imported>Serols: Reverted edits by 103.203.253.24 (talk) (HG) (3.4.10)

2021-08-15T07:50:21Z

Reverted edits by 103.203.253.24 (talk) (HG) (3.4.10)

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{{Short description|Indian film director}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Neeraj Pandey
| image = Neeraj Pandey IIT Mumbai.jpg
| caption = Neeraj Pandey at IIT Mumbai (2017)
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1973|12|17|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Kolkata]], [[West Bengal]], India
| nationality = [[Indian people|Indian]]
| alma_mater = [[Sri Aurobindo College]], University of Delhi
| occupation = Film director, writer, producer
| years_active = 2008-Present
}}

'''Neeraj Pandey''' (born 17 December 1973) is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter. Pandey made his directoral debut in ''[[A Wednesday!]]'', which was largely praised by critics and which later became a recipient of many accolades.<ref name="wednesday">{{cite news |title=7 Neeraj Pandey movies and web series on Netflix, Disney+Hotstar and YouTube that you can watch today |url=https://www.gqindia.com/binge-watch/collection/7-neeraj-pandey-movies-web-series-on-netflix-disneyhotstar-youtube/ |access-date=29 May 2021 |work=GQ India |date=2020-08-25 |ref=In 2008, Neeraj Pandey marked his directorial debut in the Indian film industry with A Wednesday. |language=en-IN}}</ref> His second film was ''[[Special 26]]'' (2013), which was followed by ''[[Baby (2015 Hindi film)|Baby]]'' (2015), the latter of which received critical acclaim and became a huge commercial success. He served as a producer in ''[[Rustom (film)|Rustom]]'' (2016). Pandey returned to directing in 2016 helming the biopic movie ''[[M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story]]'' based on Indian cricketer [[MS Dhoni|M.S.Dhoni]] which fared well critically and commercially. Besides being a filmmaker, Pandey is also a writer and has written a novel named ''[[Ghalib Danger]]'' in 2013.<ref name="ms">{{cite web |title=Neeraj Pandey: Movies, Photos, Videos, News, Biography & Birthday |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Neeraj-Pandey |website=timesofindia.indiatimes.com |access-date=29 May 2021}}</ref>

In 2016, his production house [[Friday Filmworks]] entered into a joint venture with [[Reliance Entertainment]] and formed [[Plan C Studios]].

He has also directed a Web Short 'Ouch' with [[Manoj Bajpayee]] and [[Pooja Chopra]] which is nominated for [[Filmfare]] Short Film Award 2017. He was the co-producer of the film ''[[Toilet - Ek Prem Katha (film)|Toilet- Ek Prem Katha]]''. His next release was ''[[Aiyaary]]'' which starred [[Sidharth Malhotra]] and Manoj Bajpayee and was both critically and commercially unsuccessful, becoming his first failed venture.

In March 2020, Neeraj Pandey presented and directed his first web series ''[[Special OPS|Special Ops]]'' on ''[[Hotstar]]''.<ref name="specials ops detail">{{cite web |title=Want to push the envelope as a storyteller: Neeraj Pandey on his films, 'Special Ops' By Bedika |url=https://www.zeebiz.com/india/news-want-to-push-the-envelope-as-a-storyteller-neeraj-pandey-on-his-films-special-ops-by-bedika-148258 |website=Zee Business |access-date=29 May 2021 |date=2021-02-02}}</ref><ref name="spcial ops">{{cite web |title=Watch the New Trailer for Special Ops, Out Tomorrow on Hotstar |url=https://gadgets.ndtv.com/entertainment/news/special-ops-trailer-2-neeraj-pandey-hotstar-release-date-india-series-cast-2195484 |website=NDTV Gadgets 360 |access-date=29 May 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="special ops">{{cite web |title=Special Ops review: Neeraj Pandey's meandering spy thriller lacks the thrill and emotional heft of his earlier work-Entertainment News , Firstpost |url=https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/special-ops-review-neeraj-pandeys-meandering-spy-thriller-lacks-the-thrill-and-emotional-heft-of-his-earlier-work-8166151.html |website=Firstpost |access-date=29 May 2021 |date=2020-03-20}}</ref> The eight episode series, the first production of Friday Storytellers, the digital arm of Friday Filmworks, was extremely well received by the critics. He is currently working on his next feature film ''[[Chanakya]]''.<ref name="youtube.com">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCG8XNkjXic&feature=youtu.be</ref>

==Early life and education==
Pandey was born and brought up in [[Howrah, West Bengal]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131212083807/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-02-03/news-interviews/36704408_1_neeraj-pandey-direct-train-mumbai Times of India]</ref> His father, who originally came from [[Arrah]], [[Bihar]] and worked for [[Robert Bosch GmbH|Bosch]] in [[Calcutta]].<ref name=tele>{{cite news| title=I grew up on Bengali films | url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120617/jsp/7days/story_15619645.jsp | work= [[The Telegraph (Calcutta)|The Telegraph]]| date=17 June 2012| access-date=23 October 2016}}</ref> He did his schooling from St. Aloysius High School, Howrah (till Class X) and then St. Thomas' High School, Dasnagar, Howrah (Class XI and XII).<ref>https://www.telegraphindia.com/1170416/jsp/t2/story_146526.jsp</ref> Pandey moved to [[New Delhi]], where he graduated in English from [[Sri Aurobindo College|Sri Aurobindo college(University of Delhi)]]{{citation needed | date=July 2016}}

==Career==
Pandey started his career working with Delhi-based 'Legacy Entertainment', a company started by the [[Dalmia Group]] to make television programs.

In 2000, he moved to [[Mumbai]], where a friend got a grant to produce a documentary, and offered him the project.[[Neeraj Pandey#cite note-3|<sup>[3]</sup>]] Soon he started making documentaries and ad films. Thereafter, he formed a production company 'Quarter Inch Productions', along with his colleague Shital Bhatia which specialized in making television programmes, ad films and documentaries. In 2008, Neeraj and [[Shital Bhatia]] formed a production house named [[Friday Filmworks]], which was the original producer of his debut film, ''A Wednesday!''. The film's script was inspired by the [[11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings]].[[Neeraj Pandey#cite note-4|<sup>[4]</sup>]]

In 2011, Pandey produced the film ''[[Taryanche Bait]]''.

After directing his first movie in 2008, Pandey directed his second movie [[Special 26]] in 2013, starring Akshay Kumar and Kajal Aggrawal. Neeraj is very fluent in Bengali and also produced a Bengali film, The Royal Bengal Tiger in 2014. In the same year he also produced the film Total Siyappa starring Yami Gautam and Ali Zafar. In 2015, he directed the movie ''[[Baby (2015 Hindi film)|Baby]]'' starring Akshay Kumar.<ref name="baby film">{{cite web |last1=Kanyal |first1=Jyoti |title=Neeraj Pandey on e-Sahitya AajTak: A Wednesday was result of collective angst against 2006 train blasts |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/bollywood/story/neeraj-pandey-on-e-sahitya-aajtak-a-wednesday-was-result-of-collective-angst-against-2006-train-blasts-1681439-2020-05-24 |website=India Today |access-date=29 May 2021 |language=en}}</ref> In 2016, he produced the film ''[[Saat Uchakkey]]'' which was a comedy film starring Manoj Bajpayee, Kay Kay Menon and Aditi Sharma.

In 2016, [[Anil Ambani]]-owned [[Reliance Entertainment]] announced a joint venture with Pandey and Friday Filmworks to form [[Plan C Studios|Plan C studios]] for production of films. [[Akshay Kumar]] starrer ''[[Rustom (film)|Rustom]]'' was the first film for the company. It is an equal partnership joint venture between the two.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}

Pandey has also written his debut novel titled [[Ghalib Danger]] which was launched on 6 December 2013. The novel is soon going to be made into a motion picture.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}

In 2017, having co-produced ''[[Toilet - Ek Prem Katha (film)|Toilet- Ek Prem Katha]]'', a satirical take on the open defecation scenario in India went on to become a critically acclaimed movie.

He has also directed the short film ''Ouch'' with [[Manoj Bajpayee]] and [[Pooja Chopra]] which is nominated for the Filmfare Short Film Award 2017.

His next release was ''[[Aiyaary]]'' which starred [[Sidharth Malhotra]] and Manoj Bajpayee and was both critically and commercially flop emerging as his first failure. This film was written, directed by himself and produced under the banner of Plan C Studios, the film was an action thriller on the Indian borders. Malhotra and Bajpayee played the lead characters Jai Bakshi and Abhay Singh respectively. [[Naseeruddin Shah]] reunited with the filmmaker after their first venture, ''A Wednesday!''. The film was based on true incidents, a theme seen in several of his previous films as well.

In March 2020, Pandey presented and directed his first web series ''[[Special Ops]]'' on ''Hotstar''. The eight episode series, the first production of Friday Storytellers, the digital arm of Friday Filmworks, was extremely well received by the critics.

Currently, he is working on his next film, a full length feature film, ''[[Chanakya]]''. This will be his first association with [[Ajay Devgn]].<ref name="youtube.com" />

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!scope="col" | Year
!scope="col" | Title
!scope="col" | Director
!scope="col" | Producer
!scope="col" | Writer
|-
| 2008
|scope="row"| ''[[A Wednesday!]]''<ref name="wed">{{cite web |title=Streaming Guide: Neeraj Pandey movies |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/streaming-guide-neeraj-pandey-movies-6510470/ |website=The Indian Express |access-date=29 May 2021 |language=en |date=2020-07-18}}</ref>
| {{Ya}}
|
| {{Ya}}
|-
| 2009
|scope="row"| ''[[Unnaipol Oruvan (2009 film)|Unnaipol Oruvan]]''
|
|
| {{Ya}}
|-
| 2011
|scope="row"| ''[[Taryanche Bait]]''
|
| {{Ya}}
|
|-
| 2013
|scope="row"| ''[[Special 26]]''
| {{Ya}}
|
| {{Ya}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2014
|scope="row"| ''[[The Royal Bengal Tiger (film)|The Royal Bengal Tiger]]''
|
| {{Ya}}
|
|-
|scope="row"| ''[[Total Siyapaa]]''
|
|{{Ya}}
|
|-
| 2015
|scope="row"| ''[[Baby (2015 Hindi film)|Baby]]''
| {{Ya}}
|
| {{Ya}}
|-
| rowspan="3"| 2016
|scope="row"| ''[[Rustom (film)|Rustom]]''
|
| {{Ya}}
|
|-
|scope="row"| ''[[M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story]]''<ref name="dhoni ms">{{cite web |title=How much of MS Dhoni movie is true? Here are some unknown facts about the epic biopic |url=https://www.republicworld.com/sports-news/cricket-news/how-much-of-ms-dhoni-movie-is-true-here-are-some-unknown-facts-about-the-epic-biopic.html |website=Republic World |language=en}}</ref>
| {{Ya}}
|
| {{Ya}}
|-
|scope="row" | ''[[Saat Uchakkey]]''
|
|{{Ya}}
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2017
|scope="row"| ''[[Naam Shabana]]''
|
| {{Ya}}
|
|-
|scope="row"| ''[[Toilet: Ek Prem Katha]]''
|
| {{Ya}}
|
|-
|rowspan="2"|2018
|scope="row"| ''[[Aiyaary]]''
| {{Ya}}
| {{Ya}}
| {{Ya}}
|-
|scope="row"| ''[[Missing (2018 film)|Missing]]''
|
| {{Ya}}
|
|}

== Television ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!scope="col" | Year
!scope="col" | Series
!scope="col" | Director
!scope="col" | Producer
!scope="col" | Writer
!scope="col" | Network
|-
| 2020
|scope="row"| ''[[Special OPS]]''<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.news18.com/amp/news/movies/neeraj-pandey-to-helm-spy-thriller-web-series-special-ops-2504913.html|title=Neeraj Pandey to Helm Spy Thriller Web Series 'Special Ops'|website=www.news18.com}}</ref>
| {{Ya}}
| {{Ya}}
| {{Ya}}
| [[Disney+ Hotstar]]
|-
|2021
|''Secrets Of Sinauli''
|
| {{Ya}}
|
|[[Discovery+|Discovery Plus]]
|-
| TBA
|scope="row"| ''[[Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story]]''
| {{Ya}}
| {{Ya}}
| {{Ya}}
| Disney+ Hotstar
|-
|}

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Ghalib Danger]]'' (2013)

==Awards==
{| class="wikitable"
!Film
!Award Name
!Year
!Status
!Notes
|-
| rowspan="5" |''[[A Wednesday!]]''
|[[National Film Award (India)|National Film Award]]. [[Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director|Best First Film of a Director]]:
|[[56th National Film Awards|2008]]
|'''Won'''
|<ref name="nfa2008" />
|-
|[[54th Filmfare Awards]] [[Filmfare Best Director Award|Best Director]]
|2009
|Nominated
|
|-
|[[Star Screen Award]], [[Star Screen Award for Best Film|Best Film]], [[Star Screen Award for Best Story|Best Story]], [[Star Screen Award for Best Director|Best Director]], Most Promising Debut Director
|2009
|'''Won'''
|
|-
|[[Star Screen Award]], [[Screen Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]], [[Screen Award for Best Dialogue|Best Dialogue]]
|2009
|Nominated
|
|-
|[[IIFA Awards]] [[IIFA Award for Best Story|Best Story]]. [[IIFA Award for Best Dialogue|Best Dialogue]]
|2009
|'''Won'''
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |[[Rustom (film)|Rustom]]
|[[Zee Cine Awards]], Best Film
| rowspan="2" |2017
|Nominated
|
|-
|[[Stardust Awards]], Best Film of the Year
|Nominated
|
|-
|''[[Special OPS]]''<ref name=":0" />
|[[Filmfare OTT Awards]], Best Director
|2020
|Nominated
|
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=nfa2008>{{Cite web|url=http://pib.nic.in/archieve/others/2010/jan/r2010012302.pdf|title=56th National Film Awards for 2008|publisher=Directorate of Film Festivals|page=1|date=23 January 2010|access-date=13 April 2011}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Neeraj Pandey}}
* {{IMDb name|3109770}}
* [http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/celebrities/filmography/14781/index.html Neeraj Pandey] at [[Bollywood Hungama]]
{{ScreenAwardBestDirector}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pandey, Neeraj}}
[[Category:1973 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Film directors from Kolkata]]
[[Category:University of Delhi alumni]]
[[Category:Hindi-language film directors]]
[[Category:Indian male screenwriters]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian film directors]]
[[Category:Film directors from Bihar]]
[[Category:People from Bhojpur district, India]]
[[Category:Director whose film won the Best Debut Feature Film National Film Award]]

Neeraj Pandey - Revision history

imported>Serols: Reverted edits by 103.203.253.24 (talk) (HG) (3.4.10)