Rajkumar Hirani

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Rajkumar Hirani
Rajkumar Hirani 2014.jpg
Hirani at an event for PK in 2014
Born (1962-11-20) 20 November 1962 (age 58)[1]
Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
NationalityIndian
Other namesRaju
EducationSt. Francis De'Sales High School, Nagpur, Maharashtra
Alma materFilm and Television Institute of India
OccupationFilm director
Film producer
Screenwriter
Film editor
Distributor
Years active1993–present
Notable work
  • 3 Idiots
  • PK
  • Munna Bhai MBBS
  • Lage Raho Munna Bhai
  • Sanju
AwardsFull list

Rajkumar Hirani (born 20 November 1962) is an Indian film director, film producer, screenwriter, distributor and film editor. Hirani has directed five Hindi films, including Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003), Lage Raho Munnabhai (2006), 3 Idiots (2009), PK (2014) and Sanju (2018), and all of which have been commercial and critical successes.[2] Most of them have won several awards, including the national awards.[3][4] Among his awards, include 11 Filmfare Awards. He is the founder and owns the Hindi films production house Rajkumar Hirani Films.

Early life and education[]

Hirani was born on 20 November 1962 in Nagpur to a Sindhi family. His ancestors originally belong to Mehrabpur, a city now in the Naushahro Firoz District, Sindh, of Pakistan.[5] His father Suresh Hirani ran a typing institute in Nagpur. Rajkumar Hirani studied at St. Francis De'Sales High School, Nagpur, Maharashtra. He did his graduation in commerce. His parents wanted him to be a chartered accountant, but he was more keen on theatre and film.[6]

In his college days he was involved with Hindi theatre. He had many friends in Nagpur's medical college and hence, spent much time in theater at the college. Suresh had his son's photographs taken and sent him to an acting school in Mumbai. However, Hirani could not fit in and returned to Nagpur after three days. His father then asked him to apply to the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune, but the acting course had shut down and his chances of admission to the directorial course looked slim as there were far too many applicants.[7] Hirani opted for the film editing course, and earned a scholarship.[8]

Career[]

Early work (1994—99, 2000)[]

Hirani tried his luck as a film editor for many years. Bad experiences forced him to shift to television advertising,[9] and he gradually established himself as a director and producer of advertising films. He was also seen in a Fevicol ad where some men and elephants were trying to pull and break a Fevicol plank, saying "Jor laga ke Haisha".[10] He was also seen in the Kinetic Luna ad campaign created by Ogilvy & Mather.

He was doing fairly well in the advertisement industry, but he wanted to make movies, so he took a break from advertisement and started working with Vidhu Vinod Chopra. He worked on promos and trailers for 1942: A Love Story (1994).[11] He edited promotions for Kareeb (1998).[12] He got his first opportunity as a film editor with Mission Kashmir (2000).[13]

Directorial debut and initial success (2003—06)[]

In 2003, Hirani made his directorial debut with the comedy film Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. starring Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Boman Irani, Gracy Singh, Jimmy Sheirgill, and Sunil Dutt. It was about the titular protagonist (played by Sanjay Dutt), a goon going to a medical school who is helped by his sidekick (Circuit, played by Warsi). The film received a positive response from critics. Hirani's direction was praised, and the film emerged as a major commercial success with a worldwide total of ₹330 million (US$4.6 million). Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film, and earned Hirani his first Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay and a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director. The film was the first film of the franchise Munna Bhai.

In 2006, Hirani directed the second installment of the Munna Bhai franchise, titled Lage Raho Munna Bhai, which retained some of the original cast, including Sanjay Dutt, Warsi, and Boman Irani, and added Vidya Balan as the female lead replacing Gracy Singh. The feature proved to be Hirani's highest-grossing release to that point, earning over ₹1.2 billion (US$17 million) worldwide, thus attaining a blockbuster status and becoming the third highest-grossing film of that year. Just like the previous film, it won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film, and earned Hirani a second Critics Award for Best Film award, a first Best Story award, a first Best Dialogue award, and a second Best Director nomination at Filmfare.

Widespread success (2009—present)[]

Hirani at a neurosurgeons' conference

Hirani's next directorial venture was the coming-of-age comedy-drama 3 Idiots (2009), which starred Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, and Boman Irani. It follows the friendship of three engineering students, and was a satire about social pressures under an Indian education system. 3 Idiots received positive reviews from critics, and proved to be the highest-grossing Bollywood film up until then, earning ₹4.60 billion (US$64 million) in global ticket sales. Hirani won his third National Film Award for Best Popular Film Award, first Filmfare Best Film and Best Director Award, and second Filmfare Best Screenplay and Best Story Award, for his direction. The film established Hirani as one of Hindi cinema's most prominent filmmakers.

Hirani directed PK, which was released on 19 December 2014.

He also directed Sanju (2018). The film follows the life of Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt (one of Hirani's closest collaborators), his addiction with drugs, arrest for alleged association with the 1993 Bombay bombings, relationship with his father, comeback in the industry, the eventual drop of charges from bombay blasts, and release after completing his jail term. Upon release, it generally received positive reviews from critics and was praised for Kapoor and Kaushal's performance; some criticised its image-cleansing of its protagonist. It registered the highest opening for any film released in India in 2018, and on its third day, it had the highest single day collection ever for a Hindi film in India. With a worldwide gross of ₹586.85 crore (US$82 million), Sanju ranks as the highest grossing Bollywood film of 2018, the second highest-earning Hindi film in India of all time, and one of the highest-grossing Indian films. Sanju earned seven nominations at the 64th Filmfare Awards, including Best Film and Best Director for Hirani. It won two; Best Actor for Ranbir Kapoor (who played Dutt) and Best Supporting Actor for Kaushal. Certain media reports claim that the director is working with Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan in his next[14] and the film is a social comedy revolving around immigration.[15] The film is set to go on floors after Khan is done shooting for Pathan.[16]

Filmography[]

Key
Films that have not yet been released Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Title Director Writer Producer Editor Notes
2000 Mission Kashmir No No No Yes
2003 Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. Yes Yes No Yes Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Director
2006 Lage Raho Munna Bhai Yes Yes No Yes Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Director
2009 3 Idiots Yes Yes No Yes Filmfare Award for Best Director
2012 Ferrari Ki Sawaari No No No Yes
2014 PK Yes Yes Yes Yes Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Film
Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Director
2016 Saala Khadoos No No Yes No Bi-lingual film; producer of the Hindi version
2018 Sanju Yes Yes Yes Yes Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Film
Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Director

Accolades[]

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Rajkumar Hirani

References[]

  1. ^ "Rajkumar Hirani makes entertainment profound: Boman Irani". The Indian Express. IANS. 21 November 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  2. ^ "Sanju box office collection day 5: The Rajkumar Hirani film earns Rs 167.51 crore". The Indian Express. 4 July 2018.
  3. ^ "Rajkumar Hirani the finest director in Hindi cinema".
  4. ^ "Rajkumar Hirani and his inimitable craft".
  5. ^ Hasan Ansari, PK' director Hirani to visit Pakistan in April, The Express Tribune, 20 February 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  6. ^ "Aiming to Please". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  7. ^ "Will Munnabhai now take on religion". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 28 September 2009. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  8. ^ "From Nagpur to 3 Idiots, Raju Hirani's amazing journey".
  9. ^ "Raju Hirani's interview about 3 idiots". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  10. ^ "Raju Hiraniin fevicol ad". Youtube. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  11. ^ "IMDB Title for 1942". IMDB. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  12. ^ "IMDB Title for Kareeb". IMDB. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  13. ^ "IMDB Title for Mission Kashmir". IMDB. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
  14. ^ "Shah Rukh Khan & Rajkumar Hirani's Film Delayed As The Writers Are Re-Writing The Second Half?". Koimoi. 25 November 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  15. ^ "Shah Rukh Khan's next with Rajkumar Hirani is a social comedy on immigration? - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  16. ^ Luhar, Jeetesh (26 January 2021). "Shah Rukh Khan to work with Rajkumar Hirani after 'Pathan' release?". BizAsia | Media, Entertainment, Showbiz, Brit, Events and Music. Retrieved 6 February 2021.

External links[]

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