2018 film Andhadhun. Early life D ...

and nephew is actor Siddharth Dhawan.

Career

Dhawan started off as an editor in ''

Saaransh Saaransh (English: The Gist ) is a 1984 Indian Hindi drama film directed by Mahesh Bhatt, starring Anupam Kher, Rohini Hattangadi, Madan Jain, Nilu Phule, Suhas Bhalekar and Soni Razdan. It is about an elderly Maharashtrian couple living in ...

'' in 1984 before moving into directing. He specialises in directing comedy films. His 1993 film '' Aankhen'', starring

Govinda Govinda (, ), also rendered Govind, Gobinda, and Gobind, is an epithet of Vishnu and his avatars, such as Krishna. The name appears as the 187th and the 539th name of Vishnu in the ''Vishnu Sahasranama''. The name is also popularly addressed to ...

Chunky Pandey Suyash Panday (born 26 September 1962), better known by his stage name Chunky Panday, is an Indian actor who works in Hindi-language films. Early life Chunky Panday was born as Suyash Panday on 26 September 1962 in Bombay, to Sharad Panday ...

and

Kader Khan Kader Khan (22 October 1937 – 31 December 2018) was an Indian actor, screenwriter and film producer. As an actor, he appeared in over 300 Bollywood films after his debut in the 1973 film '' Daag'', starring Rajesh Khanna, as a prosecuting l ...

, was highly successful at the box office, and earned him his first nomination for the

. Another successful film was '' Shola Aur Shabnam''. His 2007 film '' Partner'' was successful. Dhawan is on the board of

Asian Academy of Film & Television Noida Film City is a film city consisting a complex of studios and structures for filming located in Sector 16-A of Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. It houses the Asian Academy of Film, Television and Marwah Films and Video Studios along with prom ...

and Asian School of Media Studies where he has been honoured with an academy award by Sandeep Marwah. He was a judge on the

Star Plus StarPlus is an Indian Hindi-language general entertainment pay television channel owned by JioStar, a joint venture between Viacom18 and Disney India. Its programming consists of family dramas, romantic comedies, youth-oriented reali ...

show '' Nach Baliye 3'' in 2008 and on the show ''Hans Baliye''.

Work with Govinda

Dhawan first teamed with actor

for the film ''

Taaqatwar ''Taaqatwar'' (: ''Powerful'') is a 1989 Indian Hindi-language action film directed by David Dhawan (in his directorial debut) and starring Sanjay Dutt, Govinda, Neelam Kothari and Anita Raj. Govinda worked with David Dhawan for the first time i ...

'' (1989). He then formed a collaboration with Govinda and directed 18 films with him as the leading actor, including ''

'' (1990), '' Shola Aur Shabnam'' (1992), (1993), '' Raja Babu'' (1994), '' Coolie No. 1'' (1995), ''

'' (1996), '' Banarasi Babu'' (1997), ''

'' (1997), '' Hero No. 1'' (1997), ''

'' (1998), ''

'' (1999), '' Kunwara'' (2000), ''

'' (2001), '' Kyo Kii... Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta'' (2001), '' Ek Aur Ek Gyarah'' (2003), '' Partner'' (2007) and '' Do Knot Disturb'' (2009). ''Partner'', which also starred

Salman Khan Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (; born 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who predominantly works in Hindi films. In a career spanning over three decades, his awards include two National Film Awa ...

, grossed Rs. 300 Million in India on its opening week, the second highest domestic opening week gross for an Indian film at that time. The same year, Salman Khan invited Dhawan and Govinda on his show ''

10 Ka Dum ''10 Ka Dum'' () is an Indian version of the international reality game show ''Power of 10'', and aired on Sony TV. The show was hosted by popular Bollywood actor Salman Khan. According to reports, the show helped Sony TV regain its third posit ...

'' to celebrate ''Partner''. Dhawan also collaborated with Khan in ''

'' (1999), which emerged as a critical and commercial success, and earned Dhawan his second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director. Dhawan got back to the trio of Govinda,

Ritesh Deshmukh Riteish Deshmukh (born 17 December 1978) is an Indian actor, filmmaker and television presenter who predominantly works in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Marathi cinema, Marathi films. Known for his comic portrayals, Deshmukh is a recipient of several ...

and himself with the film, '' Do Knot Disturb''.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dhawan, David 1951 births Living people Film directors from Tripura Film and Television Institute of India alumni Hindi-language film directors Hindi film editors People from Agartala People from Kanpur 20th-century Indian people 21st-century Indian people Film editors from Tripura People of Punjabi descent