Ali Abbas Zafar

Indian film director, producer, screenwriter

Ali Abbas Zafar

Zafar in 2020

Nationality| Indian
Alma mater| Kirori Mal College
Occupations|

* Film director
* producer
* screenwriter

Years active| 2007–present
Known for|

* Sultan
* Tiger Zinda Hai

Spouse|

Alicia Zafar

(m. 2021)​

Ali Abbas Zafar is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is known for directing Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011), Gunday (2014), Sultan (2016), Tiger Zinda Hai (2017) and Bharat (2019).

## Personal life

[edit]

Zafar is a graduate of Kirori Mal College, New Delhi.[1] He married Alicia Zafar, an Iranian based in France, on 4 January 2021.[2][3]

## Career

[edit]

Zafar entered the film industry as an assistant director, with multiple projects for the production company Yash Raj Films (YRF). He then made his own directorial and screen-writing debut with the romantic comedy Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011). The film revolved around a young man (Imran Khan) who finds a bride (Katrina Kaif) for his elder brother (Ali Zafar), but then finds that he himself has fallen in love with her.[4]

His next film was the action drama Gunday (2014), set in Calcutta in the 1970s and 1980s. The film starred Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor as powerful bandits, Priyanka Chopra as a cabaret dancer whom they both fall in love with, and Irrfan Khan as a police officer pursuing them.[5][6] Gunday received mostly positive reviews from critics.

Zafar's next film was the blockbuster sports drama Sultan (2016) starring Salman Khan as a wrestling champion from Haryana, with Anushka Sharma as a female wrestler who becomes a love interest for Khan's character. The film received positive reviews from critics and emerged as one of the highest-grossing Indian films.

His next film was the action thriller Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), the sequel to YRF's Ek Tha Tiger (2012). The film stars Salman Khan as a RAW agent and Katrina Kaif as an ISI spy reprising their roles from the first film and is about the both of them accepting a rescue mission to free 40 nurses, 25 Indian and 15 Pakistani, from a ruthless militant. The film released in December 2017 and received generally positive reviews from critics, and became a major commercial success emerging as the highest-grossing films of the year and one of the highest-grossing Indian films.[7]

In May 2018, he began pre-production of the film Bharat. The trailer of this film was released on 22 April 2019 and it released on 5 June for Eid.[8] It stars Salman Khan, Zafar's third collaboration with the actor, alongside Katrina Kaif, Disha Patani, Sunil Grover and Tabu, and is an official adaptation of the Korean film, Ode to My Father.[9] It was also a major commercial success.[10]

In 2020, Zafar made his debut as the producer for Khaali Peeli, an action-comedy directed by debutante Maqbool Khan that starred Ishaan Khatter and Ananya Pandey in lead roles.[11]

Zafar's next three projects were OTT releases. First was the web series Tandav for Amazon Prime, a political drama starring Saif Ali Khan alongside Dimple Kapadia, Sunil Grover, Kumud Mishra, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, and others.[12] It was released on 15 January 2021.[13] On 16 September 2022 came the Diljit Dosanjh starrer Jogi about the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, which released on Netflix. It received mixed to positive reviews, with praise for the depiction of the riots but criticism for the screenplay.[14] On 9 June 2023, his next film Bloody Daddy released on JioCinema. This action thriller film starring Shahid Kapoor also received mixed to positive reviews.[15]

Zafar's next project was the sci-fi action film Bade Miyan Chote Miyan with Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff, produced by Jackky Bhagnani under Pooja Entertainment. It was released on 11 April 2024, coinciding with Eid.[16][17] However, the film was a critical and commercial disaster.[18][19]

## Filmography

[edit]

### Films

[edit]

List of Ali Abbas Zafar film credits  Year  | Title  | Director  | Writer  | Producer  | Notes  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|
|

2007 | Marigold | No | No | No | Assistant director | [20]
2007 | Jhoom Barabar Jhoom | No | No | No | Assistant director | [21]
2008 | Tashan | No | No | No | Assistant director | [21]
2009 | New York | No | No | No | Assistant director | [21]
2010 | Badmaash Company | No | No | No | Assistant director | [21]
2011 | Mere Brother Ki Dulhan | Yes | Yes | No |  | [21]
2014 | Gunday | Yes | Yes | No |  | [22]
2016 | Sultan | Yes | Yes | No |  | [23]
2017 | Tiger Zinda Hai | Yes | Yes | No |  | [24]
2019 | Bharat | Yes | Yes | No |  | [25]
2020 | Khaali Peeli | No | No | Yes |  | [26]
2022 | Jogi | Yes | Yes | Yes |  | [27]
2023 | Bloody Daddy | Yes | Yes | Yes |  | [28][29]
2024  | Bade Miyan Chote Miyan | Yes | Yes | Yes |  | [30]

### Series

[edit]

List of Ali Abbas Zafar series credits  Year  | Title  | Director  | Writer  | Producer  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

2021 | Tandav | Yes | Yes | No | [31]

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

List of Ali Abbas Zafar awards and nominations  Film  | Award  | Category  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

Mere Brother Ki Dulhan | Stardust Awards | Best Debut Director  | Won  |
Sultan | Best Director | Nominated  |
62nd Filmfare Awards | Best Director | Nominated  | [32]
Tehran International Sports Film Festival  | Best Director  | Won  |
Zee Cine Awards | Best Director | Nominated  |
Best Story | Nominated  |

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Meet Director Ali Abbas Zafar". VeryShortNews.com. 8 January 2019. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
2. ^ "Filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar welcomes wife Alicia Zafar to the family with a dreamy picture from their wedding - Times of India". The Times of India. 4 January 2021. Archived from the original on 5 January 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
3. ^ Cyril, Grace (8 January 2021). "Who is Ali Abbas Zafar's wife Alicia?". India Today. Archived from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
4. ^ Kapoor, Jaskiran (13 October 2010). "Director's Cut". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
5. ^ IANS (16 October 2012). "Priyanka Chopra joins 'Gunday' gang". Mid Day. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
6. ^ Iti Shree Misra (24 August 2012). "Ali Abbas and Yash Raj team up again". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 30 July 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
7. ^ "Tiger Zinda Hai first look: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif are back in this thriller". The Indian Express. 14 September 2016. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
8. ^ "'Bharat' trailer: The Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif starrer will leave you spell-bound". The Times of India. 22 April 2019. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
9. ^ "'Bharat': Director Ali Abbas Zafar gives us a sneak peek from the first day of the film's shoot - Bollywood celebs' Instagram pics you should not miss! - The Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
10. ^ "Bharat Box Office Collection till Now". Bollywood Hungama. 5 June 2019. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
11. ^ Jain, Arushi (28 August 2019). "Ali Abbas Zafar turns producer with 'Khaali Peeli', starring Ishaan Khattar and Ananya Panday". National Herald. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
12. ^ Parashar, Shivam (4 January 2021). "Tandav trailer out. 10 unmissable moments from new Saif Ali Khan web series". India Today. Archived from the original on 4 January 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
13. ^ "Streaming in January 2021: The White Tiger, Kaagaz, Tandav and more". The Indian Express. 2 January 2021. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
14. ^ "Jogi" - via www.rottentomatoes.com.
15. ^ "Bloody Daddy Teaser: Enter Shahid Kapoor And Mercy Leaves The Room". NDTV.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
16. ^ "Watch: Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff come together for 'Bade Miyan Chote Miyan 2'". Free Press Journal. 8 February 2022. Archived from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
17. ^ "Bade Miyan Chote Miyan teaser: Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff battle goons in action-packed clip, fans go 'Woah'". Hindustan Times. 8 February 2022. Archived from the original on 11 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
18. ^ "Bade Miyan Chote Miyan". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
19. ^ "After Bade Miyan Chote Miyan box-office debacle, Vashu Bhagnani sells Pooja Entertainment's Mumbai office to repay Rs 250 cr debt: report". Indian Express. 23 June 2024.
20. ^ Zafar, Ali Abbas (24 June 2019). "ALI ABBAS ZAFAR: THERE'S ALWAYS PRESSURE WHEN WORKING WITH SALMAN KHAN" (Interview). Interviewed by Himesh Mankad. Mumbai: Mumbai Mirror. Archived from the original on 16 December 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
21. ^ a b c d e "Yash Raj Films announces its next with Imran Khan and Katrina Kaif". Yash Raj Films. 5 August 2010. Archived from the original on 2 December 2010. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
22. ^ Jamkhandikar, Shilpa (13 February 2014). "A Minute With: Ali Abbas Zafar on 'Gunday'". Reuters. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
23. ^ "Sultan review by Anupama Chopra: This is an over-sized Salman slam". Hindustan Times. 7 July 2016. Archived from the original on 6 October 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
24. ^ "Ali Abbas Zaffar: Didn't write Tiger Zinda Hai as a sequel". Mid Day. PTI. 7 November 2017. Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
25. ^ "'Bharat': Director Ali Abbas Zafar gives us a sneak peek from the first day of the film's shoot". The Times of India. 25 June 2018. Archived from the original on 5 November 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
26. ^ "Migsun Group's MD Yash Miglani co-produces Ali Abbas Zafar and Himanshu Mehra's 'Khaali Peeli'". Business World. ANI. 10 September 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
27. ^ "Ali Abbas Zafar on the hair chopping scene in Jogi: I told my crew to lock their cameras and leave | Exclusive". India Today. 22 September 2022. Archived from the original on 29 July 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
28. ^ "Ali Abbas Zafar starts shooting for his next with Shahid Kapoor, calls it a 'mad ride of guns and gangs' – See pic". The Times of India. 12 November 2021. Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
29. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Shahid Kapoor's next film with Ali Abbas Zafar gets a title – Bloody Daddy". Bollywood Hungama. 27 November 2021. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
30. ^ "Ali Abbas Zafar starts shooting for Akshay Kumar-Tiger Shroff starrer Bade Miyan Chote Miyan". Bollywood Hungama. 16 January 2023. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
31. ^ Naahar, Rohan (15 January 2021). "Tandav review: Saif Ali Khan's silly Amazon show has the subtlety of a lathi to the kneecap". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 2 December 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
32. ^ "62nd Jio Filmfare Awards 2017 Nominations". Filmfare. 9 January 2017. Archived from the original on 5 October 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2023.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ali Abbas Zafar.

* Ali Abbas Zafar at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Ali Abbas Zafar

Films directed|

* Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011)
* Gunday (2014)
* Sultan (2016)
* Tiger Zinda Hai (2017)
* Bharat (2019)
* Jogi (2022)
* Bloody Daddy (2023)
* Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (2024)

Television series directed|

Tandav (2021)
*[m.]: married
*[Ref.]: Reference(s)
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template