Ali Abbas Zafar is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is known for directing ''

Mere Brother Ki Dulhan ''Mere Brother Ki Dulhan'' () is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Ali Abbas Zafar in his directorial debut and produced by Aditya Chopra for Yash Raj Films. It stars Imran Khan, Katrina Kaif, Ali Zafa ...

'' (2011), ''

Gunday ''Gunday'' () is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language action drama film written and directed by Ali Abbas Zafar and produced by Aditya Chopra. The film features Arjun Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Priyanka Chopra and Irrfan Khan in the lead roles. Set in ...

'' (2014), '' Sultan'' (2016), ''

Tiger Zinda Hai ''Tiger Zinda Hai'' () is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language espionage action thriller film written and directed by Ali Abbas Zafar from a story by Zafar and Neelesh Misra. The sequel to ''Ek Tha Tiger'' (2012), it is the second instalment in the ''T ...

'' (2017) and ''

Bharat Bharat, or Bharath, may refer to: * Bharat (term), the name for India in various Indian languages ** Bharata Khanda, the Sanskrit name for the Indian subcontinent (or South Asia) * Bharata, the name of several legendary figures or groups: ** Bhara ...

'' (2019).

Personal life

Zafar is a graduate of

Kirori Mal College Kirori Mal College is a constituent college of the University of Delhi. Established in 1954, it is located in the North Campus of the university in New Delhi, India. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the sciences, humanitie ...

, New Delhi. He married Alicia Zafar, an

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

based in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, on 4 January 2021.

Career

Zafar entered the film industry as an assistant director, with multiple projects for the production company

Yash Raj Films Yash Raj Films (YRF) is an Indian film production and distribution company founded by veteran filmmaker Yash Chopra in 1970. It mainly produces and distributes Hindi and Punjabi films. The company has grown to be one of the largest film studios ...

(YRF). He then made his own directorial and screen-writing debut with the romantic comedy ''

'' (2011). The film revolved around a young man (

Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...

) who finds a bride (

Katrina Kaif Katrina Kaif (; born Katrina Turquotte; 16 July 1983) is a British actress who works in Hindi-language films. One of the highest-paid actresses in India, she has received accolades, including four Screen Awards and four Zee Cine Awards, in a ...

) for his elder brother (

Ali Zafar Ali Zafar ( pa, ; born 18 May 1980) is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, model, actor, producer, screenwriter and painter. Zafar started out on Pakistani television before becoming a popular musician. He later also established a career in Bol ...

), but then finds that he himself has fallen in love with her. His next film was the action drama ''

'' (2014), set in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

in the 1970s and 1980s. The film starred

Ranveer Singh Ranveer Singh Bhavnani (; born 6 July 1985) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. The recipient of several awards, including five Filmfare Awards, he is among the highest-paid Indian actors and has been featured in ''Forbes India''s ...

and

Arjun Kapoor Arjun Kapoor (born 26 June 1985) is an Indian actor working in Hindi films. Born to the Surinder Kapoor family, he is the son of film producer Boney Kapoor and Mona Shourie. Kapoor made his acting debut in 2012 with romance '' Ishaqzaade'' whic ...

as powerful bandits,

Priyanka Chopra Priyanka Chopra Jonas (; ; born 18 July 1982) is an Indian actress and producer. The winner of the Miss World 2000 pageant, Chopra is one of India's highest-paid actresses and has received numerous accolades, including two National Film Awar ...

as a cabaret dancer whom they both fall in love with, and

Irrfan Khan Irrfan Khan () (born Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan; 7 January 196729 April 2020), also known simply as Irrfan, was an Indian actor who worked in Indian cinema as well as British and American films. Widely regarded as one of the finest actors in In ...

as a police officer pursuing them. Gunday received mostly positive reviews from critics. Zafar's next film was the

blockbuster Blockbuster or Block Buster may refer to: *Blockbuster (entertainment) a term coined for an extremely successful movie, from which most other uses are derived. Corporations * Blockbuster (retailer), a defunct video and game rental chain ** Bl ...

sports drama '' Sultan'' (2016) starring

Salman Khan Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (; 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. In a film career spanning over thirty years, Khan has received numerous awards, including two Nation ...

as a wrestling champion from

Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land a ...

, with Anushka Sharma as a female wrestler who becomes a love interest for Khan's character. The film received positive reviews from critics and has emerged as one of the highest-grossing Indian films. His next film is the action thriller ''

'' (2017) the sequel to YRF's ''

Ek Tha Tiger ''Ek Tha Tiger'' () is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language espionage action thriller film directed by Kabir Khan and co-written by Khan and Neelesh Misra, from a story by and produced by Aditya Chopra. It is the first installment in the ''Tiger'' ...

'' (2012). The film stars

as a RAW agent and

as an ISI spy reprising their roles from the first film and is about the both of them accepting a rescue mission to free 40 nurses, 25 Indian and 15 Pakistani, from a ruthless militant. The film released in December 2017 and received generally positive reviews from critics, and became a major commercial success emerging as the highest-grossing films of the year and one of the highest-grossing Indian films. In May 2018, he began pre-production of the film ''

'', which is slated to be released on Eid, 2019. The trailer of this film was released on 22 April 2019 It stars

Disha Patani Disha Patani (; born 13 June 1992) is an Indian actress who is known for her work in Hindi films. She began her acting career with the Telugu film '' Loafer'' (2015). She had her first Hindi film release with the biopic '' M.S. Dhoni: The Unto ...

Sunil Grover Sunil Grover (born 3 August 1977) is an Indian actor and comedian from Mumbai. He came into limelight for his portrayal as Gutthi on television show ''Comedy Nights with Kapil'' but gained popularity for playing the role of Dr Mashoor Gulati an ...

and

Tabu (actress) Tabassum Fatima Hashmi (born 4 November 1971), credited as Tabu, is an Indian actress who works primarily in Hindi films, alongside Telugu, Tamil and English films. Regarded as one of the most accomplished actresses in Hindi cinema, she has of ...

, and is an official adaptation of the Korean film,

Ode to My Father ''Ode to My Father'' (; "Gukje (International) Market") is a 2014 South Korean drama film directed by Yoon Je-kyoon. Starring Hwang Jung-min and Yunjin Kim, it depicts South Korean history from the 1950s to the present day through the life of a ...

. It marks the third collaboration between Khan and Ali. In 2020, Zafar made his debut as the producer for ''

Khaali Peeli ''Khaali Peeli'' is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language masala film starring Ishaan Khatter, Ananya Panday and Jaideep Ahlawat. ''Khaali Peeli'' is directed by Maqbool Khan and produced by Ali Abbas Zafar, Zee Studios and Offside Entertainment. The st ...

'', an action-comedy directed by debutante Maqbool Khan that starred

Ishaan Khatter Ishaan Khatter (born 1 November 1995) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. The son of actors Rajesh Khattar and Neelima Azeem, he made his first screen appearance as a child in the 2005 film ''Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi!'', which starred his ...

and

Ananya Pandey Ananya Panday (born 30 October 1998) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films. The daughter of actor Chunky Panday, she began her acting career in 2019 with roles in the teen film ''Student of the Year 2'' and the comedy '' Pat ...

in lead roles. Zafar's first web series ''

Tandav Tandava (also spelled as ) also known as , is a divine dance performed by Hindu god Shiva. Shiva is depicted as dancing the Tandava in his form of Nataraja. The ''Natya Shastra'', a Sanskrit treatise on the performing arts describes various as ...

'', which is a political drama that stars

Saif Ali Khan Saif Ali Khan (; born Sajid Ali Khan Pataudi; 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi films. Part of the Pataudi family, he is the son of actress Sharmila Tagore and cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. Khan ...

who will be portraying the role of a powerful politician will be streaming by 15 January 2021 on Amazon Prime Video. This 9-episode series will also star

Dimple Kapadia Dimple Kapadia (born 8 June 1957) is an Indian actress predominantly appearing in Hindi films. Born and raised in Mumbai by wealthy parents, she aspired to become an actress from a young age and received her first opportunity through her father ...

, Kumud Misra,

Tigmanshu Dhulia Tigmanshu Dhulia (born 3 July 1967) is an Indian film dialogue writer, director, actor, screenwriter, producer and casting director known for his works in Hindi cinema and Television. He wrote the dialogue for the 1998 film '' Dil Se..'', the fi ...

Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub Khan is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films. He is frequently cast in supporting roles, and has appeared in more than 25 films in a career which has spanned eight years. He has also worked in a Hindi serial "Kyunk ...

Gauahar Khan Gauahar Khan (born 23 August 1983) is an Indian model and actress who appears in Hindi films and television. She started her career as a model and participated in the Femina Miss India contest in 2002. After appearing in dance songs, Khan made ...

, Sarah Jane Dias,

Kritika Kamra Kritika Kamra (; born 25 October 1988) is an Indian film and television actress. Kamra is known for playing Arohi in television shows '' Kitani Mohabbat Hai'', Dr. Nidhi in ''Kuch Toh Log Kahenge'', Ananya in ''Reporters'' and Chandrakanta in ...

Dino Morea Dino Morea (born 9 December 1975) is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films. Early life Dino Morea was born in Bangalore to an Italian father and an Indian mother. His mother hails from Kalamassery in Kochi. He is the second of three broth ...

, Sandhya Mridul, Amyra Dastur, and

Anup Soni Anup Soni (born 30 January 1975) is an Indian actor and anchor. He is an alumnus of the National School of Drama. Soni began his career with roles in television serials such as '' Sea Hawks'' and '' Saaya''. He then took a break from television ...

. He has also announced ''Bade Miyan Chote Miyan'' with

Akshay Kumar Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia (born 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian-born naturalised Canadian Quote: "(Former prime minister Stephen) Harper campaigned in 2011 alongside one of Modi's biggest celebrity backer ...

and

Tiger Shroff Jai Hemant "Tiger" Shroff (born 2 March 1990) is an Indian actor and martial artist known for his work in the Indian cinema. He is best known for his Baaghi action franchise, ''Heropanti'' (2014) and ''War'' (''2019''). He has featured in For ...

, which will be produced by

Jackky Bhagnani Jackky Bhagnani (born 25 December 1984) is an Indian actor, film producer and entrepreneur. Early life Bhagnani was born in Kolkata, West Bengal in India to a Sindhi family. After schooling, he got a degree in commerce from H.R. College of Comm ...

under

Pooja Entertainment Pooja Entertainment is an Indian production and distribution company established by Vashu Bhagnani in 1995. It is located in Mumbai, Maharastra, India. The company is known for Movies such as Coolie no.1, Biwi no.1, Rangrezz, Shaadi no.1 ...

. It is intended to release in

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

of 2023.

Filmography

As director

As assistant director

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zafar, Ali Abbas Living people Hindi-language film directors Artists from Dehradun Delhi University alumni Indian male screenwriters Film directors from Uttarakhand 20th-century Indian film directors Year of birth missing (living people)