Nupur Asthana is an Indian film director and writer known for her work in
Hindi cinema
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
and television. She made her debut on
Indian television
The television industry in India is very diverse and produces thousands of programs in many of the Indian languages. More than half of all Indian households own a television. As of 2016, the country had over 857 channels of which 184 were pay ...
with the 1998 TV series ''
Hip Hip Hurray''.
Her film debut was the 2011 youth film ''
Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge'' produced by the
Y-Films banner - the youth arm of
Yashraj Films.
Early life
Asthana grew up in Kolkata and Hyderabad. She studied English literature at
Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR),
Delhi University
Delhi University (DU), formally the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate Central university (India), central university located in New Delhi, India. It was founded in 1922 by an Act of the Central Legislative Assembly and ...
. She was actively involved in amateur theatre and headed the dramatics society in her college. She did her post graduation in Social Communications Media from
Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai.
Career
* She started her career as an intern with film maker
Ketan Mehta
Ketan Mehta (born 21 July 1952) is an Indian film director who has also directed documentaries and television serials since 1975.
Early life and education
Born on 21 July 1952 in Navsari in Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the weste ...
''.'' Later she was the Chief Assistant Director on the film ''
Aar Ya Paar'' where she was also the voice of Kamal Sidhu.
* She debuted as a writer and director on Indian Television with the prime time TV series ''
Hip Hip Hurray on
Zee Tv
Zee TV (stylised as ZEE TV) is a Hindi general entertainment pay television
Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to Subscription bus ...
.'' The story is based on the lives of 12th grade students, their adventures, their fears and hopes, and their relationships and interactions. The show is considered to be a cult hit to this date.
* She then moved on to direct the prime time drama miniseries ''
Hubahu ''on
Sony TV Sony Television, Sony TV, or Sony HD may refer to any of the following television-related products from Japanese conglomerate Sony:
* Television sets designed and manufactured by Sony Corporation in Japan
** Trinitron, television hardware brand (19 ...
.The story revolves around a pair of twin sisters who exchange places for a lark but end up getting intricately involved in each other's lives. Hubahu starred
Sandhya Mridul
Sandhya Mridul (born 28 March 1975) is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films and television. She is most known for her roles in films like '' Saathiya'' (2002) and '' Page 3'' (2005) and was first runner up on the reality dance show ' ...
in the lead who played the double role of twins Aditi and Ananya who exchange lives. It also starred
Rajat Kapoor
Rajat Kapoor (born 11 February 1961) is an Indian actor, filmmaker and playwright who works in Hindi cinema. Kapoor was born in Delhi, India. He mainly focused on acting at first. In 2013 he joined the theatre group Chingari in Delhi, later mov ...
,
Mohan Kapoor and
Suchitra Pillai
Suchitra Pillai (born 27 August 1970) is an Indian actress, model, anchor and VJ. A graduate in electronic engineering, she chose a career in arts over engineering. Apart from roles in movies including ''Dil Chahta Hai'' (2001), ''Page 3'' ( ...
.
* After the success of the shows Hip Hip Hurray and Hubahu she co-directed the action adventure miniseries ''
Time Bomb 9/11'' with
Ketan Mehta
Ketan Mehta (born 21 July 1952) is an Indian film director who has also directed documentaries and television serials since 1975.
Early life and education
Born on 21 July 1952 in Navsari in Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the weste ...
.
* She then directed the TV miniseries ''
Mahi Way ''on
Sony TV Sony Television, Sony TV, or Sony HD may refer to any of the following television-related products from Japanese conglomerate Sony:
* Television sets designed and manufactured by Sony Corporation in Japan
** Trinitron, television hardware brand (19 ...
produced by
YRF Television. The story traces the journey of a large girl Mahi Talwar,essayed by
Pushtiie Shakti
Pushtiie is an Indian actress best known as playing the lead role of Mahi Talwar in the comedy series '' Mahi Way'' on Sony TV.
Personal life
She is the sister of actor Vrajesh Hirjee
Career
Pushtiie appeared in the second season of a famous ...
e, who is a target of body shaming and who also struggles with her own insecurities and rejections.The show is an amazing journey of self-discovery as Mahi finally embraces her true self amidst all odds and crumbling relationships.
* Nupur debuted as a director with the film ''
Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge'' which was produced by Y - Films, the youth banner under
Yashraj Films. Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge is a young teen film that explores today's obsession with the online world that constantly clashes with the real world and the tussle between them. It unanimously got excellent reviews. Midday called it "A fantastic debut by Nupur Ashtana, who has managed to keep the movie light and breezy just like the relationships and friendships in campuses generally are."
* She directed the romantic comedy ''
Bewakoofiyaan'' which was produced by
Yashraj Films . The film stars Sonam Kapoor, Ayushmann Khurranna and Rishi Kapoor.
* She directed another miniseries Romil and Jugal on Alt Balaji. The show is a modern, homosexual, spin on the classic tale of Shakespeare's Romeo-Juliet where Punjabi playboy Romil and shy Tam-Brahm Jugal come to terms with their sexuality and face the orthodox society. The show was greatly appreciated for breaking the stereotypes and received rave reviews by both the audience and the critics.
Achievements
* Nupur Asthana was nominated for the best debut director at The Screen Awards for her film
Mujhse Fraandship Karoge.
TV shows
*
Hip Hip Hurray (1998-2000)
*
Hubahu
*
Mahi Way
*
Romil & Jugal
''Romil and Jugal'' is an Indian Hindi web series, produced by Ekta Kapoor for her video on demand platform ALTBalaji. Rajeev Siddhartha and Manraj Singh are the main protagonists of the series. The first debut of Raj Routh as a writer in the al ...
(2017)
*
Four More Shots Please! (2020)
*
Modern Love: Mumbai (2022)
Filmography
*
Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge (2011)
*
Bewakoofiyaan (2014)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Asthana, Nupur
Indian women film directors
Indian women screenwriters
Living people
Hindi-language film directors
Yash Raj Films people
Sophia Polytechnic alumni
Hindi screenwriters
Women writers from Uttar Pradesh
Film directors from Uttar Pradesh
Screenwriters from Uttar Pradesh
Year of birth missing (living people)