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Meghna Gulzar

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In thisIndian name,the nameGulzaris apatronymic,and the person should be referred to by thegiven name,Meghna.

Meghna Gulzar
Meghna in 2018
Born(1973-12-13)13 December 1973(age 50)[1]
Mumbai,Maharashtra,India
Occupation(s)Writer, film director, producer
Years active2002–present
SpouseGovind Sandhu
Children1[2]
Parent(s)Gulzar(father)
Raakhee(mother)

Meghna Gulzaris an Indian writer,directorandproducer.She is best known for directing critically acclaimed films;Talvar(2015) andRaazi(2018).[3]Born toGulzarand actressRaakhee,Gulzar joined her father as an assistant to his films and became a screenwriter for her father's 1999 directorialHu Tu.[4]Meghna later became an independent director and directed her first film, the dramaFilhaal...(2002), though she did not achieve directorial success that decade.

Following an eight-year sabbatical, she directed the critically acclaimedTalvar(2015), which earned her a nomination for theFilmfare Award for Best Director,which was moderate success at the box office.

Her first profitable directorial venture came in 2018, when she directed the spy thrillerRaazi,which emerged as one of thehighest-grossing Indian films.She won the Filmfare Award for Best Director forRaazi.She next helmed the biographical dramaChhapaak(2020) met with mixed reviews from critics. She next directed the biopicSam Bahadur(2023).

Early life and education[edit]

The daughter of lyricist and poetGulzarand former actressRaakhee,Meghna Gulzar was born on 13 December 1973 inMaharashtra,Mumbai.She was named Meghna by her mother, after the river Meghna in present day Bangladesh.[5]

Career[edit]

Meghna in January 2002

Meghna began her writing career as a freelance writer forThe Times of Indiaand the NFDC publicationCinema in India.Her poetry was published in anthologies of thePoetry Society of India.After completing her graduation inSociology,she worked with noted filmmakerSaeed Akhtar Mirzaas anassistant director.In 1995, she completed a short course in filmmaking from theTisch School of Arts,New York University,New York. Upon her return, she joined her father, writer-directorGulzar,as an assistant on his filmsMaachisandHu Tu Tu.Meghna simultaneously began scripting her own film along with directing documentaries forDoordarshanand music videos for several music albums.

Meghna directed her first film,Filhaal,in 2002,[6]starring former Miss Universe-turned-actressSushmita SenandTabu.Her second directorial venture wasJust Marriedin 2007.[7]She also directed a short filmPooranmasiforSanjay Gupta's anthologyDus Kahaniyaan,starringAmrita Singh.

In 2015, Meghna directed the drama thrillerTalvar,[8]written byVishal Bharadwajand based on the2008 Noida double murder case.[9]The film starredIrrfan Khan,Konkona Sen SharmaandNeeraj Kabiin lead roles. It received high critical acclaim upon release, and earned Gulzar her first nomination for theFilmfare Award for Best Director.

In 2018, she directed the spy thrillerRaazi.[10][11]Produced by Junglee Pictures andDharma Productions,it starredAlia BhattandVicky Kaushal.[12]The film is based on Harinder Sikka's novelCalling Sehmat.[13]With worldwide earnings of₹193 crore(US$23 million), it proved one of thehighest-grossing Bollywood films.Raaziwon theFilmfare Award for Best Filmand earned Gulzar theFilmfare Award for Best Directorfor her work.

For her next directorial concept, Meghna chose to make a biopic on the life of acid attack survivorLaxmi Agarwal,which she namedChhapaak,(2020) that is about Malti, an acid attack survivor inspired by Agarwal. The film featuredDeepika Padukoneas Malti and was critically acclaimed upon its release on 10 January 2020.[14]

She will next helm the life of military officerSam Manekshawin a biographical film that will star Kaushal as Manekshaw and is produced byRonnie Screwvala.The film titledSam Bahadur(2023), featuring Vicky Kaushal in the title role was released in December 2023.

Controversy[edit]

Meghna has been accused of cheating and ghosting by author Harinder Sikka, who wroteCalling Sehmatwhich was later adapted to a film directed by her named,Raazi.According to him, after securing the rights to his book, Meghna made significant changes in the story, especially at the end, and take a pro-pakistan stance in the film without his approval. Harinder said, Meghna didn't allow him to see the director's cut of the film, ended speaking to him after shooting, removed him from all promotions and titles related to film on media. He also accused that her father, Gulzar, of calling Penguin publishers and pushed them to delay the launch of Harinder's book by two months “so that Meghna received all the attention”, and also pressured Jaipur Literature Festival to remove him from speaking about the work.[15][16]

Filmography[edit]

Year Film Director Story Screenplay Notes
1999 Hu Tu Tu Yes
2002 Filhaal... Yes Yes
2007 Just Married Yes Yes Yes
2007 Dus Kahaniyaan Yes Segment:Puranmaashi
2015 Talvar Yes Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Director
2018 Raazi Yes Yes Filmfare Award for Best Director
Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Film (Critics)
Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay
2020 Chhapaak Yes Yes
2023 Sam Bahadur Yes Yes [17]

References[edit]

  1. ^Raghavendra, Nandini (14 December 2003)."Meghna Gulzar: Papa's girl".The Economic Times.Archivedfrom the original on 26 April 2013.Retrieved5 February2013.
  2. ^"{title}".Archivedfrom the original on 12 June 2018.Retrieved2 March2018.
  3. ^"Life beyondFilhaal".The Times of India.6 September 2006.Archivedfrom the original on 28 October 2013.Retrieved3 March2011.
  4. ^"Creative child of celebrities".The Hindu.2 January 2004. Archived fromthe originalon 23 September 2009.Retrieved24 February2012.
  5. ^Megna Gulzar (2004).Because He is.Rupa & Co. p. 67.
  6. ^Encyclopaedia of Hindi cinema.Encyclopædia Britannica (India).2003. p. 244.ISBN978-81-7991-066-5.
  7. ^"Just Married".The Indian Express.16 March 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 11 October 2012.Retrieved3 March2011.
  8. ^"Meghna Gulzar: I will celebrate Talvar's success NOW".The Times of India.Archivedfrom the original on 15 October 2017.Retrieved14 October2017.
  9. ^"Aarushi murder: How Meghna Gulzar's Talvar presented a bang-on prediction of what was to come".Archived fromthe originalon 14 October 2017.Retrieved14 October2017.
  10. ^Nihalani, Govind; Chatterjee, Saibal (2003).Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema.Popular Prakashan.ISBN978-81-7991-066-5.
  11. ^"Alia Bhatt a spy, Vicky Kaushal a Pak army man in Meghna Gulzar's Raazi".Deccan Chronicle.23 June 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 23 June 2017.Retrieved24 June2017.
  12. ^"ALIA BHATT KICKS OFF MEGHNA GULZAR'S UPCOMING ESPIONAGE THRILLER, RAAZI, IN JULY".MumbaiMirror.23 June 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 25 June 2017.Retrieved24 June2017.
  13. ^"Alia Bhatt a spy, Vicky Kaushal a Pak army man in Meghna Gulzar's Raazi".DeccanChronicle.23 June 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 23 June 2017.Retrieved24 June2017.
  14. ^"Deepika Padukone's Chhapaak begins, director Meghna Gulzar shares first pic".Hindustan Times.14 February 2019.Retrieved13 January2020.
  15. ^"Letting Meghna Gulzar direct Raazi was blunder, rues Harinder Sikka".25 July 2020.
  16. ^"Writer Harinder Sikka launches fresh attack on Raazi director Meghna Gulzar, threatens to reveal texts: 'Uncle uncle keh ke bewakoof bana gayi'".November 2022.
  17. ^"Meghna Gulzar shares picture with Vicky Kaushal from 'Sam Bahadur' shoot".ThePrint.ANI.16 March 2023.Retrieved10 August2023.

External links[edit]

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