6 World-Class Directors That Are Working in Bollywood Today

These are exciting times if you follow Bollywood. Filmmakers are now more inventive, masses have begun to appreciate quality cinema, and stars are now willing to put all on the line for their roles.

This all has resulted in movies that we all can associate with, characters we can empathise with and movies that we can actually be proud of.

All this change obviously doesn’t boil down to one factor. But having said that, a director is still the most responsible for how good or bad a movie is. And if there were no good movies in the first place, the entire system would go down in flames—or, at the very least, get caught in a spiral of mediocrity.

So, on that note, here’s a list of the top directors working in Bollywood today:

Dibakar Banerjee

A consistent maker of engaging films, Dibakar Banerjee is also a diverse. From making lip-smacking comedies such as Khosla Ka Ghosla and Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, he has delved into darker territories with Love Sex and Dhokha and Shanghai.

His last film was the critically acclaimed Detective Byomkesh Bakshi based on a popular character in Bengali literature.

Zoya Akhtar

Zoya Akhtar first made her mark with 2009’s Luck By Chance, which wasn’t really a hit but made critics immediately fall in love with her. She followed that up with Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, a story about three friends that take a trip to Spain. Not only was it declared one of the best films of the year, but it was also one of the highest-grossing ones.

Her last directorial venture was Dil Dhadkne Do, which also won a lot of critical praise for its honest portrayal of an urban family.

Vikramaditya Motwane

Motwane’s first directing effort Udaan was the first films to compete at Cannes film festival in seven years. He followed that wonderful coming-of-age drama by next making Lootera. The film, which had Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha, was praised for its beauty—both on the surface and layered beneath it.

Ashutosh Gowariker

A director who loves going back in time, Ashutosh Gowariker is one of the legendary directors working today. His period films Lagaan and Jodhaa Akbar have received praise worldwide. While his take on the most severe disparities in our society with Swades, is considered to be one of the most important films our country has ever produced.

Next up, he will go back to the era of Indus civilisation with Mohenjo Daro.

Anurag Kashyap

Hailed as India’s answer to Martin Scorsese, Anurag Kashyap is probably the most universally acclaimed filmmaker on the list. Yes, he has taken poor decisions in his career, but if you compare that to the number of iconic films he has made, it doesn’t affect his legacy at all. Probably known for the epic crime saga Gangs of Wasseypur, he has also directed classics like Black Friday, Gulaal, Ugly and Dev D.

Raman Raghav 2.0, which is about a serial-killing psychopath, is in theatres and receiving rave reviews.

Vishal Bhardwaj

Vishal Bhardwaj first came to prominence as a director with Makdee and since then has made a habit of creating remarkable films. His love-affair with Shakespeare is widely known, having adapted Maqbool from Macbeth, Omkara from Othello and Haider from Hamlet. Outside of that realm, he has made noteworthy films such as Blue Umbrella, Kaminey and Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola.

Rangoon, which is scheduled to release on 24 February 2017, will be a historical romance starring Shahid Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut and Saif Ali Khan.

Read more: Ranveer Singh To Don Rapper’s Role In Zoya Akhtar’s ‘Gully Boy’