Zoya Akhtar

Biography:

Zoya Akhtar is a prominent figure in Indian cinema, known for her work as a director and screenwriter in Hindi films. She honed her craft by completing a filmmaking diploma at NYU and assisting directors like Mira Nair, Tony Gerber, and Dev Benegal before venturing into independent filmmaking. Her talent has earned her numerous awards, including four Filmfare Awards. In partnership with Reema Kagti, she co-founded Tiger Baby Films, a film and web studio, in October 2015.

Her directorial journey began with the drama “Luck by Chance” (2009), followed by the breakthrough success of the ensemble film “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara” (2011), for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Debut Director and later Best Director. She further showcased her versatility by co-writing “Talaash: The Answer Lies Within” (2012) with Reema Kagti and directing a segment in the anthology “Bombay Talkies” (2013).

Akhtar continued her directorial streak with the family comedy-drama “Dil Dhadakne Do” (2015), segments in anthology films like “Lust Stories” (2018) and “Ghost Stories” (2020), and the acclaimed musical drama “Gully Boy” (2019), which earned her a second Filmfare Award for Best Director. She expanded her portfolio into the OTT space with series like “Made in Heaven” (2019–present) and “Dahaad” (2023–present), and in 2023, she directed a live-action feature film adaptation of “The Archies” for Netflix. Additionally, she serves as a board member of the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image (MAMI). In her latest work she collaborated with Kagti, Arjun Varain Singh and Yash Sahai to write the romantic drama Kho Gaye Hum Kahan (2024).

Born on October 14, 1972, to Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani, Zoya Akhtar comes from a family deeply immersed in arts and literature. Her stepmother is actress Shabana Azmi, and her younger brother, Farhan Akhtar, is also a renowned actor and director. She pursued her studies in film production at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

Akhtar’s lineage is marked by scholarly and literary figures, including her great-grandfather Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi, a notable scholar during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, and her great-grandfather Urdu poet Muztar Khairabadi. She was raised in an environment without religious affiliation, sharing beliefs with her father Javed and brother Farhan.