CleanupBot at 09:16, 12 August 2021

2021-08-12T09:16:12Z

New page

{{Short description|Indian film director and producer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2013}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Nikkhil Advani
| image = Nikkhil Advani.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1971|4|28|df=y}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nikhil Advani |work=Rottentomatoes.com |access-date=2016-09-05 |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/nikhil-advani/}}</ref>
| birth_place = [[Bombay]], [[Maharashtra]], India
| birth_name = Nikkhil Suresh Advani
| other_names =
| occupation = Producer, [[Film director]], screenwriter
}}

'''Nikkhil Suresh Advani''' (born 28 April 1971) is an Indian film producer, director and screenwriter who works in [[Hindi]] cinema.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=Nikhil-Advani-feels-extra-k-helped-in-Airlifts-05022016112004 |title=Extra k in name |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=4 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406163817/http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=Nikhil-Advani-feels-extra-k-helped-in-Airlifts-05022016112004 |archive-date=6 April 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He is one of the co-founders of [[Emmay Entertainment]], a motion picture production company.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/screen/akshay-kumars-next-is-airlift/ |title=Akshay Kumar's next is Airlift |newspaper=[[The Indian Express]] |date=29 August 2014 |access-date=20 February 2015}}</ref> Nikkhil has worked with famed ecologist Bittu Sehgal and he serves on the advisory board of Save The Tiger's cause.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bollyspice.com/47981/lauch-of-delhi-safaris-fight-for-us-write-for-us-campaign/ |title=Launch of Delhi Safari's "Fight for us Write for us" Campaign! |publisher=Bolly Spice |date=11 August 2012 |access-date=20 February 2015}}</ref> His recent release is [[Batla House]] based on the real life [[Batla House encounter case]], starring [[John Abraham]] was released on 15 August 2019.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://in.mashable.com/entertainment/4745/batla-house-5-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-john-abraham-film-and-the-encounter-its-based-on|title='Batla House': 5 Things You Need To Know About the John Abraham Film And the Encounter It's Based On|publisher=Mashable India}}</ref>

==Early life and background==
Advani was born in [[Mumbai|Bombay]] (now Mumbai). His father is a retired professional who worked in senior management positions with multinationals in the chemical and [[pharmaceuticals]] industry and his mother is an [[advertising]] professional. His father is Sindhi and mother Maharashtrian.

He studied at [[Green Lawns High School]], [[Breach Candy]],<ref>[http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=69861 Director’s Special] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040113135148/http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=69861 |date=13 January 2004 }} [[Indian Express]], 5 December 2003.</ref> and later did his [[Master's degree|Masters]] in [[chemistry]] at [[St. Xavier's College, Mumbai]].<ref>[http://in.rediff.com/cms/print.jsp?docpath=/movies/2003/nov/25advani.htm Advani] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525063418/http://in.rediff.com/cms/print.jsp?docpath=%2Fmovies%2F2003%2Fnov%2F25advani.htm |date=25 May 2011 }}, [[Rediff.com]]</ref> He married his college friend Suparna Gupta with whom he has a daughter Keya.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/I-was-extremely-confused-after-leaving-Dharma-Nikhil-Advani/articleshow/21214011.cms |title=I was extremely confused after leaving Dharma: Nikkhil Advani |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |date=22 July 2013 |access-date=20 February 2015}}</ref> Advani is the grand nephew of late producer N. N. Sippy and second cousin of actor [[Tusshar Kapoor]] and producer [[Ekta Kapoor]].

Nikkhil’s daughter is an eighth-grader in [[Ascend International School]] and is a budding artist. In her spare time, she likes to sing and play basketball. His wife, Suparna Gupta is a child rights activist. Winner of the Ashoka Fellowship For Leading Social Entrepreneurship (2009,) she graduated as an Edward S. Mason Fellow from Harvard Kennedy School of Government (2012) and founded a non-profit organization, Aangan which works on child trafficking, child marriage, and child labor.

== Directing, Writing, and Producing ==

Nikkhil’s film career spans over twenty five years. He began assisting art-house film directors, Saeed Mirza, Kundan Shah, and Sudhir Mishra. Subsequently, he worked under [[Dharma Productions]], the production house of the late [[Yash Johar]], father of [[Karan Johar]] and [[Yash Raj Films]].

Advani started his career by assisting [[Saeed Akhtar Mirza|Saeed]] and [[Aziz Mirza]] in directing Naya Nukkad (1994), and his very first outing as a co-screenplay writer for ''Iss Raat Ki Subah Nahin (1996)'' was critically appreciated. Then, he was an assistant director and assisted Karan Johar in his first two directorial projects, ''[[Kuch Kuch Hota Hai]] (1998)'' and ''[[Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham]] (2001)''. Advani also had an acting guest appearance in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, along with [[Farah Khan]] during the Neelam Show sequence. Similarly, he assisted [[Aditya Chopra]] on ''[[Mohabbatein]] (2000).''

Advani made his directorial debut with the critically acclaimed film ''Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)'', is a [[Romance film|romantic]] [[comedy-drama]] film starring [[Jaya Bachchan]], [[Shah Rukh Khan]], [[Saif Ali Khan]], and [[Preity Zinta]], with [[Sushma Seth]], [[Reema Lagoo]], [[Lillete Dubey]], and [[Delnaaz Irani|Delnaaz Paul]] in supporting roles. The film received positive critical feedback and was commercially successful, and was the highest-grossing Indian film of the year. It explores several themes, such as the depiction of [[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin|non-resident Indians]], [[Inter-caste marriages in India|inter-caste marriage]], terminal illness, and homosexuality through innuendo and [[Homosociality|homosocial]] bonding. It won two [[National Film Awards]], eight [[Filmfare Awards]], thirteen [[International Indian Film Academy Awards]], six [[Producers Guild Film Awards]], three [[Screen Awards]], and two [[Zee Cine Awards]] in 2004.

Advani directed and co-wrote the screenplay for ''[[Salaam-e-Ishq]] (2007)'' an Indian [[romantic drama]] film directed by Nikkhil Advani, it featured an [[ensemble cast]] of [[Salman Khan]], [[Priyanka Chopra]], [[Anil Kapoor]], [[Juhi Chawla]], [[Akshaye Khanna]], [[Ayesha Takia]], [[John Abraham (actor)|John Abraham]], [[Vidya Balan]], [[Govinda (actor)|Govinda]], [[Shannon Esra]], [[Sohail Khan]] and [[Isha Koppikar]] in lead roles. The film weaves 6 love stories together thanks to the relationships of the people within it. The film was Advani's second directorial venture after [[Kal Ho Naa Ho]] (2003) and the unofficial remake of Hollywood film [[Love Actually]] (2003).

In 2009, Advani directed ''Chandni Chowk to China'', an [[action comedy film]] that stars [[Akshay Kumar]] and [[Deepika Padukone]] in the lead roles with [[Mithun Chakraborty]] and [[Hong Kong action cinema]] actor [[Gordon Liu]]. The film revolves around a vegetable cutter from [[Chandni Chowk]] in [[Delhi]] who finds himself on an adventure in China after the residents of an oppressed village deem him to be the [[reincarnation]] of a slain Chinese revolutionary. The film was distributed in the U.S. and co-produced by [[Warner Bros.]] It is [[Warner Bros. Pictures]]' first Hindi film. Released on 16 January 2009, it was the third highest-grossing film of the year at the Indian Box Office.

Following this Advani produced ''[[Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai]] (2010)'', a [[Bollywood]] [[Science fiction film|science fiction]] [[romance film]] directed by [[Milap Zaveri]]. It stars [[Riteish Deshmukh]], [[Jacqueline Fernandez]], [[Sonal Sehgal]], and Ruslaan Mumtaz in lead roles.

In 2006, Nikkhil directed and wrote the Story & screenplay ''Patiala House (2011)'' Starring [[Rishi Kapoor]], [[Dimple Kapadia]], [[Akshay Kumar]], & [[Anushka Sharma]] in the title roles.

Nikkhil Advani is a National Award-winning filmmaker whose children’s film ''Delhi Safari (2012)'' was India’s first 3-D Stereoscopic Animation Feature. It advocated for wildlife conservation and is currently being developed into a full-fledged franchise in Hollywood.

After this release, Nikkhil Advani partnered with Monisha Advani and Madhu Bhojwani to form [[Emmay Entertainment]], a motion picture production company. The first feature film produced by Emmay Entertainment was ''[[D-Day (2013 film)|D-Day]] (2013)'', a film directed by Nikkhil, in association with DAR Motion Pictures, which was released on 19 July 2013, which was received with positive reviews along with a few awards.

Advani's recent directorial work has been produced under the [[Emmay Entertainment|Emmay]] Entertainment banner, founded by Monisha Advani, Madhu Bhojwani, and himself. The production house is one of Mumbai’s leading production companies creating innovative and edgy content for both feature films and Web and is currently working with [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]], [[Fox Star Studios|Fox Star India]], [[Netflix]], [[Amazon Prime]], and [[Sony Pictures|Sony]].

Headlined by Emmay Entertainment, the production house released films like ''[[Airlift (film)|Airlift]] (2016)'', starring [[Akshay Kumar]] and [[Nimrat Kaur]], based on true-life events of the evacuation of 170,000 Indians from Kuwait during the first Gulf War. Airlift is produced by [[T-Series (company)|T-Series]], Cape of Good, [[Emmay Entertainment]], and Abundantia Entertainment. The film was their first to cross 1 billion on the box office and also their first to receive a [[National Award]].

Advani then teamed up with [[Siddharth Roy Kapur]] under the banner of [[UTV Motion Pictures]] to produce & direct ''[[Katti Batti]] (2015)'' a romantic comedy-drama film starring [[Imran Khan (Bollywood actor)|Imran Khan]] and [[Kangana Ranaut]] in the lead roles. For his next film, Advani directed ''Hero (2015)'' a [[Romance film|romantic]] [[Action film|action]] film co-written by Umesh Bist & Himself, a remake of [[Subhash Ghai]]'s 1983 blockbuster film [[Hero (1983 film)|of the same name]]. The film starred debutantes [[Sooraj Pancholi]] and [[Athiya Shetty]],

Advani’s latest release was ''Batla House (2019)'', an [[action thriller film]] written by [[Ritesh Shah]]. Inspired by the [[Batla House encounter case]] that took place on 19 September 2008, the film stars [[John Abraham]] as a police officer named Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, the film follows who played a crucial role in the encounter. The story showcases the encounter and in its aftermath, Sanjeev's struggle to catch the fugitives and prove the encounter wasn't a fake one while dealing with nationwide hatred and [[Posttraumatic stress disorder|post traumatic stress disorder]]. The film was theatrically released in India on 15 August 2019 during [[Independence Day (India)|Independence Day]] weekend. It became commercially successful at the box office.

In addition to his directorial work, he has produced several films by other directors under the Emmay banner. Like ''[[Airlift (film)|Airlift]] (2016), [[Lucknow Central]] (2017), [[Satyameva Jayate (2018 film)|Satyameva Jayate]] (2018), [[Baazaar]] (2018), [[Marjaavaan]] (2019), [[Indoo Ki Jawani]] (2020), [[Bell Bottom (2021 film)|Bell Bottom]] (2021), [[Satyameva Jayate 2]] (2021).''

== Web Series ==

Advani has produced & co-written his first digital venture, Hasmukh (2020). This is a Netflix Original series directed by Nikhil Gonsalves and written by Suparn Verma, [[Vir Das]], Nikkhil Advani, Amogh Ranadive & [[Neeraj Pandey]]. Headlined by [[Vir Das]] as ‘Hasmukh’ and [[Ranvir Shorey]] as ‘Jimmy’ the show's cast also consists of Amrita Bagchi, [[Mantra (actor)|Mantra]], [[Ravi Kishan]], [[Manoj Pahwa]], Joanna Robaczewska, [[Raza Murad]], among others. [[Emmay Entertainment]] as the production house has created this show in association with [[Applause Entertainment]].

On 26 November 2020, Advani released the Teaser to his upcoming Web Series. This will be an [[Amazon Prime|amazon original series]] titled Mumbai Diaries 26/11 based on the 2008 [[2008 Mumbai attacks|Mumbai terrorist attacks]]. The Series is directed by Nikkhil Advani & Nikhil Gonsalves and will star [[Mohit Raina]], [[Tina Desai]] alongside [[Konkona Sen Sharma]]. Set to release in March 2021.

== Short films ==

Emmay produced the short film, ''[[Guddu Engineer]]'' (2016) for the Zeal for Unity in 2016. Targeted at Indo-Pak unity, it was based on [[Rumi]]’s poem, "Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it". Directed by Nikkhil Advani, [[Guddu Engineer]] it won awards at the 5th Mumbai Shorts International Film Festival.

[[Amazon Prime Video]] unveiled ''[[Unpaused|Unpaused – Apartment]] (2020)'', an anthology of five Hindi short films filmed during the pandemic and featuring stories about new beginnings. Amongst which one such short film is Apartment directed by Nikkhil Advani, starring [[Richa Chadda|Richa Chadha]], [[Sumeet Vyas]], and [[Ishwak Singh]]. The plot focuses on the fall and ultimate rise of Chadha's character as she comes to terms with her husband's indiscretions with the help of a friendly neighbor.

== Television ==
A TV Film called [[Shaadi Vaadi And All That]], an hour-long film for MTV, produced by Nikkhil Advani is a love triangle with a twist. The show is Kaashvi Nair's directorial debut who worked with Nikkhil as an assistant director.

Nikkhil Advani has directed a finite TV Series [[P.O.W.- Bandi Yuddh Ke]] for [[Star Plus]]. The show is an official adaption of an Israeli TV series [[Hatufim]]. The series was premiered on 7 November 2016. Several [[Bollywood]] celebrities have praised the trailer. The show was premiered at the MAMI film fest followed by a talk with [[Gideon Raff]].

== Non-Film Work ==

In his spare time, Advani enjoys working with Bittu Sahgal and is a Member of the Board of Sanctuary Nature Foundation, which advocates climate change, biodiversity, and nature conservation. He is also actively involved in the restoration of Classic Films working along with Shiven Dungarpur and the [[Film Heritage Foundation]]. He also collaborates with Srila Chaterjee and Mahesh Mathai, curating the art house cinema for Baro Film Night. An avid Soccer fan, he works with Sarah White, Head of Partnership Marketing – APAC, City Football Marketing, to advocate and promote Manchester City Football Club in Mumbai.

== Filmography ==

=== Films ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Film
! Director
! Writer
! Producer
! Associate Director
|-
| 1998
| ''[[Kuch Kuch Hota Hai]]''
|
|
|
| {{Yes}}
|-
| 2000
| ''[[Mohabbatein]]''
|
|
|
| {{Yes}}
|-
| 2001
| ''[[Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...]]''
|
|
|
| {{Yes}}
|-
| 2003
| ''[[Kal Ho Naa Ho]]''
| {{Yes}}
|
|
|
|-
| 2007
| ''[[Salaam-e-Ishq]]''
| {{Yes}}
| {{Yes}}
|
|
|-
| 2009
| ''[[Chandni Chowk to China]]''
| {{Yes}}
|
|
|
|-
| 2010
| ''[[Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai]]''
|
|
| {{Yes}}
|
|-
| 2011
| ''[[Patiala House (film)|Patiala House]]''
| {{Yes}}
| {{Yes}}
|
|
|-
| 2012
| ''[[Delhi Safari]]''
| {{Yes}}
| {{Yes}}
|
|
|-
|-
|-
| 2013
| ''[[D-Day (2013 movie)|D-Day]]''
| {{Yes}}
| {{Yes}}
| {{Yes}}
|
|-
| 2015
| ''[[Hero (2015 Hindi film)|Hero]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{Yes}}
|
|
|-
| 2015
| ''[[Katti Batti]]''
| {{Yes}}
| {{Yes}}
| {{Yes}}
|
|-
| 2016
| ''[[Airlift (film)|Airlift]]''
|
|
| {{Yes}}
|
|-
| 2016
| ''[[Guddu Engineer|Guddu Engiineer]]''
| {{Yes}}
|
|
|
|-
| 2017
| ''[[Lucknow Central]]''
|
|
| {{Yes}}
|
|-
| 2018
| ''[[Satyameva Jayate (2018 film)|Satyameva Jayate]]''
|
|
| {{Yes}}
|
|-
| 2018
| ''[[Baazaar]]''
|
| {{Yes}}
| {{Yes}}
|
|-
|2019
| ''[[Batla House]]''
| {{Yes}}
| {{Yes}}
| {{Yes}}
|
|-
| 2019
| ''[[Marjaavaan]]''
|
|
| {{Yes}}
|
|-
|2020
|[[Indoo Ki Jawani]]
|
||
| {{Yes}}
|
|-
| 2020
| ''[[Unpaused]]''
| {{Yes}}
|
|
|
|-
| 2021
| ''[[Sardar Ka Grandson]]''
|
|
| {{Yes}}
|
|-
| 2021
| ''[[Satyameva Jayate 2]]''
|
|
| {{Yes}}
|
|-
|2021
|Bell Bottom
|
| {{Yes}}
|
|
|}

=== TV ===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Film/Series
! Channel
!Created By
! Director
! Producer
|-
| 2015
| ''Shaadi Vaadi & All That''<ref>{{cite web |last1=Nair |first1=Kaashvi |title=Shaadi Vaadi And All That |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4081994/ |website=IMDb |date=24 August 2014}}</ref>
| [[MTV India]]
|
|
| {{Yes}}
|-
| 2016
| [[P.O.W. - Bandi Yuddh Ke]]<ref>{{cite web |title=How Nikkhil Advani Hopes To Disrupt Indian Television With 'P.O.W. - Bandi Yuddh Ke' |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2016/10/20/how-nikkhil-advani-hopes-to-disrupt-indian-television-with-p-o-w/ |website=Huffington Post India}}</ref>
| [[Star Plus]]
| {{Yes}}
|
|-
| 2020
| ''[[Hasmukh]]''
| [[Netflix]]
|
|
|{{yes}}

|-
| 2021
| ''Mumbai Diaries 26/11''
| [[Amazon Prime]]
| {{Yes}}
|
|-
| 2021
| The Empire
| [[Hotstar]]
| {{Yes}}
|
|
|-
|TBA
|Rocket Boys
|[[SonyLIV|Sony Liv]]
|
|
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|Nikhil Advani}}
* {{IMDb person}}
* {{BH person|nikhil-advani}}

{{Nikkhil Advani}}
{{India Animation Industry}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Advani, Nikhil}}
[[Category:1971 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian film directors]]
[[Category:Hindi-language film directors]]
[[Category:Sindhi people]]
[[Category:St. Xavier's College, Mumbai alumni]]
[[Category:Film directors from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Indian male screenwriters]]
[[Category:Hindi film producers]]
[[Category:Film producers from Mumbai]]

Chandni Chowk To China - Revision history

CleanupBot at 09:16, 12 August 2021