Vishal Bhardwaj

Recipient of seven National Film Awards and a Filmfare Award, Vishal Bhardwaj’s contribution in the Indian Film industry is outstanding. He is a film director, screenwriter, producer, music composer and playback singer.

Vishal was interested in cricket and used to play for the state's under-19 team but discontinued after his father’s demise.He composed a song  at the age of seventeen which was utilized by the music director Usha Khanna for the film Yaar Kasam (1985).

From playing harmonium for his ghazal singer friends to working for a music company in Delhi, Vishal only began directing films to gain the opportunity to compose music.

In 1995, Vishal made his debut as a music composer for the children's film Abhay (The Fearless) and  went on to compose music for Fauji (1995), and Sanshodhan (1996). 

He was the music director for Gulzar's 1996 film Maachis, for which he won the Filmfare RD Burman Award for New Music Talent. Betaabi (1997), Tunnu Ki Tina (1997), Satya (1998), and Hu Tu Tu (1999) were among his subsequent projects.

Vishal's critically praised composition for Godmother won him the National Film Award for Best Music Direction (1999).

Vishal made his directorial debut with the 2002 horror movie Makdee, starring Shabana Azmi, Makarand Deshpande, and Shweta Prasad which got screened at the Critics' Week (Spotlight on India) section at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.

Vishal’s next film Maqbool, an adaptation of Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood (1957), starring Pankaj Kapur, Irrfan Khan and Tabu which was screened at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival.

Vishal’s next project was the children's film, The Blue Umbrella (2005), based on Ruskin Bond's novel of the same name, which won the ‘National Film Award’ for Best Children's Film in 2005.

Omkara, Vishal’s next directorial film was adapted from Shakespeare's tragedy Othello, starring Ajay Devgn and Kareena Kpoor Khan in leading roles. It premiered at the 6th Marrakech International Film Festival, and was screened at the Cairo International Film Festival.

In 2009, the action film Kaminey, starring Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra was written and directed by Vishal which received a lot of appreciation. His next directorial was 7 Khoon Maaf (2011), a film based on the Ruskin Bond's short story, Susanna's Seven Husbands which turned out to be a blockbuster.

Vishal has  produced movies like Ishqiya(2010) and its sequel Dedh Ishqiya (2014), supernatural thriller Ek Thi Daayan (2013) and Talvar to name a few.

Apart from composing music, Vishal has also lent his voice for various songs for films like Omkara, No Smoking (2007), U Me Aur Hum (2008),Kaminey(2009), Striker (2010),7 Khoon Maaf(2011), Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola(2013) and Haider(2014). He has also composed music for the Japanese version of The Jungle Book.