Rajkumar Santoshi is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter of
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
films. Having received several accolades including three
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...
and six
Filmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...
, he made his directorial debut with the crime film ''
Ghayal'' (1990), starring
Sunny Deol
Ajay Singh Deol (born 19 October 1956), better known by his stage name Sunny Deol, is an Indian actor, film director, producer, politician and current Member of Parliament from Gurdaspur (Lok Sabha constituency) of Punjab, India. As an actor, ...
,
Meenakshi Sheshadri
Meenakshi Seshadri (; born 16 November 1963) is a former Indian actress, model and dancer who worked primarily in Hindi films, with a few films in Telugu and Tamil. She made her debut with the film '' Painter Babu'' (1983) produced by Manoj ...
and
Amrish Puri
Amrish Puri (22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005) was an Indian actor, who was one of the most notable and important figures in Indian cinema and Theatre. He acted in more than 450 films, established himself as one of the most popular actor ...
. Which was a huge critical and commercial success, it made Santoshi a household name 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 ...
. The film won him the
as well as the
Filmfare Award for Best Director
The Filmfare Best Director Award is one of the main awards presented given by the annual Filmfare Awards to recognise directors working in Hindi cinema. It was first presented in 1954 in the inaugural year.
Superlatives
Bimal Roy has the r ...
.
He also directed the thriller ''
Damini
''Damini'' () is a 1993 Indian Hindi-language crime drama film directed and co-written by Rajkumar Santoshi. It stars Meenakshi Seshadri in the titular role with Sunny Deol, Rishi Kapoor and Amrish Puri. Aamir Khan makes a special appearance. T ...
'' (1993) with Deol, Sheshadri and Puri. Besides being critically acclaimed, the film became commercial success. It garnered him a second Filmfare Best Director Award and
Filmfare Best Screenplay Award
The Filmfare Best Screenplay Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films.
Superlatives
;Most Awards
*Salim–Javed – 3
*Basu Chatterjee – 3
*Rajkumar Hirani – 3
*Mani Ratnam – 2
*V ...
. During this period, Santoshi also received praise for directing the comedy ''
Andaz Apna Apna
''Andaz Apna Apna'' () is a 1994 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and produced by Vinay Kumar Sinha. It stars Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Raveena Tandon, Karishma Kapoor, Paresh Rawal (in a dual role) and Shakti Kap ...
'' (1994) starring
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 ...
and
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 ...
together, which though a box office flop has attained
cult
In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...
status. His next action drama ''
Ghatak: Lethal'' (1996) was also a huge commercial success and he earned a Filmfare Best Director Award nomination. The major success ''
Barsaat'' (1995), that marked the film debut of
Bobby Deol
Vijay Singh Deol (born 27 January 1967) popularly known as Bobby Deol, is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema and web series. A member of the List of Hindi film families#Deol family, Deol family, he is the younger son of veteran actor Dhar ...
and
Twinkle Khanna
Twinkle Khanna (also known as Tina Jatin Khanna; born on 29 December) is an Indian author, columnist, interior designer, film producer and a former film actress.
In 2015, she released her first non-fiction book, " Mrs Funnybones" which was decl ...
. In 2000, he wrote dialogues of the film ''
Pukar'' which earned him the
Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration
The Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organization set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of ...
. He followed it by directing two moderate commercial successes—the biopic ''
The Legend of Bhagat Singh
''The Legend of Bhagat Singh'' is a 2002 Indian Hindi-language biographical period film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. The film is about Bhagat Singh, a Freedom Fighter who fought for Indian independence along with fellow members of the Hin ...
'' (2002) and the action thriller ''
Khakee
''Khakee'' (English translation: The Uniform) is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language neo-noir action thriller film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and written by Santoshi and Sridhar Raghavan. The story revolves around an Indian police team on a mi ...
'' (2004)—both of which earned him Best Director nominations at Filmfare. His highest-grossing film came in 2009 with over -earning romantic comedy ''
Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani
''Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani'' () is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif. Upon release, it was a critical and commercial success grossing worldwide, bec ...
'' starring
Ranbir Kapoor
Ranbir Kapoor (; born 28 September 1982) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi-language films. He is one of the highest-paid actors of Hindi cinema and has featured in ''Forbes India''s Celebrity 100 list since 2012. Kapoor is the re ...
and
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 ...
.
Personal life
He is the son of producer-director P. L. Santoshi, born from his second wife. Rajkumar was born in Chennai (then Madras) and currently lives with his wife Manila and children; Ram and Tanisha.
Career
Santoshi started his career as an assistant director and worked with
Govind Nihalani during the filming of ''
Ardh Satya
''Ardh Satya'' () is a 1983 film directed by Govind Nihalani, his second offering after another angst-ridden movie '' Aakrosh'' (1980). The screenplay of both movies was by Vijay Tendulkar, the noted Marathi playwright; this one was based on the ...
'' (1982)
Santoshi made his directorial debut in 1990, with the action flick ''
Ghayal'', starring
Sunny Deol
Ajay Singh Deol (born 19 October 1956), better known by his stage name Sunny Deol, is an Indian actor, film director, producer, politician and current Member of Parliament from Gurdaspur (Lok Sabha constituency) of Punjab, India. As an actor, ...
and
Meenakshi Sheshadri
Meenakshi Seshadri (; born 16 November 1963) is a former Indian actress, model and dancer who worked primarily in Hindi films, with a few films in Telugu and Tamil. She made her debut with the film '' Painter Babu'' (1983) produced by Manoj ...
. The film tells the story of a person in search of his missing brother and the events that follow. It was critically and commercially very successful, and earned him the
Filmfare Award for Best Director
The Filmfare Best Director Award is one of the main awards presented given by the annual Filmfare Awards to recognise directors working in Hindi cinema. It was first presented in 1954 in the inaugural year.
Superlatives
Bimal Roy has the r ...
, Best film, and Best screenplay.
''Ghayal'' also won the
.
Santoshi's followup was the universally acclaimed film ''
Damini
''Damini'' () is a 1993 Indian Hindi-language crime drama film directed and co-written by Rajkumar Santoshi. It stars Meenakshi Seshadri in the titular role with Sunny Deol, Rishi Kapoor and Amrish Puri. Aamir Khan makes a special appearance. T ...
'' (1993), which dealt with issues like the status of women in our society and the perspective of people towards women. He won his second Filmfare best director award for it.
After making two back-to-back serious films like ''Ghayal'' and ''Damini'', Santoshi wanted to make a light film.
He then wrote and directed the ensemble comedy ''
Andaz Apna Apna
''Andaz Apna Apna'' () is a 1994 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and produced by Vinay Kumar Sinha. It stars Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Raveena Tandon, Karishma Kapoor, Paresh Rawal (in a dual role) and Shakti Kap ...
'' (1994). The film did not do too well commercially at the time of its release, but is now considered a
cult classic
A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...
.
Santoshi received the
Filmfare Award for Best Director
The Filmfare Best Director Award is one of the main awards presented given by the annual Filmfare Awards to recognise directors working in Hindi cinema. It was first presented in 1954 in the inaugural year.
Superlatives
Bimal Roy has the r ...
nomination for it.
Santoshi then went on to make ''
Barsaat'' (1995), a successful romantic action drama film, which marked the debut of actors
Bobby Deol
Vijay Singh Deol (born 27 January 1967) popularly known as Bobby Deol, is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema and web series. A member of the List of Hindi film families#Deol family, Deol family, he is the younger son of veteran actor Dhar ...
and Twinkle Khanna. The following year he made ''
Ghatak: Lethal'' (1996), an action film, marking his third collaboration with
Sunny Deol
Ajay Singh Deol (born 19 October 1956), better known by his stage name Sunny Deol, is an Indian actor, film director, producer, politician and current Member of Parliament from Gurdaspur (Lok Sabha constituency) of Punjab, India. As an actor, ...
and
Meenakshi Sheshadri
Meenakshi Seshadri (; born 16 November 1963) is a former Indian actress, model and dancer who worked primarily in Hindi films, with a few films in Telugu and Tamil. She made her debut with the film '' Painter Babu'' (1983) produced by Manoj ...
. It also turned out to be a commercially successful and highly acclaimed film.
''
China Gate'' (1998), an action film inspired from
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...
's ''
Seven Samurai
is a 1954 Japanese epic samurai drama film co-written, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa. The story takes place in 1586 during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. It follows the story of a village of desperate farmers who hire seven ...
'' (1954), was his next release. It follows the story of a village that hire a group of veterans to combat bandits who terrorise them. In 2000, Santoshi wrote and directed ''
Pukar'', a film focusing on the
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
and
court martial
A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...
. It won the
Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration
The Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organization set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of ...
. It was followed by ''
Lajja'' (2001), a film about four Indian women belonging to different strata of society. The film dealt with issues like
gender inequality
Gender inequality is the social phenomenon in which men and women are not treated equally. The treatment may arise from distinctions regarding biology, psychology, or cultural norms prevalent in the society. Some of these distinctions are empi ...
and the status of women in our society. ''Lajja'' was a box office failure in India, but was an overseas success. ''
The Legend of Bhagat Singh
''The Legend of Bhagat Singh'' is a 2002 Indian Hindi-language biographical period film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. The film is about Bhagat Singh, a Freedom Fighter who fought for Indian independence along with fellow members of the Hin ...
'' (2002), his next directorial venture, was a biopic on the freedom fighter
Bhagat Singh
Bhagat Singh (27 September 1907 – 23 March 1931) was a charismatic Indian revolutionary*
* who participated in the mistaken murder of a junior British police officer
*
* in what was to be retaliation for the death of an Indian national ...
. The film won a
National Film Award
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directora ...
s. In 2004, Santoshi wrote and directed ''
Khakee
''Khakee'' (English translation: The Uniform) is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language neo-noir action thriller film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and written by Santoshi and Sridhar Raghavan. The story revolves around an Indian police team on a mi ...
'', a multi-starrer action thriller about a group of cops who get embroiled in a mystery surrounding a terrorist attack. The film was a commercial success and reiterated Santoshi as one of Bollywood's most sought-after directors.
Derek Elley
Derek Elley (born c. 1955) is an American film and music critic and author, best known as the resident film critic for ''Variety'' until his departure in March 2010. With over 1200 reviews to his credit as of December 2014 on ''Rotten Tomatoes'', h ...
of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' wrote: "Powerhouse casting, and equally powerhouse direction by Rajkumar Santoshi, makes this an above-average example of mainstream Bollywood thrillers."
''
Family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
'' (2006), an action crime flick, was his next release.
Raja Sen
Raja Sen (born 10 November 1955) is an Indian film and television director and the winner of three National Film Awards from Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He is the father of actress Rimi Sen.
Career
Raja Sen first received recognition with ''S ...
called it "utter tripe". It bombed at the box office. Santoshi's next directorial venture was ''
Halla Bol
''Halla Bol'' (''Raise Your Voice'') is an Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. ''Halla Bol'' stars Ajay Devgn and Vidya Balan in pivotal roles and a number of celebrities from the Hindi and other film industries appe ...
'' (2008), a
social film
A social film is a type of interactive film that is presented through the lens of social media. A social film is distributed digitally and integrates with a social networking service, such as Facebook or Google+. It combines features of web video, ...
starring
Ajay Devgan,
Vidya Balan
Vidya Balan (pronounced ; born 1 January 1979) is an Indian actress. Known for pioneering a change in the portrayal of women in Hindi cinema with her roles in female-led films, she is the recipient of several awards, including a National Fi ...
and
Pankaj Kapur
Pankaj Kapur (born 29 May 1954) is an Indian actor who has worked in Hindi theatre, television and films. He has appeared in several television serials and films. He is the recipient of several awards, including a Filmfare Award and three Nat ...
. The film was based on the life of activist
Safdar Hashmi
Safdar Hashmi (12 April 1954 – 2 January 1989) was a communist playwright and director, best known for his work with street theatre in India. He was also an actor, lyricist, and theorist, and he is still considered an important voice in Indian ...
, who was killed by political rivals while performing in a street play (by the name of ''Halla Bol'') in 1989.
It was shot in 75 days in over 65 locations.
''Halla Bol'' was panned by critics, with
Khalid Mohamed
Khalid Mohamed is an Indian journalist, editing, editor, Film criticism, film critic, screenwriter and film director. He formerly worked for the ''Hindustan Times'' and was the lead editor for ''Filmfare'' magazine. He is the son of Bollywoo ...
calling it "downright awful"
."packed with mind-benders galore." During this period, his films were poorly received.
In 2009, he wrote and directed ''
Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani
''Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani'' () is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif. Upon release, it was a critical and commercial success grossing worldwide, bec ...
'', which emerged as the fourth highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2009. The film starring
Ranbir Kapoor
Ranbir Kapoor (; born 28 September 1982) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi-language films. He is one of the highest-paid actors of Hindi cinema and has featured in ''Forbes India''s Celebrity 100 list since 2012. Kapoor is the re ...
and
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 ...
and was a romantic comedy.
Nikhat Kazmi
Nikhat Kazmi ( hi, निखत काजमी; 1958/59 – 20 January 2012) was a senior correspondent and well-known film critic from, born Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, who had been writing for ''The Times of India'' since 1987. She died of breast ...
in her review wrote that the film "has just a few moments of tedium", but "
ttakes you on a roller-coaster ride as Raj Kumar Santoshi tries to retrack his way to his ''Andaz Apna Apna'' days".
Santoshi came back after a three-year hiatus with the action comedy ''
Phata Poster Nikla Hero
''Phata Poster Nikhla Hero'' () is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. The film features Shahid Kapoor and Ileana D'Cruz in the lead roles, and was released on 20 September 2013 to a mixed to positive ...
'', (2013) starring
Shahid Kapoor
Shahid Kapoor (; born 25 February 1981) is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films. Initially recognised for portraying romantic roles, he has since taken on parts in action films and thrillers, and is the recipient of several awards, inc ...
and
Ileana D'Cruz
Ileana D'Cruz (born 1 November 1987) is an Indian-born Portuguese actress and model who predominantly appears in Telugu language, Telugu and Hindi language films. D'Cruz was born in Mumbai and spent most of her childhood in Goa. D'Cruz made her ...
. The film was a critical and commercial failure.
Filmography
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Santoshi, Rajkumar
Living people
20th-century Indian film directors
Hindi-language film directors
Filmfare Awards winners
Indian male screenwriters
Film directors from Chennai
21st-century Indian film directors
Hindi screenwriters
Screenwriters from Chennai
Hindi film producers
Film producers from Chennai
20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights
21st-century Indian dramatists and playwrights
20th-century Indian male writers
21st-century Indian male writers
Directors who won the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment National Film Award
Directors who won the Best Film on National Integration National Film Award
1956 births