Anurag Basu (born 8 May 1970) is an Indian director, screenwriter, cinematographer, producer, and actor in Hindi cinema. He is best known for films that tackle bold themes of passion, envy, and adultery.
After initial setbacks, he achieved his breakthrough with the erotic thriller Murder (2004), and gained prominence with the musical romantic thriller (2006) and the ensemble urban drama Life in a... Metro (2007), the latter of which earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay, in addition to his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director.
His highest grosser came with the widely acclaimed romantic comedy-drama Barfi! (2012), which earned him his second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director. He next directed the much-delayed musical adventure comedy-drama Jagga Jasoos (2017), which earned mixed reviews and was Box-office bomb, and the Netflix black comedy crime film Ludo (2020), in which he also made his debut as a cinematographer. The latter film also earned him his third nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director.
Basu achieved his breakthrough with the erotic thriller Murder (2004) starring Emraan Hashmi and Mallika Sherawat in lead roles. Based on the American film Unfaithful (2002), It is the first instalment of the Murder film series. The film told the story of an unhappily married woman's extramarital affair with her former flame. Due to its erotic subject and sex scenes, which was unusual for Indian cinema at the time, it received an A certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification. It received mixed reviews from critics upon release, but emerged as a commercial success at the box-office, ranking as the eighth highest-grossing Hindi film of the year.
The same year, he helmed the musical romance , again starring Hashmi alongside Dia Mirza. Halfway through the film, Basu was diagnosed with acute leukemia. He was immediately hospitalised, directing parts of the film from his hospital bed. He gave instructions by dictaphone for camera angles and script changes, with Mahesh Bhatt and Mohit Suri completing the film while the director underwent chemotherapy. The film received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics upon release, and emerged as a commercial disaster at the box-office.
He next screenwrote and directed the ensemble urban drama Life in a... Metro (2007). The film narrates the stories of nine people living in Mumbai and tackles themes such as extramarital affairs, sanctity of marriage, commitment phobia and love. It received widespread critical acclaim upon release, with high praise for its novel concept, story, screenplay, dialogues, soundtrack and performances of the ensemble cast. The film emerged as a Sleeper hit at the box-office. Life in a... Metro won Basu the Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay, in addition to his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director.
His next film was the romantic action thriller Kites (2010) starring Hrithik Roshan, deutante Bárbara Mori and Kangana Ranaut in lead roles. Filmed in Hindi, English and Spanish, the film follows the tumultuous love story between a dance teacher stuck in a green card marriage, and a woman on the run. It received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics upon release, with sharp criticism for its multilingual narrative that featured the majority of dialogue in English and Spanish. Despite pre-release hype due to its starcast, the film emerged as a below-average grosser at the box-office.
Basu's next directorial and screenwriting venture was the romantic comedy-drama Barfi! (2012) starring Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D'Cruz in lead roles. Set in 1970s, the film revolves around the love triangle between a deaf-mute young man, an Autism spectrum girl, and a wistful young woman. It opened to widespread critical acclaim, with high praise for its direction, screenplay, cinematography, soundtrack, performances of the cast, and the portrayal of physically disabled people. The film emerged as a major commercial success at the box-office, grossing ₹1.75 billion worldwide, ranking as the sixth highest-grossing Hindi film of the year. Barfi! earned Basu his second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director.
Barfi! was screened at several film festivals such as Busan, Marrakech and Taipei, and won the prestigious Grand Jury Award at the Okinawa International Movie Festival in Japan. The film made the shortlist for India's official entry for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 85th Academy Awards, but failed to receive a nomination. However, its choice as the country's entry was criticized after Basu was accused of plagiarizing several Hollywood films. Since its release, Barfi! has achieved a Cult following for its refreshing story, soundtrack, performances of the cast, and feel-good factor.
He next venture was the Netflix black comedy crime film Ludo (2020), in which he also made his debut as a cinematographer. Starring an ensemble cast, the plot of the film interweaves the lives of four characters—a determined young woman, a cunning conman, a troubled teenager, and a righteous police officer—through a series of interconnected stories. It received positive reviews from critics upon release, with praise for its direction, screenplay, cinematography, soundtrack and performances of the cast. The film earned Basu his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Film, and his third nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Director.
He is currently directing Metro... In Dino, the sequel to Life in a... Metro, which stars a new ensemble cast.
He is next set to direct the musical sequel to Mohit Suri’s Aashiqui 2 titled, Aashiqui 3 starring Kartik Aaryan opposite Sreeleela.
2025 | Metro... In Dino | |
Artists | Saaya (2003) | Murder (2004) | (2004) | (2006) | Life in a... Metro (2007) | Kites (2011) | Barfi! (2012) | Jagga Jasoos (2017) | Ludo (2020) | Metro... In Dino (2025) |
Aditya Roy Kapur | ||||||||||
Emraan Hashmi | ||||||||||
Fatima Sana Shaikh | ||||||||||
Kangana Ranaut | ||||||||||
KK | ||||||||||
Konkona Sen Sharma | ||||||||||
Pankaj Tripathi | ||||||||||
Pritam | ||||||||||
Ranbir Kapoor | ||||||||||
Sayeed Quadri | ||||||||||
Shiney Ahuja |
2008 | Filmfare Awards | Life in a... Metro | Best Director | |
Best Screenplay | ||||
2013 | Barfi! | Best Director | ||
2021 | Ludo | Best Film | ||
Best Director | ||||
Best Screenplay | ||||
Best Production Design | ||||
2005 | IIFA Awards | Murder | Best Story | |
2007 | Best Screenplay | |||
2008 | Life in a... Metro | Best Director | ||
Best Story | ||||
Best Screenplay | ||||
2013 | Barfi! | Best Director | ||
Best Story | ||||
2018 | Jagga Jasoos | Best Director | ||
2008 | Producers Guild Film Awards | Life in a... Metro | Best Director | |
2013 | Barfi! | Best Story | ||
Best Screenplay | ||||
2008 | Screen Awards | Life in a... Metro | Best Director | |
2013 | Barfi! | |||
2013 | Zee Cine Awards | Best Director | ||
Best Screenplay | ||||
Power Club – Box Office Award | ||||
2013 | Times of India Film Awards | Best Director | ||
Bollywood Hungama Surfers' Choice Movie Awards | Best Director | |||
Okinawa International Movie Festival | Grand Jury Award |
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