Zoya Akhtar

Zoya Akhtar, born on October 14, 1972, is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Hindi cinema. She is the daughter of Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani. Zoya studied filmmaking at NYU and worked with directors like Mira Nair, Tony Gerber, and Dev Benegal before becoming an independent writer and director. She has received several awards, including four Filmfare Awards. In October 2015, Zoya, along with Reema Kagti, founded Tiger Baby Films, a film and web studio.

Zoya's directorial debut was the drama "Luck by Chance" in 2009, followed by her breakthrough film, the comedy-drama "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara" in 2011. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Debut Director for the former and the Filmfare Award for Best Director for the latter. Zoya also co-wrote the crime thriller "Talaash: The Answer Lies Within" in 2012 and directed a segment titled "Sheila Ki Jawaani" in the anthology film "Bombay Talkies" in 2013.

Her other notable works include directing the family comedy-drama "Dil Dhadakne Do" in 2015, contributing to anthology films like "Lust Stories" (2018) and "Ghost Stories" (2020), and directing the musical drama "Gully Boy" in 2019, for which she won her second Filmfare Award for Best Director. Zoya entered the OTT space with the series "Made in Heaven" (2019-present) and "Dahaad" (2023-present). In 2023, she directed the live-action adaptation of "The Archies" for Netflix. Zoya Akhtar is also a board member of the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image (MAMI).

Early Life

Zoya Akhtar was born to Javed Akhtar, a poet, lyricist, and screenwriter, and Honey Irani, a screenwriter. Her stepmother is actress Shabana Azmi, and her younger brother is actor and director Farhan Akhtar. Zoya attended Maneckji Cooper Education Trust School and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Xavier's College in Mumbai. Later, she went to New York University Tisch School of the Arts to learn about film production.

Her great-grandfather, Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi, was a scholar of Islamic studies and played a role in editing the first diwan of Mirza Ghalib during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Zoya is also the great-granddaughter of Urdu poet Muztar Khairabadi and the granddaughter of poet Jan Nisar Akhtar. Zoya, along with her brother Farhan and father Javed, was brought up in a non-religious environment and doesn't follow any particular religion.

Early Work

In the beginning of her career, Akhtar co-directed the rock band Pentagram's "Price of Bullets" music video. For example, she directed casting for the comedy-drama "Dil Chahta Hai" (2001) and the drama "Split Wide Open" (1999). Moreover, Akhtar assisted her brother Farhan Akhtar in directing the military drama "Lakshya" (2004) and the film "Dil Chahta Hai" (2004). Her friend Reema Kagti's comedy-drama "Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd." (2007), which was also produced by Excel Entertainment, had her as an executive producer thereafter.

In 2009, Akhtar made her feature film directorial debut with "Luck By Chance," which starred Konkona Sen Sharma and her brother Farhan. Praised for its original premise, plot, and language, the film follows an actor who is fighting to get into the business. It was not a big hit at the movie office even with favorable reviews. For Best Debut Director, Akhtar was awarded the Filmfare Award.

2011 saw her achieve great success with the coming-of-age comedy-drama "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara," which starred Kalki Koechlin, Abhay Deol, Farhan Akhtar, Hrithik Roshan, and Katrina Kaif. Akhtar won her first Filmfare Award for Best Director with the critically and commercially successful movie.

The criminal thriller "Talaash: The Answer Lies Within," which drew favorable reviews and did well at the film office, was co-written by Akhtar the following year. Her co-stars in the 2013 anthology film "Bombay Talkies," which celebrated one hundred years of Indian cinema, were Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee, and Karan Johar. Despite receiving favorable reviews for her role in "Sheila Ki Jawaani," the movie as a whole didn't do well at box office.

In 2009, Akhtar made her feature film directorial debut with "Luck By Chance," which starred Konkona Sen Sharma and her brother Farhan. Praised for its original premise, plot, and language, the film follows an actor who is fighting to get into the business. It was not a big hit at the movie office even with favorable reviews. For Best Debut Director, Akhtar was awarded the Filmfare Award.

2011 saw her achieve great success with the coming-of-age comedy-drama "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara," which starred Kalki Koechlin, Abhay Deol, Farhan Akhtar, Hrithik Roshan, and Katrina Kaif. Achtar won her first Filmfare Award for Best Director with the critically and commercially successful movie.

The criminal thriller "Talaash: The Answer Lies Within," which drew favorable reviews and did well at the film office, was co-written by Akhtar the following year. Her co-stars in the 2013 anthology film "Bombay Talkies," which celebrated one hundred years of Indian cinema, were Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee, and Karan Johar. Despite receiving favorable reviews for her role in "Sheila Ki Jawaani," the movie as a whole didn't do well at box office.

Criticism

Some people have criticized Zoya Akhtar's movies for showing stereotypical views of wealthy and elite life in India, featuring exotic locations and activities, and depicting complicated relationships that may be hard for the average moviegoer to relate to. Her latest film, "The Archies," faced criticism for being seen as a significant example of nepotism in the Indian film industry. Critics argued that the actors in the film lacked acting skills and, in their opinion, negatively impacted the legacy of The Archies.