1. Farhan Akhtar : Son of Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani, he’s made 2 films todate. Both films are about urban young men, and their lives.
- Dil Chata hai
- Lakshya
- Don (2006)
2. Sanjay Leela Bhansali
: No famous backgroud I think, apparently very attached to his mom (that’s where he gets the “Leela”), and has made the following movies. I may not like all of them, but each one features some scenes, which are nothing but poetry in motion.- Khamoshi-a musical
- Hum dil de chuke sanam
- Devdas
- Black
- Lagaan
- Swades
4. Ram Gopal Verma
: He’s been making films awhile now, and directed the absolutely fantabulous “Company”. He’s made his mark in gangster films (Saathiya, Company), and suspense thrillers (Kaun,PTKK,Road,Jungle). Generally addicted to his leading ladies, first Urmila Matondkar, and now Antara Mali. He also directed the regrettable film “Daud”.- Jungle
- Company
- Bhoot
- Naach
- Drohi
- Shiva
- Satya
- Daud (this was terrible)
- Sarkar (this – excellent)
- D (moderately good)
5. E. Nivas : In his early twenties. The only movie of his that I’m aware of is
- Shool (a fantastic film)
6. Gulzar : aka Sampooran singh; he needs no introduction. He has directed many films, mostly in Hindi, and is writer-composer-director extraordinaire.
- Maachis
- Mere Apne
- Mausam
- Hu-tu-tu
- Aandhi
- Khushboo
- Kitaab
- Kinara
- Meera
- Namkeen
- Koshish
- Ijaazat
- Angoor
- Lekin
- Parichay
7. Mani Rathnam : A movie-making legend of sorts, he’s made many South-Indian films (I saw Mauna-Ragam with subtitles), and some hindi blockusters.
8.Vidhu Vinod Chopra :A director known for his ease with the camera, and for such notable films as :
- 1942, a love story – A beautifully told, poetic love-story set during India’s independence struggle.
- Khamosh – The best who-dun-it of the 1980-2000 era.
- Murder Monkey Hill – earned him a National award and acclaim at international film festivals
- An encounter with faces – this was nominated for the Oscars, and swept awards at international film festivals.
- Parinda – A huge commercial success, this was the pioneering Indian gangster movie, and India’s official entry for the Oscars.
- Munnabhai MBBS
- Mission Kashmir
- Kareeb
- Lage raho Munnabhai
9. Priyadarshan : He’s a director from the South again, and Virasat is stunning, although he’s been lately turning to making crappy comedies.
- Virasat
- Hulchul
- Kaalapaani
- Yeh tera ghar, yeh mera ghar
- Maalamal Weekly (OK)
- Bhagam bhag (terrible)
10. Tigmanshu Dhulia : Relative newcomer on the directing scene.
- Haasil
- Charas
11. Parvathi Balagopalan : Her one and only film to-date (and probably the most romantic film of present-day) :
12. John Mathew Mathan : His one and only film
- Sarfarosh
13. Dr. Chandra Prakash Dwivedi : He made the TV serial “Chanakya” , and his one and only film has won him accolades.
- Pinjar
14. Mansoor Khan : Aamir Khan’s cousin and director of a few good films
- Jo jeeta wohi sikandar
- Qayamat se qayamat tak
- Josh
- Akele hum akele tum
15. Aziz Mirza : Maker of many TV serials (remember Nukkad, Circus?) , he’s made some nice earthy, human films. His older films were better I thought.
- Raju ban gaya gentleman
- Yes Boss
- Chalte-chalte
16. Sriram Raghavan : Passionate about films, he’s made 2 so far.
- Raman Raghav
- Ek hasina thi
17. Rajat Kapoor : I believe he’s made only one film to-date; his other forays into the film world being as an actor (remember Prieti’s uncle in DCH ?)
- Raghu Romeo
18. Rajat Mukherjee :
- Road
- Pyar tune kya kiya
- Love in Nepal
19. Shaad Ali Sahgal :
20. Amol Palekar : One of the most talented actors of yesteryear cinema, Palekar has also directed a few films. Known for his attachment to theatre, and his flair for comedy (as an actor), Palekar’s directorial ventures are :
- Aakriet
- Ankahee
- Bangarwadi
- Kairee
- Anaahat
- Daayraa
- Paheli
21. Mahesh Manjrekar : He’s made several movies, and not all good, so I put him
on this list with some trepidation. However, the ones he’s gotten right far outs
hine the ones he’s gotten wrong, and I always like to hope for the better, see ?
So here goes :
- Tera mera saath rahe : A sensitive film, makes my top 10 list for 2001
- Astitva : Woman-oriented and handled well, makes my top 10 list for 2000
- Vaastav : Impeccable gangster drama, where he’s elicited a good performance from borderline actor Sanjay Dutt. See my top 10 films for 1999.
- Viruddh
- Hathyar
- Pitaah
- Ehsaas
- Rakht
- Laloo Prasad Yadav
- Jis des mein Ganga rahta hain : featuring comedy by Govinda
22. Dibakar Banerjee : He just has one film to-date, but he did such a fantastic job on that one that I had to put him up on this list :
23. Kabeer Kaushik : Also only film that I’m aware of, but what a marvellous film it it :
24. Vishal Bhardwaj : A true genius, he’s made these (and all of them excellent) :
25. Nagesh Kukunoor : He’s a relative newcomer, but manages to make good films on shoe-string budgets :
26. Karan Johar : I squirm putting this guy’s name down on this list, because frankly I am no fan of his, and most of his films appear to me to be squishy-squashy over-dramatic glossed-over blobs of emotion. Still, I must mention that inspite of the above negative traits, his films are slickly done, and are visually appealling – lots of glitz, glamour, chic personas, and designer clothing.
27. Shimit Amin : He’s not very well-know, and as far as I know has only 2 directorial ventures to his credit.
- Chak de India
- Ab tak Chhappan
28. Anurag Basu : Basu has a couple of films to his credit, and he seems to be going from OK to absolutely wonderful. Gangster wasn’t bad, but Metro was very, very good…
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