Sudhir Mishra (born 22 January 1959) is an Indian filmmaker. His most notable films include ''

Dharavi Dharavi is a residential area in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It has often been considered one of the world's largest slums. Dharavi has an area of just over and a population of about 1,000,000. With a population density of over , Dharavi is o ...

'' (1992), ''

Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi ''Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi'' () is a 2003 Indian political drama film directed by Sudhir Mishra. The film was shot in 2003 but wasn't released until 2005. Set against the backdrop of the Indian Emergency, the movie tells the story of three young ...

'' (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 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 ...

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 The vice-chancellor of Banaras Hindu University (VC-BHU) is the chief administrator, and a full-time salaried officer of the Banaras Hindu University. The vice-chancellor derives their powers from sections 7(B) and 7(C) of the Banaras Hindu U ...

and co-founded the Lucknow Film Society. His grandfather,

Dwarka Prasad Mishra Dwarka Prasad Mishra (5 August 1901 – 31 May 1988) was an Indian politician, writer and journalist. He was a member of the Indian National Congress and served as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh for two terms during the 1960s. An Indian ...

(1901–1988), was a politician and journalist who served as the 4th

chief minister of Madhya Pradesh The chief minister of Madhya Pradesh is the head of government, chief executive of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the Governors of states of India, governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ' ...

. After spending 18 months under the tutelage of theatre director

Badal Sircar Sudhindra Sircar (15 July 1925 – 13 May 2011), also known as Badal Sarkar, was an influential Indian dramatist and theatre director, most known for his anti-establishment plays during the Naxalite movement in the 1970s and taking theatre out o ...

, 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 Kundan Shah (19 October 1947 – 7 October 2017) was an Indian film director and writer. He is known for his comedy classic '' Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro'' (1983) and his 1986–1987 TV series '' Nukkad'' with Saeed Akhtar Mirza. Biography Kundan Shah ...

's comedy '' Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron'' (1983). He later worked with

Saeed Akhtar Mirza Saeed Akhtar Mirza (born 30 June 1943) is an Indian screenwriter and director in Hindi films and television. He is the maker of notable parallel films such as '' Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!'' (1984), '' Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai'' (1980) ...

in ''

Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho! ''Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!'' () is a 1984 Hindi art film, made by Saeed Akhtar Mirza, based on his own story, during the Parallel Cinema period of Indian cinema. The film is a comic satire on a judicial system, where cases drag on for decades, whe ...

'' (1984) and with

Vidhu Vinod Chopra Vidhu Vinod Chopra (born 5 September 1952) is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including four National Film Awards and eleven Filmfare Awards. He is known for directing films ...

in ''

Khamosh () is 1986 Indian Hindi-language thriller film directed and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. The film starred Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Amol Palekar, Soni Razdan and Pankaj Kapoor. The film became notable for actors Palekar, Razdan and ...

'' (1985). He made his

directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many filmmakers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...

with ''

Yeh Woh Manzil To Nahin Yeh Woh Manzil To Nahin (English: This Is Not Our Destination) is a 1987 Hindi drama film written and directed by Sudhir Mishra, in a directorial debut. It starred Manohar Singh, Habib Tanvir, B. M. Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Sushmita Mukherjee and Nas ...

'' (1987), which won the National Film Award for Best First Film of a Director. Mishra went on to make films including ''

Main Zinda Hoon ''Main Zinda Hoon'' () is a 1988 Indian Hindi-language drama film written and directed by Sudhir Mishra, starring Rajendra Gupta, Pankaj Kapur, Deepti Naval and Alok Nath. At the 36th National Film Awards, the film won the National Film Award ...

'' (1988), ''Dharavi'' (1991), ''

Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin ''Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin'' () is a 1996 Indian Hindi-language thriller film directed by Sudhir Mishra. The film stars Tara Deshpande and Nirmal Pandey, with the entire plot taking place over a single night. The film is based on a story written ...

'' (1996), '' Chameli'' (2003), ''

'' (2003), ''

Khoya Khoya Chand ''Khoya Khoya Chand'', (translation: Lost Moon) is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Sudhir Mishra and produced by Prakash Jha. The film stars Shiney Ahuja and Soha Ali Khan with Rajat Kapoor, Sushmita Mukherjee, Son ...

'' (2007), ''

Yeh Saali Zindagi ''Yeh Saali Zindagi'' () is a 2011 Hindi crime thriller film directed by Sudhir Mishra. The film stars Irrfan Khan, Chitrangada Singh, Arunoday Singh and Aditi Rao Hydari in the lead roles. The film was released on 4 February 2011 to positive re ...

'' (2011), and '' Inkaar'' (2013). He then wrote and directed ''

Daas Dev ''Daas Dev'' () is an Indian Hindi-language romantic political thriller directed by Sudhir Mishra and story concept by Zuhaebb. The film stars Rahul Bhat as Dev Pratap Chauhan, Richa Chadda as Paro, Aditi Rao Hydari as Chandni, and Saurabh Shu ...

'' (2018) starring

Rahul Bhat Rahul Bhat is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. He began his career as a fashion model and participated in the Graviera Mr. India contest in 1998, and subsequently worked in several advertisements and music videos. He gained fame for ...

and

Richa Chaddha Richa Chadha (born 18 December 1986) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi cinema. She made her acting debut with a small role in the comedy film ''Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!'' (2008). Chadha's breakthrough came in 2012 with the crime film ''Gangs ...

. After this, he directed ''

Hostages A hostage is a person seized by an abductor in order to compel another party, one which places a high value on the liberty, well-being and safety of the person seized—such as a relative, employer, law enforcement, or government—to act, o ...

'', 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 Ronit Bose Roy (born 11 October 1965) is an Indian actor who works primarily in Hindi television and films and Bengali films. One of the highest paid television actor in India, he has earned numerous accolades including a Filmfare Award, five ...

and

Tisca Chopra Tisca Chopra (born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress, author and film producer who has appeared in over 45 feature films, predominantly in Hindi language. '' Taare Zameen Par'', her best known feature film, was India's official entry to th ...

. 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 Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

. 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 The Filmfare OTT Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language original programming over-the-top (OTT) space. The first edition of the awards were held on 19 December 2020. It included films and s ...

2021, and Best Editing and Best Cinematography at the

Asian Academy Creative Awards The annual Asian Academy Creative Awards are presented every December as part of the Singapore Media Festival. They recognise excellence in the film and television industry across 16 nations in the Asia-Pacific region. History The inaugural ...

. 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

2021 for his performance.

Personal life

Mishra married actress

Sushmita Mukherjee Sushmita Mukherjee is an Indian actress and author. She has starred in several Hindi movies and television shows. She studied at Jesus and Mary College of the University of Delhi. She is an alumnus of National School of Drama passing out in 198 ...

in 1978; they divorced at an unknown date, but remained friends. He was then married to editor

Renu Saluja Renu Saluja (5 July 1952 – 16 August 2000) was an Indian film editor. In the 1980s and 1990s, she worked with both mainstream and art house Hindi cinema directors, including Govind Nihalani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Sudhir Mishra, Shekhar Kapoor, ...

from 1988 until her death from stomach cancer in August 2000.

Awards

* 1987

Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director The National Film Award for Best Debut Film of a Director is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the National Film Development Corporation of India. It is one of several awards presented for feature films and awarded with Gold ...

(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 ...

(1988) * 1991

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi The National Film Award for Best Hindi Feature Film is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the National Film Development Corporation of India. It is one of several awards presented for feature films and awarded with Rajat Kama ...

(1991) * 2006

Filmfare Best Story Award The Filmfare Award for Best Story is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a writer who wrote a film's story. List of winners 1950s * 1955 Mukhram Sharma – '' Aulad'' * 1956 Mukhram Sharma ...

(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 Yash Bharati Award is the highest civilian award of the Government of Uttar Pradesh. Instituted in 1994, it is awarded to those personalities whose contribution is remarkable in the field of literature, social work, medicine, film, science, jour ...

by the Government of Uttar Pradesh.

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 Mishra

Interview with Sudhir Mishra on his film ''Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi''

Sudhir's Blog at PassionforCinema

Sudhir 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