Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. He was educated at the
Lawrence School, Sanawar
The Lawrence School, Sanawar, is the oldest Co-Ed boarding school in the world near Solan city. Established in 1847, its history, influence, and wealth have made it one of the most prestigious and oldest schools in Asia.
It is located in the ...
. He dropped out of a filmmaking course in New York University to assist
Mira Nair
Mira Nair (born 15 October 1957) is an Indian-American filmmaker based in New York City. Her production company, Mirabai Films, specializes in films for international audiences on Indian society, whether in the economic, social or cultural sphe ...
on ''The Perez Family''. He had been an assistant on American films such as ''
The Ice Storm
''The Ice Storm'' is a 1994 American novel by Rick Moody. The novel was widely acclaimed by readers and critics alike, described as a funny, acerbic, and moving hymn to a dazed and confused era of American life.A Perfect Murder
''A Perfect Murder'' is a 1998 American crime thriller film directed by Andrew Davis and starring Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Viggo Mortensen. It is a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film ''Dial M for Murder'', though the characters' ...
Before becoming a film director, Apoorva was an assistant director for
Ashutosh Gowariker
Ashutosh Gowariker (born 15 February 1964) is an Indian film director, actor, screenwriter and producer who works in Bollywood, Hindi cinema. He is known for directing films "set on a huge canvas while boasting of an opulent treatment".
His is ...
's period
epic film
Epic films are a style of filmmaking with large-scale, sweeping scope, and spectacle. The usage of the term has shifted over time, sometimes designating a film genre and at other times simply synonymous with big-budget filmmaking. Like epics in ...
Aamir Khan
Mohammed Aamir Hussain Khan (; born 14 March 1965) is an Indian actor, film director and producer who works in Hindi films. Through his career spanning over 30 years, Khan has established himself as one of the most notable actors of Indian ci ...
was looking for someone with Hollywood experience for ''Lagaan'',
Farhan Akhtar
Farhan Akhtar (born 9 January 1974) is an Indian actor, director, screenwriter, playback singer, producer, and television host who works in Hindi films. Born in Mumbai to screenwriters Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani, he grew up under the influen ...
recommended Apoorva, who had worked with casts and crews in Hollywood. He also worked as the second assistant director for the film '' Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love'' (1996).
He made his debut as a film director with the 2002 film ''
Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost
''Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost'' () is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language drama film starring Abhishek Bachchan, Lara Dutta and Chunky Pandey. The film is directed by Apoorva Lakhia. The film touched on the subject of the influence of television on villag ...
''. His second film ''
Ek Ajnabee
''Ek Ajnabee – A Man Apart'' () is a 2005 Indian Hindi-language action-thriller film directed by Apoorva Lakhia, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Arjun Rampal and Perizaad Zorabian. It is a remake of Tony Scott's '' Man on Fire'',Vijayan, Vipin.Ami ...
'' released in 2005 which starred
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...
and
Arjun Rampal
Arjun Rampal (born 26 November 1972) is an Indian actor, model, film producer and television personality who works in Hindi films. He made his acting debut in Rajiv Rai's romance film ''Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat'' (2001) and has since gone on to ...
in the leading role was a
remake
A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...
of the 2004 American film '' Man on Fire''. His third film ''
Shootout at Lokhandwala
''Shootout at Lokhandwala'' is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed and co-written by Apoorva Lakhia and co-written and co-produced by Sanjay Gupta, with Ekta Kapoor serving as producer and Suresh Nair serving as writer. B ...
'' which has a multi-star cast released on 25 May 2007 and was based on real-life events involving the underworld gangsters
Maya Dolas
Maya Dolas (born Mahindra Dolas; 15 October 1966 — 16 November 1991) was an Indian underworld gangster who used to work for the D-Company don, Dawood Ibrahim. He was killed in an encounter at the 1991 Lokhandwala Complex shootout by the then ...
and
Dilip Buwa
Dilip Buwa (born Dilip Kohok; 1966 — 16 November 1991) was a notorious Indian gangster who used to work for the D-Company, an international crime syndicate of the Mumbai underworld led by Dawood Ibrahim. He was one of the men who were killed ...
. In late 2007 he directed a short story titled ''Sex on the Beach'' for the
anthology film
An anthology film (also known as an omnibus film, package film, or portmanteau film) is a single film consisting of several shorter films, each complete in itself and distinguished from the other, though frequently tied together by a single theme ...
''
Dus Kahaniyaan
''Dus Kahaniyaan'' () is a 2007 Indian anthology film comprising ten short films telling ten different stories which are directed by a host of six directors: Sanjay Gupta, Apoorva Lakhia, Meghna Gulzar, Rohit Roy, Hansal Mehta and Jasmeet Dhodhi. ...
''. His next film was ''
Mission Istanbul
''Mission Istanbul'' is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film starring Vivek Oberoi, Shriya Saran and Zayed Khan. The film, directed by Apoorva Lakhia, features Abhishek Bachchan in a special appearance.
The film is based on an org ...
'' starring
Vivek Oberoi
Vivek Anand Oberoi (born 3 September 1976) is an Indian actor who mainly works in Hindi cinema, in addition to working in few Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Tamil films.
Early life
Vivek Oberoi was born in Hyderabad, Telangana, to a Punjab ...
,
Sunil Shetty
Suniel Shetty (born Sunil V. Shetty; 11 August 1961) is an Indian actor, film producer, television personality and entrepreneur who is predominantly active in Hindi films he has also worked in tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and kannada films. In a ca ...
,
Shriya Saran
Shriya Saran Bhatnagar (; born 11 September 1982) is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi-language films. Although Saran aspired to become a well-known dancer, she became an actress with her film debut in 2001 ...
and
Zayed Khan
Zayed Abbas Khan (born 5 July 1980) is a former Indian actor and producer who appeared in Hindi films. The son of Bollywood actor Sanjay Khan, he has received a Filmfare Award nomination.
After graduating in Business Management at the Montgom ...
which released in 2008. North American producer Vikas Kohli of Fatlabs studio collaborated with
Mika Singh
Mika Singh (born 10 June 1977) is an Indian singer. His songs include "Bas Ek King" ('' Singh Is Kinng''), "Mauja Hi Mauja" (''Jab We Met''), "Ibn-e-Batuta" (''Ishqiya''), and "Dhanno" ('' Housefull''). He has released several solo albums and a ...
for the first time on the ''
Mission Istaanbul
''Mission Istanbul'' is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film starring Vivek Oberoi, Shriya Saran and Zayed Khan. The film, directed by Apoorva Lakhia, features Abhishek Bachchan in a special appearance.
The film is based on an org ...
'' soundtrack.
He has written the story of ''Hide & Seek'' (2009), which is directed Shawn Aranha. Lakhia wrote and directed all the movies from his debut to ''
Mission Istanbul
''Mission Istanbul'' is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film starring Vivek Oberoi, Shriya Saran and Zayed Khan. The film, directed by Apoorva Lakhia, features Abhishek Bachchan in a special appearance.
The film is based on an org ...
''. He made his acting debut with a negative role in the 2010 film ''
Knock Out
A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...
'' starring
Sanjay Dutt
Sanjay Balraj Dutt (born 29 July 1959) is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi cinema. In a career spanning over four decades, Dutt has won several accolades and acted in over 100 films, ranging from romance to comedy genres, though u ...
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 ...
.
In 2013, he directed a remake of the breakthrough film '' Zanjeer'' with Telugu actor Ram Charan; the film was funded by Aaditya Kulshreshtha. In 2017, he directed the film ''
Haseena Parkar
''Haseena Parker'' is a 2017 Indian biographical crime film directed by Apoorva Lakhia and produced by Nahid Khan. The principal signing of the film began in February 2016 and the shooting started on 11 October 2016. The film is based on Dawoo ...
'' based on the life of Dawood Ibrahim's sister with
Shraddha Kapoor
Shraddha Kapoor (born 3 March 1987 or 1989Siddhant Kapoor in the lead roles.