Madhur Bhandarkar (born 26 August 1968) is an Indian film director, writer and producer known for hard-hitting Hindi films that look behind the scenes of particular worlds: dance bars, high society, the fashion industry, big business and the film industry itself. Films such as Chandni Bar, Page 3, Traffic Signal and Fashion won him four National Film Awards. He received the Padma Shri in 2016.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Madhur Bhandarkar |
| Born | 26 August 1968, Bombay (now Mumbai), India |
| Age | 58 |
| Occupation | Film director, writer, producer |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Spouse | Renu Namboodiri (m. 2003) |
| Children | 1 (Siddhi) |
| Honours | Four National Film Awards, Padma Shri (2016) |
| Known for | Chandni Bar, Page 3, Fashion |
Early Life
Bhandarkar grew up in a lower-middle-class family in the Mumbai suburb of Khar; his father was an electrical contractor. He left school after the sixth standard and from his teens ran a video cassette library, delivering tapes by bicycle to homes that included those of film people, and watched thousands of films. He worked as an assistant on several productions and then with Ram Gopal Varma on Rangeela (1995).
Career
His first film, Trishakti (1999), failed. He then spent months visiting Mumbai’s dance bars to research Chandni Bar (2001), starring Tabu as a bar dancer married to a gangster. It won the National Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues.
Satta (2003) dealt with politics, and Page 3 (2005), about a young journalist covering celebrity parties, won the National Award for Best Feature Film. Corporate (2006) and Traffic Signal (2007), which won him the National Award for Best Director, completed a loose trilogy. Fashion (2008) won National Awards for Priyanka Chopra and Kangana Ranaut. Later films include Jail, the comedy Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji, Heroine (2012) with Kareena Kapoor Khan, Calendar Girls, Indu Sarkar (2017), set during the Emergency, and India Lockdown (2022).
Style
Bhandarkar builds his scripts from long research among the people he portrays and often cuts between the lives of the rich and those who serve them, such as drivers and domestic workers.
Personal Life
He married Renu Namboodiri in 2003, and they have a daughter. A devotee of the Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai, he is known for walking there barefoot before a film’s release.
Awards and Honours
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Madhur Bhandarkar born?
Madhur Bhandarkar was born on 26 August 1968 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India and is 58 years old.
What is Madhur Bhandarkar known for?
Known for: Chandni Bar, Page 3, Fashion.
What honours has Madhur Bhandarkar received?
Four National Film Awards, Padma Shri (2016).
Featured image: Madhur Bhandarkar on the sets of Heroine, February 2012. Photo by MandyS19, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
