Rajkumar Santoshi

Rajkumar Santoshi Biography

Rajkumar Santoshi is a leading Bollywood director, producer and screenplay writer at present who is famous for all types of movies – romance, women oriented, family drama as well as comedy. His best movies are Ajab prem ki gazab kahani, Andaz apna apna, Lajja, Ghayal, Pukar, Legend of Bhagat Singh, and Damini. He has wonderfully casted Anil Kapoor and Sunny Deol in many of the movies. His movies usually carry a social message and he is a director of present times who has given woman oriented movies. Best instances are Damini and Lajja. As a screenplay writer, his movies are Vinasak, Dil hai tumhara and Jaanam samjha karo.

Though he is known most as a serious film maker with action packed stories, his comic talents are well shown in the movies like Andaz apna apna and Ajab prem ki gazab kahani. It was for the first time when Aamir Khan and Salman Khan worked together in a movie and Andaz apna apna is still placed as one among the best comedy movies ever made in Bollywood. It is regarded as a classic comedy of present times. Now he is working on the Hindi 3D animated remake of this movie titled, ‘Andaz naya naya’.  His other movies as director include Family, Khakkee, China gate, Halla bol and Barsaat. His romantic comedy, Phata poster Nikla hero is scheduled to release this September (2013).

He debut Bollywood as an assistant director of Govind Nihalani for the movie Ardh sadya. This movie released in the year 1982 was a critically well acclaimed movie with many award winning performances. Now his name is among the most successful directors of Bollywood. In 1993, he made woman oriented movie Damini with Meenakshi Sheshadri and Rishi Kapoor in the lead. This movie and Ghayal earned him best director award at Filmfare. In 1995, the movie Barsaat was released featuring Bobby Deol and Twinkle Khanna in the leading roles. It was the first movie of both. Though the movie delivered excellent music, it couldn’t help the movie from sinking.

In the movie, he worked along with Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit and the movie is noted for its fine performances. Anil Kapoor received National awards for its performance. Both the leading actors were nominated for best actors at Filmfare too. 

Published: N/A

Updated: May 29, 2018