Vikas Bahl

Biography:

Vikas Bahl is an Indian filmmaker known for directing Chillar Party (2011), Queen (2013), Super 30 (2019), and Shaitaan (2024). He began his career in advertising, working in client servicing for several years before joining UTV Spotboy. In 2011, Bahl co-founded Phantom Films with Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, and Madhu Mantena. As a director, he has collaborated with notable filmmakers like Vishal Bhardwaj, Anurag Kashyap, Rajkumar Gupta, and Vikramaditya Motwane.

Bahl made his directorial debut with Chillar Party in 2011, co-directed with Nitesh Tiwari under UTV Spotboy. The film won the National Film Award for Best Screenplay and Best Children’s Film. In 2014, he directed Queen, starring Kangana Ranaut, which received widespread critical and popular acclaim.

His 2015 film Shaandar, a destination wedding movie, was a commercial failure and received mixed reviews. In October 2014, Bahl directed a short film on women’s safety titled Going Home, featuring Alia Bhatt, which went viral on social media. He then directed Super 30 (2019), a biopic about mathematician and IIT-JEE coach Anand Kumar, starring Hrithik Roshan.

Bahl also directed Ganapath (2023), starring Tiger Shroff, which he co-produced with Pooja Entertainment. The film was released on October 20, 2023, to highly negative reviews, with Bahl’s direction receiving mixed to negative feedback. Born and raised in Lajpat Nagar, Delhi, Bahl’s father worked with the Indian Oil Corporation. After completing his schooling at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya and graduating from Ramjas College, Delhi, he moved to Mumbai to pursue an MBA from SVKM’s NMIMS.