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Zoya Akhtar (born 14 October 1972) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works 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 ...
. After completing a diploma in filmmaking from NYU, she assisted directors such as Mira Nair, Tony Gerber and Dev Benegal, before becoming a writer and director herself. Akhtar is the recipient of several accolades, including five
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 ...
. Zoya, along with
Reema Kagti Reema Kagti (real name: Reema Kakati) is an Indian film director and screenwriter, who works in Bollywood. She made her debut as a director in the critically acclaimed ''Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.'' (2007), which was followed by the neo-noir, ...
founded Tiger Baby Films, a film and web studio, in October 2015. She has directed movies such as '' Luck by Chance'' (2009), '' Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara'' (2011) and ''Sheila Ki Jawani'', a segment of ''Bombay Talkies'' (2013). She has co-written '' Talaash'' (2012) alongside
Reema Kagti Reema Kagti (real name: Reema Kakati) is an Indian film director and screenwriter, who works in Bollywood. She made her debut as a director in the critically acclaimed ''Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.'' (2007), which was followed by the neo-noir, ...
. She then went on to direct '' Dil Dhadakne Do'' (2015) and '' Gully Boy'' (2019).


Personal life

Zoya Akhtar was born to poet, lyricist and screenwriter
Javed Akhtar Javed Akhtar (born 17 January 1945) is an Indian poet, lyricist, screenwriter and political activist. Known for his work in Hindi cinema, he has won five National Film Awards, and received the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 200 ...
and screenwriter Honey Irani. Akhtar's stepmother is actress Shabana Azmi. Her younger brother, Farhan Akhtar, is an actor and director. She attended Maneckji Cooper and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from
St. Xavier's College A multitude of schools and universities have been named after St. Francis Xavier, a Spanish Roman Catholic saint and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. This page lists notable educational institutions named after St. Xavier, arranged by country a ...
, both from Mumbai. Later, she joined the New York University Tisch School of the Arts to learn film production. Her great-grandfather, Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi, a scholar of Islamic studies and theology, edited the first diwan of Mirza Ghalib on his request and later became a figure during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 in his native Khairabad.Jan Nisar Akhtar Biography
''The Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature (Volume Two) (D -J)''. by Amaresh Datta. Sahitya Akademi, 2006. . ''p. 1796-97''.
She is great-granddaughter of Urdu poet
Muztar Khairabadi Iftikhar Hussain (1865 – 1927), known by his pen name Muztar Khairabadi, was an Indian Urdu poet. Biography Khairabadi was born in 1865 in Khairabad.Mohammad Shamsul Haq, ''Paimana-e-Ghazal'', vol. 1, pg 241 He was the grandson of Fazl-e-Ha ...
and granddaughter of poet Jan Nisar Akhtar. Akhtar grew up in an agnostic environment and along with her brother Farhan and father
Javed Akhtar Javed Akhtar (born 17 January 1945) is an Indian poet, lyricist, screenwriter and political activist. Known for his work in Hindi cinema, he has won five National Film Awards, and received the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 200 ...
, and does not believe in any religion.


Career

Akhtar started her career as the co-director of a music video called ''Price of Bullets'' for a rock band called Pentagram. She has worked as a casting director for films including '' Split Wide Open'' (1999) and '' Dil Chahta Hai'' (2001), and as an
assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to tak ...
for her brother Farhan Akhtar's films ''Dil Chahta Hai'' and '' Lakshya'' (2004). She then worked as an
executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...
for her longtime associate and friend
Reema Kagti Reema Kagti (real name: Reema Kakati) is an Indian film director and screenwriter, who works in Bollywood. She made her debut as a director in the critically acclaimed ''Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.'' (2007), which was followed by the neo-noir, ...
's '' Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.'' (2007), also produced by Excel Entertainment. Akhtar made her directorial debut with '' Luck By Chance'' (2009), starring her brother Farhan Akhtar and Konkona Sen Sharma. It tells the story of a struggling actor who breaks into the industry. The film was well received by critics, despite underperforming at the box office. In 2011, she directed '' Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara'', which starred an
ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to ...
of Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar,
Abhay Deol Abhay Singh Deol (born 15 March 1976) is an Indian actor and producer who is known for his work in Hindi films alongside one Kannada and one Tamil film. Born in the Deol family, he made his on-screen debut in 2005 with Imtiaz Ali's romantic c ...
, Katrina Kaif and Kalki Koechlin. It turned out to be a huge commercial success at the box-office and won her 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 ...
. In 2013, Akhtar teamed up with
Anurag Kashyap Anurag Kashyap (born 10 September 1972) is an Indian filmmaker and actor known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards. For his contributions to film, the Government of France a ...
, Dibakar Banerjee and
Karan Johar Karan Johar (born Rahul Kumar Johar; 25 May 1972), often informally referred to as KJo in the Hindi Film Industry, is an Indian filmmaker and television personality, who primarily works in Hindi cinema. He has launched the careers of several s ...
for '' Bombay Talkies''. It was made as a celebration of 100 years of Indian cinema. She then went on to direct '' Dil Dhadakne Do'' (2015), a film based on a dysfunctional Punjabi family starring Anil Kapoor as an egotistical industrialist,
Shefali Shah Shefali Shah (born Shefali Shetty on 22 May 1973) is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Respected for her acting prowess, she works primarily in independent Hindi films and has received local and foreign accolades for her perf ...
as his bitter socialite-wife, and Priyanka Chopra and Ranveer Singh as their children. The film also featured
Anushka Sharma Anushka Sharma (; born 1 May 1988) is an Indian actress and former producer who works in Hindi films. She has received several awards, including a Filmfare Award. One of the highest-paid actresses in India as of 2018, she has appeared in '' F ...
and Farhan Akhtar as love interests for Ranveer Singh and Priyanka Chopra respectively. In 2015, Akhtar along with
Reema Kagti Reema Kagti (real name: Reema Kakati) is an Indian film director and screenwriter, who works in Bollywood. She made her debut as a director in the critically acclaimed ''Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.'' (2007), which was followed by the neo-noir, ...
founded Tiger Baby Films, an Indian film production company. In 2018, she then again teamed up with
Anurag Kashyap Anurag Kashyap (born 10 September 1972) is an Indian filmmaker and actor known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards. For his contributions to film, the Government of France a ...
, Dibakar Banerjee and
Karan Johar Karan Johar (born Rahul Kumar Johar; 25 May 1972), often informally referred to as KJo in the Hindi Film Industry, is an Indian filmmaker and television personality, who primarily works in Hindi cinema. He has launched the careers of several s ...
for '' Lust Stories'', which premiered on Netflix in June 2018. After ''Dil Dhadakne Do'', Akhtar directed '' Gully Boy'' starring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, loosely based on the lives of Mumbai rapper Naezy. ''Gully Boy'' won a second Best Director award at Filmfare. She thus became the only female director to win the award twice. Zoya and Kagti also worked on a story for a web series produced by Tiger Baby Films and Excel Entertainment for
Amazon Prime Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service from Amazon which is available in various countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services include same, one- ...
called '' Made in Heaven'', a story about two wedding planners in New Delhi. She has also been invited to be a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In October 2019, she began directing a segment of ''Ghost Stories'' (2020), a
horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction ** Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction **Korean horror, Korean horror fiction * Horror film, a film genre *Horror comics, comic books focusing o ...
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 ...
, consisting of 4 short film segments. Other segments are directed by
Anurag Kashyap Anurag Kashyap (born 10 September 1972) is an Indian filmmaker and actor known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards. For his contributions to film, the Government of France a ...
, Dibakar Banerjee, and
Karan Johar Karan Johar (born Rahul Kumar Johar; 25 May 1972), often informally referred to as KJo in the Hindi Film Industry, is an Indian filmmaker and television personality, who primarily works in Hindi cinema. He has launched the careers of several s ...
. ''Ghost Stories'' premiered on Netflix on 1 January 2020. In November 2021, Netflix announced that Akhtar would direct a live-action feature film adaptation of '' The Archies''.


Filmography


Director


Executive producer


Lyricist


Other appearances

She appeared on the Valentine's Day charity show of '' Kaun Banega Crorepati'' along with her brother Farhan Akhtar. She also appeared in a very brief role as Rasa Devi's ( Rekha's) courtesan in '' Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love'' in September 1996. She and
Shah Rukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood" ...
had a 'fireside chat' with Jeff Bezos of Amazon in January 2020.


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Akhtar, Zoya Living people Indian women film directors Film directors from Mumbai 1972 births Hindi-language film directors 21st-century Indian women writers 21st-century Indian writers 21st-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Indian women screenwriters 21st-century Indian film directors Women writers from Maharashtra Hindi screenwriters Women artists from Maharashtra Screenwriters from Mumbai Indian atheists Indian agnostics 21st-century Indian screenwriters Filmfare Awards winners Screen Awards winners Zee Cine Awards winners International Indian Film Academy Awards winners