Sudhir Mishra (born 22 January 1959) is an Indian filmmaker. His most notable films include ''
Dharavi'' (1992), ''
Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi'' (2003), ''
Chameli'' (2004), and ''
Serious Men'' (2020). His work has been recognised with three national awards by the Indian government and the
Order of Arts and Letters by the French government.
Early life
Sudhir Mishra was born in
Lucknow
Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...
on 22 January 1959. He has a younger brother named Sudhanshu. His father,
Devendra Nath Mishra (died 2020), was a mathematics professor who served as the 19th
vice-chancellor of Banaras Hindu University and co-founded the Lucknow Film Society. His grandfather,
Dwarka Prasad Mishra (1901–1988), was a politician and journalist who served as the 4th
chief minister of Madhya Pradesh.
After spending 18 months under the tutelage of theatre director
Badal Sircar, Mishra moved to
Pune
Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...
, Sudhanshu was a student at the
Film and Television Institute of India
The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) is a film institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India and aided by the Central Government of India. ...
; though he never studied at the institute himself, he spent the majority of his free time there and later credited Sudhanshu with teaching him much of his filmmaking knowledge. He later gained a
Master of Philosophy
A Master of Philosophy (MPhil or PhM; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. The name of the degree is most often abbreviated MPhil (or, at times, as PhM in other countries). MPhil are awarded to postgraduate students after completing at leas ...
from an institute in
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
.
Career
Mishra moved to
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
in 1980 and started his career as an assistant director and scriptwriter in
Kundan Shah's comedy ''
Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron'' (1983). He later worked with
Saeed Akhtar Mirza in ''
Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!'' (1984) and with
Vidhu Vinod Chopra in ''
Khamosh'' (1985). He made his
directorial debut with ''
Yeh Woh Manzil To Nahin'' (1987), which won the National Film Award for Best First Film of a Director.
Mishra went on to make films including ''
Main Zinda Hoon'' (1988),
''Dharavi'' (1991), ''
Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin'' (1996), ''
Chameli'' (2003), ''
Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi'' (2003), ''
Khoya Khoya Chand'' (2007), ''
Yeh Saali Zindagi'' (2011), and ''
Inkaar'' (2013). He then wrote and directed ''
Daas Dev'' (2018) starring
Rahul Bhat and
Richa Chaddha. After this, he directed ''
Hostages'', an adaptation of the Israeli show
of the same name. The show got mixed reviews but received critical acclaim for the performances of
Ronit Roy and
Tisca Chopra. A second season for the show was made in 2020.
Mishra next adapted
Manu Joseph
Manu Joseph (born 22 July 1974) is an Indian journalist and writer. He is the former editor of ''Open (Indian magazine), Open'' magazine.
Life and career
Manu was born in Kottayam district, Kottayam, Kerala, and grew up in Chennai. His father J ...
's award-winning novel ''
Serious Men'' in co-production with Bombay Fables for
Netflix India. The film, released in October 2020, received favorable reviews by critics and viewers. Indian film critic
Mayank Shekhar
Mayank Shekhar is an Indian film critic, journalist and author. He has been a film critic and a national cultural editor with ''Hindustan Times''. He previously worked under ''Mumbai Mirror'' and ''MiD DAY''. He also used to write a blog, ''Fad F ...
said, "This is a subtle, mature satire, rather than
LOL
comedy of manners
In English literature, the term comedy of manners (also anti-sentimental comedy) describes a genre of realistic, satirical comedy that questions and comments upon the manners and social conventions of a greatly sophisticated, artificial society. ...
(would've enjoyed some of the latter too)
..in all its overt simplicity, this is also a complex story — about failure, first; and on the underclass, only later." The film won Best Web Original Film Award at
Filmfare OTT Awards 2021, and Best Editing and Best Cinematography at the
Asian Academy Creative Awards. Actor
Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Nawazuddin Siddiqui (; born 19 May 1974) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a National Film Award, an IIFA Award, and two Filmfare Awards, as well as a nomination for an ...
received a nomination at the
International Emmy Awards
The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based International Academy of Television Arts and Sc ...
and won best actor at the
Filmfare OTT Awards 2021 for his performance.
Personal life
Mishra married actress
Sushmita Mukherjee in 1978; they divorced at an unknown date, but remained friends. He was then married to editor
Renu Saluja from 1988 until her death from stomach cancer in August 2000.
Awards
* 1987
Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director:
Yeh Woh Manzil To Nahin (1987)
* 1988
National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues
The National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues was one of the category in the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organization set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India ...
:
Main Zinda Hoon (1988)
* 1991
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi:
Dharavi (1991)
* 2006
Filmfare Best Story Award:
Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2005)
* 2010
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...
(French government)
*2016
Yash Bharti Award by the Government of Uttar Pradesh.
[ Yash Bharti Award 2016 Awards - Sudhir Mishra: film direction]
Filmography
Films
; As director
; As actor
TV series
References
External links
*
Moon And Sixpence, Nisha Susan on the shambling creativity of Sudhir MishraInterview with Sudhir Mishra on his film ''Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi''Sudhir's Blog at PassionforCinemaSudhir Mishra comments on his films
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mishra, Sudhir
Living people
Hindi-language film directors
20th-century Indian screenwriters
Filmfare Awards winners
Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Delhi University alumni
Artists from Lucknow
20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights
21st-century Indian dramatists and playwrights
Hindi-language screenwriters
Film directors from Uttar Pradesh
Screenwriters from Uttar Pradesh
Director whose film won the Best Debut Feature Film National Film Award
Producers who won the Best Debut Feature Film of a Director National Film Award
Directors who won the Best Film on Other Social Issues National Film Award
1959 births