Pankaj Batra

Pankaj Batra Biography

Pankaj Batra is a Punjabi film director, with many hit films in his credit. Director of popular cinema, he has worked with some of the leading artists of Punjabi cinema and music. His popular movies include – Sajjan Singh Rangroot, Bambukat, Channa Mereya, Goreyan Nu Daffa, Naughty Jatts, and Dildariyaan which gave him commercial success. He has worked with Punjabi actors - Diljit Dosanjh, Ammy Virk, Amrinder Gill etc. He launched TV actress Payal Rajput through Channa Mereya in 2017. Now she is a popular actress of Punjabi and south Indian films. The movie was Punjabi remake of Marathi blockbuster, Sairat, released one year earlier.

Pankaj Batra hails from   Chandigarh. As a film director, his first full-fledged movie was Reejhan (2005). The movie starring Ranjeet, Aryan Vaid, and Bunti Garewal went unnoticed. Since then he has stayed in Punjabi cinema for nearly 15 years, associated with many commercial hits. Before he established as a film director in Punjabi cinema, he tried with directing TV serials too. In 2007 he directed Chaldi Da Naam Gaddi for ZEE Punjabi followed by a show titled Hum Tum in 2008.

Same year he directed an indo-Pakistan movie, Virsa starring Arya Babbar, Mehreen Raheel, Noman Ijaz, Gulshan Grover and Kanwaljit Singh. This big budget film included very popular romantic song, "Main Tenu Samjhawan", which was reused for Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania starring Alia Bhat and Varun Dhawan, and was a huge chartbuster. As a full-fledged Indian film director, Naughty Jatts (2013) was his first film, followed by a bunch of hits. In 2016 his movie, Bambukat earned him Filmfare awards for best film director in Punjabi. The movie also bagged Best Sound Design award at Filmfare awards.

Published: January 04, 2020

Updated: January 04, 2020