Neeraj Pandey (born 1973) is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter best known for his film A Wednesday (2008), for which he won the Indira Gandhi Award for Best First Film of a Director. His work on the film was highly praised by audiences as well as critics. He was nominated for "Best Director" category by Filmfare Awards. His second movie Special 26 (2013) has also been equally appreciated by the public and the critics. His third movie is Baby (2015) starring Akshay Kumar, released on 23 January. The film is also hugely critically acclaimed and a financial success too.
Neeraj Pandey was born and brought up in a Brahmin family in Kolkata. His father, who originally came from Bihar and worked for Bosch in Calcutta. Neeraj Pandey moved to New Delhi, where he graduated in English.
Pandey started his career working with Delhi-based 'Legacy Entertainment', a company started by the Dalmia group to make television programs where he learnt his film basics.