Abhishek Kapoor (born 6 August 1971) is an Indian film director, former actor, writer and producer who works in Hindi cinema. He is known for his work in the musical drama Rock On!! (2008), the buddy sports drama Kai Po Che! (2013), the musical romantic drama Fitoor (2016), the romantic disaster film Kedarnath (2018) and the social romantic drama Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui (2021), earning nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Director for Rock On!! and Kai Po Che!.
Abhishek Kapoor | |
|---|---|
 Kapoor and Pragya Yadav at Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla show for 'Volvo S90' | |
| Born | 6 August 1971 India |
| Other names | Gattu Kapoor |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for |
|
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Jeetendra (uncle) Ekta Kapoor (cousin) Tusshar Kapoor (cousin) |
Career
editInitial acting work and directorial debut (1996–2006)
editHe started his career as an actor in 1996 with the films Aashique Mastane, opposite Monica Bedi, directed by Ajay Kashyap and Uff! Yeh Mohabbat, opposite Twinkle Khanna, directed by Vipin Handa. Both films emerged as critical and commercial disasters.
He made his directorial debut with the sports drama Aryan (2006) starring Sohail Khan and Sneha Ullal in lead roles, which emerged as a critical and commercial disaster.[1][2][3]
Breakthrough, success and career fluctuations (2008–16)
editIn 2008, Kapoor achieved his breakthrough when he wrote and directed the musical drama Rock On!! starring debutants Farhan Akhtar and Prachi Desai alongside Arjun Rampal in lead roles. The film opened to positive reviews from critics upon release, with praise for its novel concept, screenplay, soundtrack and performances of the cast; however, it emerged as an average commercial success at the box office.[2][4] Rock On!! won Kapoor the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and the Filmfare Award for Best Story, in addition to nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay.
In 2013, he screenwrote and directed the buddy sports drama Kai Po Che! (2013), starring Sushant Singh Rajput, Rajkummar Rao, Amit Sadh and Amrita Puri in lead roles. The film, based on Chetan Bhagat's novel, The 3 Mistakes of My Life (2008), had its world premiere at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival's World Panorama segment. It opened to positive reviews from critics, with praise for its direction, screenplay and performances of the cast, in addition to emerging as an above-average commercial success at the box-office.[5] Kai Po Che! won Kapoor the Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay, in addition to his second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director.
In 2016, he directed and produced the musical romantic drama Fitoor, an adaptation of Charles Dickens's Great Expectations (1861). The film, starring Tabu, Katrina Kaif and Aditya Roy Kapur, opened to mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, with high praise for its soundtrack, cinematography, production design, costumes and performances of the cast, with Tabu's performance receiving widespread critical acclaim; however, its screenplay and pacing received criticism. However, it emerged as an underwhelming grosser at the box-office.[6]
His next screenwriting venture that year was Rock On 2, the sequel to Rock On!!. Directed by Shujaat Saudagar, the film saw Akhtar, Desai and Rampal reprise their roles from the original film, with Shraddha Kapoor and Shashank Arora appearing in new roles. It opened to mixed-to-negative reviews from critics upon release, with its story, screenplay and soundtrack receiving sharp criticism. The film also emerged as a commercial disaster at the box-office.[7]
Later career (2018–present)
editIn 2018, he helmed and wrote the romantic disaster drama Kedarnath starring Rajput alongside debutante Sara Ali Khan. The film, which followed an inter-faith love story amidst the backdrop of the 2013 North India floods, proved to be a commercial success at the box office and received positive reviews from critics upon release.
In 2021, he directed the social romantic drama Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui (2021), starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Vaani Kapoor, which narrated the story of a gym trainer who falls in love with a trans-woman. The film received positive reviews from critics and emerged as a moderate commercial success at the box office. It earned Kapoor his second Filmfare Award for Best Story.
Kapoor has launched his production company, Guy in the Sky Pictures.
Personal life
editKapoor is a cousin of the actor Tusshar Kapoor and producer Ekta Kapoor. His mother Madhubala, is the sister of Bollywood actor Jeetendra.[8]
On 4 May 2015, Abhishek married Swedish actress and model Pragya Yadav.[9] They have two children, Isana and Shamsher.[10]
Filmography
edit| Year | Film | Director | Writer | Producer | Actor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Aashique Mastane | No | No | No | Yes |
| Uff! Yeh Mohabbat | No | No | No | Yes | |
| 2000 | Shikaar | No | No | No | Yes |
| 2006 | Aryan | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| 2008 | Rock On!! | Yes | Story | No | No |
| 2013 | Kai Po Che | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| 2016 | Fitoor | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Rock On 2 | No | Story | No | No | |
| 2018 | Kedarnath | Yes | Story | Yes | No |
| 2021 | Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui | Yes | Story | Yes | No |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Best Feature Film in Hindi | Rock On!! | Won | [11] |
| Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Best Story | Rock On!! | Won | [12] |
| Best Film | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | |||
| Best Director | Nominated | |||
| 2014 | Kai Po Che! | Nominated | [13] | |
| Best Screenplay | Won | [14] | ||
| 2022 | Best Story | Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui | Won |
| Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Best Director | Rock On!! | Nominated | [15] |
| 2014 | Kai Po Che! | Nominated | [16] | |
| Best Story | Nominated |
| Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Best Director | Rock On!! | Nominated | [17] |
| 2014 | Kai Po Che! | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ Taran Adarsh (15 December 2006). "Aryan – Unbreakable: Critic review". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ a b Shweta Teotia. Indian Express (5 September 2008). "The rocking underdog: Abhishek Kapoor". Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ "Aryan - Movie - Box Office India". boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ "Rock On!! - Movie - Box Office India". boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ "Kai Po Che - Movie - Box Office India". boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ "Fitoor - Movie - Box Office India". boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ "Rock On 2 - Movie - Box Office India". boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ "Filmi Family Tree: Know Ekta Kapoor's famous cousin?". Rediff. 28 January 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ^ "Director Abhishek Kapoor ties knots with Swedish Actress Pragya Yadav". news.biharprabha.com. 5 May 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
- ^ "Kedarnath Director Abhishek Kapoor's Wife Pragya Kapoor Shares Pic of a Chill Time with Newborn Son". Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
- ^ "56th National Film Awards juries (PIB)" (PDF). Press Information Bureau (PIB), India. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 June 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
- ^ "Nominations for 54th Filmfare Awards 2009". Sify. 16 February 2009. Archived from the original on 17 June 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "59th Idea Filmfare Awards Nominations". Filmfare. 13 January 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ^ "Winners of 59th Idea Filmfare Awards". Filmfare. 25 January 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ^ "Nominations for the IIFA Awards 2009". Bollywood Hungama. 29 April 2009. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "IIFA Awards 2014: The list of nominees". CNN-News18. 22 February 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ^ "15th Star Screen Awards Nominations". Screen. Archived from the original on 21 January 2009. Retrieved 4 July 2021.