Anurag Basu

Anurag Basu, born on May 8, 1974, is a talented Indian filmmaker who is multi-skilled in the movie world-directing, writing, acting, and producing. He's known for making films about strong emotions like love, jealousy, and cheating. Even though he faced some challenges at first, Basu became famous with his important film "Murder" in 2004. After that, he kept succeeding with movies like "Gangster: A Love Story" (2006) and "Life in a... Metro" (2007). He even won a big award for the screenplay of "Life in a... Metro" and got nominated for Best Director.

One of the best movies of Basu's career was when he made the well-loved movie "Barfi!" in 2012. It was a hit and got him another nomination for Best Director. Even though he had some movies that didn't do well commercially, like "Jagga Jasoos" (2017) and "Ludo" (2020), he still got praised for his work. "Ludo" even got him nominated again for Best Director. Basu always tries to tell unique stories and make Indian movies more exciting.

Early Career

Basu was born into an upper-middle-class Bengali family in Bhilai, Madhya Pradesh (now in Chhattisgarh). His parents, Subrato Bose and Deepshikha Bose, both former executives at SAIL Bhilai Steel Plant, were acclaimed theatrical artists. Basu's early exposure to the world of theater came from watching his parents' performances in his father's theatre company, Abhiyaan. He attended BSP Senior Secondary School, Sector-IV (SSS-IV) in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh (then part of Madhya Pradesh).

For his higher education, Basu pursued a B.Sc. degree in Physics honours from the University of Mumbai. Originally intending to study cinematography at FTII, Pune, his trajectory shifted during his college years in Mumbai when he found opportunities to assist in various capacities on TV and film projects. Eager to stay involved in filmmaking, Basu began his career as an assistant director to Raman Kumar on the show "Tara." This marked the initial step in his journey toward becoming a prominent figure in the Indian film industry.

Personal Life

Basu is married to Tani Basu and has two daughters, Ishana (b. 2004) and Ahana (b. 2007).

Basu's Television Journey and Film Ventures

Basu began working in television as an assistant director on the show Tara in the mid-1994. Within six months, he took on the full responsibility of directing around 712 episodes. He directed various types of TV series, including daily soaps, thrillers like Saturday Suspense and Ajeeb Dastaan, and horror shows like X-Zone. One of his notable works was the soap opera Koshish ...Ek Aashaa in 2000.

Basu also created pilot episodes for shows like Kyun ki saans bhi kabhi bahu thi, Kahani ghar ghar ki, and Kasouti zindagi ki in 2001 and 2002. Later, he started his own production company and produced TV serials for Zee TV and Sony channel. Some popular shows from his company include Manzilien Apni Apni, Miit, Thriller at Ten, and Horror Shows on Zee. Basu received awards for Best Director in 2000 and 2002.

In 2007, he returned to television to produce and direct the college drama Love Story and also hosted the Bengali reality show Ke Hobe Biggest Fan in 2010. Basu established his film production house, Ishana Movies, in 2007, and their first film was the musical drama Life in a... Metro in collaboration with UTV. Currently, his series Stories by Rabindranath Tagore is airing on Netflix and EPIC Channel. Basu is set to judge the upcoming TV show 'Super Dancer Chapter 4' along with Shilpa Shetty and Geeta Kapoor.

Basu's Cinematic Journey from Struggles to Triumph

Basu's journey in the film industry began with a small role in the action-drama Dalaal (1993). Transitioning to directing, he debuted with the horror slasher film Kucch To Hai (2003) and the supernatural fantasy romantic thriller Saaya (2003), both of which faced criticism and commercial failure.

However, his fortunes turned with the release of Murder (2004), an erotic thriller featuring Emraan Hashmi and Mallika Sherawat. Adapted from the American film Unfaithful (2002), it explored the theme of extramarital affairs. Despite mixed reviews, the film became a commercial hit and ranked among the top-grossing Hindi films of the year, marking a turning point for Basu's career.

In the same year, he directed the musical romance Tumsa Nahin Dekha: A Love Story, starring Emraan Hashmi and Dia Mirza. During its production, Basu faced a significant challenge as he was diagnosed with acute leukemia. Despite his health struggles, he continued directing parts of the film from his hospital bed, with assistance from Mahesh Bhatt and Mohit Suri. Unfortunately, the film received negative reviews and performed poorly at the box office.

Filmmaking from crime stories to heartfelt tales

Basu's following directorial project was the musical romantic thriller Gangster: A Love Story (2006), featuring debutante Kangana Ranaut, Emraan Hashmi, and Shiney Ahuja. Reviewers praised the picture for its narrative, score, cinematography, and cast performances, which explored a complicated love triangle against the background of the criminal underground. Commercially, it was successful.

The group urban drama Life in a... Metro (2007), which he created and directed, followed the lives of nine Mumbai-based characters as they tackled challenges related to love, commitment, sanctity of marriage, and extramarital relationships. Thanks to its creative concept, plot, script, dialogues, music, and group cast performances, the movie won widespread praise. It became an unexpected commercial break, and Basu was nominated for Best Director for the first time and won the Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay.

The romantic action thriller Kites, which starred Hrithik Roshan, Bárbara Mori, and Kangana Ranaut, was directed by Basu in 2010. The movie had mixed to unfavorable reviews and didn't do as well as expected at the box office, even though it had a multilingual story in Hindi, English, and Spanish.

With Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, and Ileana D'Cruz in leading roles, Barfi! (2012) was his next romantic comedy-drama. A deaf-mute young man, an autistic girl, and a yearning young lady were the three participants in a love triangle that took place in this 1970s film.

Barfi! won a lot of praise from critics for its music, cinematography, writing, director, and acting, especially for how well the physically challenged characters were portrayed. It was a huge commercial hit, finishing as the year's sixth highest-grossing Hindi movie, and it got Basu nominated for a second time for the Filmfare Award.

Barfi! won the Grand Jury Award at the Okinawa International Movie Festival in Japan and received widespread notice after showing at a number of film festivals. It was also included in the official Indian movie entries shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Feature Film. Notwithstanding charges of copying, Barfi! has become an iconic film because to its original plot, upbeat music, outstanding performers, and general feel-good element.

Later Career

The filmmaker had a five-year break in the latter half of his career from 2017 to the present, and he came back with the musical adventure comedy-drama "Jagga Jasoos" (2017). The movie, starring Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor, was originally supposed to come out in 2014, but schedule difficulties caused delays.

The film, which is produced by Disney Studios and Basu and Kapoor's recently founded production business Picture Shuru Entertainment, tells the story of a young investigator and an accident-prone journalist who join up to uncover the main character's missing father. Though the picture garnered praise for its creative plot, evaluation, photography, and acting, it became a box-office disaster due to its poor box-office performance.

The dark comedic crime film "Ludo" (2020) on Netflix was his next production, and it also marked his cinematography debut. With a group cast, the storyline skillfully connects the experiences of four characters: a driven young lady, a crafty con artist, a disturbed teenager, and a moral police officer.

Critics gave "Ludo" a variety of favorable reviews, praising the film's directing, storyline, music, cinematography, and acting performances. Basu received his first nomination for a Filmfare Award with this movie for Best Film and his third nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director.

Currently, he is in the process of directing "Metro... In Dino," the sequel to "Life in a... Metro," featuring a fresh ensemble cast. Additionally, he is set to helm the musical sequel to Mohit Suri's "Aashiqui 2," titled "Aashiqui 3," starring Kartik Aaryan opposite Tara Sutaria.

Awards

• Anurag Basu won the Aashirwad Award for Best Director in 2002.
• In 2007, he got the Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay for "Life in a Metro."
• In 2013, he received the Star Guild Award for Best Director and the Filmfare Award for Sony Trendsetter of the Year, recognizing his unique and trendsetting filmmaking.
• Also in 2013, he won the IIFA Award for Best Story, showcasing his talent for creating captivating movie plots.

Facts

1. Anurag Basu, known for directing movies, also tried acting with a small role in "Faltu."
2. His film "Life in a Metro" (2007) was inspired by the British movie "The Apartment."
3. "Barfi!" (2012), starring Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, and Ileana D'Cruz, represented India at the 85th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.
4. In 2004, Basu fought and successfully recovered from blood cancer (acute promyelocytic leukaemia) despite a 50% chance of survival.
5. Anurag Basu's directorial debut in Bollywood was the film "Kucch to Hai."