Kabir Khan

Kabir Khan is an Indian film director, screenwriter and cinematographer who works in Hindi cinema. He started his career working in documentary films, and then made his feature film directorial debut in 2006 with Kabul Express which was followed by New York (2009), Ek Tha Tiger (2012), Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015), Phantom (2015), Tubelight (2017) and 83 (2021).[2]

Khan was born to Rasheeduddin Khan, a Muslim Urdu Speaking father and Leela Narayan Rao, a Hindu Telugu-speaking mother. Rasheeduddin, who was a Pathan hailing from Kaimganj in Farrukhabad district, Uttar Pradesh, was a nephew of Dr. Zakir Hussain (President of India – 1967 to 1969) and a communist politician favored by Indira Gandhi as a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha at a relatively young age, in the early 1970s. He was also a professor of political science, and in the early 1970s, he became one of the founding professors of Jawaharlal Nehru University.[3] His sister, Anusheh, is the wife of film-maker Vijay Krishna Acharya, director of films like Tashan and Dhoom 3.[4]

Khan studied at Kirori Mal College of Delhi University, as well as Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi.[5] He is married to television host & actress Mini Mathur, with whom he has 2 children,[6] Vivaan and Sairah.[7]

In initial days, he worked with prominent journalist like Saeed Naqvi.[8] Before becoming a full time film maker he has worked as a camera man and director with Saeed Naqvi and travelled across the globe to cover international issues.

Khan started his career at age 25 as a cinematographer for the Discovery Channel documentary film Beyond the Himalayas (1996) directed by Gautam Ghosh. He then made his own directorial debut with the documentary The Forgotten Army (1999) based on Subhas Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army. He then directed two more documentaries before shifting his focus to mainstream cinema.[9]