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{{short description|Indian writer, director and producer (born 1973)}}
{{Indian patronymic|Meghna|[[Gulzar]]}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Meghna Gulzar
| image = Meghna Gulzar at 49th IFFI.jpg
| caption = Meghna in 2018
| birthname =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1973|12|13}}<ref>{{cite news | url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2003-12-14/news/27520520_1_meghna-gulzar-birthday-party-book | title=Meghna Gulzar: Papa's girl | newspaper=[[The Economic Times]] | date=14 December 2003 | access-date=5 February 2013 | author=Raghavendra, Nandini | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130426015934/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2003-12-14/news/27520520_1_meghna-gulzar-birthday-party-book | archive-date=26 April 2013 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
| birth_place = [[Mumbai]], [[Maharashtra]], India
| yearsactive = 2002–present
| spouse = Govind Sandhu
| parents = [[Gulzar]] (father) <br />[[Raakhee]] (mother)
| children = 1<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.pressreader.com/india/ht-cafe/20160913/281685434302825 |title={title} |access-date=2 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141224/https://www.pressreader.com/india/ht-cafe/20160913/281685434302825 |archive-date=12 June 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| occupation = Writer, film director, producer
}}
'''Meghna Gulzar''' is an Indian writer, [[film director|director]] and [[film producer|producer]]. She is best known for directing critically acclaimed films; ''[[Talvar (film)|Talvar]]'' (2015) and ''[[Raazi]]'' (2018).<ref>{{cite news |title=Life beyond ''Filhaal'' |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ahmedabad-times/life-beyond-filhaal/articleshow/1963770.cms |work=[[The Times of India]] |date=6 September 2006 |access-date=3 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131028183812/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ahmedabad-times/life-beyond-filhaal/articleshow/1963770.cms |archive-date=28 October 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> Born to [[Gulzar]] and actress [[Raakhee]], Gulzar joined her father as an assistant to his films and became a screenwriter for her father's 1999 directorial ''[[Hu Tu Tu]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Creative child of celebrities |url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2004/01/02/stories/2004010201370100.htm |work=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=24 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923150321/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2004/01/02/stories/2004010201370100.htm |archive-date=23 September 2009 |date=2004-01-02 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Meghna later became an independent director and directed her first film, the drama ''[[Filhaal...]]'' (2002), though she did not achieve directorial success that decade.

Following an eight-year sabbatical, she directed the critically acclaimed ''[[Talvar (film)|Talvar]]'' (2015), which earned her a nomination for the [[Filmfare Award for Best Director]], which was moderate success at the box office.

Her first profitable directorial venture came in 2018, when she directed the spy thriller ''[[Raazi]]'', which emerged as one of the [[List of highest-grossing Indian films|highest-grossing Indian films]]. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Director for ''Raazi.'' She next helmed the biographical drama ''[[Chhapaak]]'' (2020) met with mixed reviews from critics. She next directed the biographical drama [[Sam Bahadur (film)|''Sam Bahadur'']] (2023) for which she earned the [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-08-01 |title=71st National Film Awards 2025 Full List of Winners: Shah Rukh, Rani Mukerji, Vikrant Massey get Best Actor nods; 12th Fail is Best Film |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/71st-national-film-awards-2025-full-list-of-winners-shah-rukh-rani-mukerji-vikrant-massey-get-best-actor-nods-12th-fail-is-best-film-10163993/ |access-date=2025-08-01 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
The daughter of lyricist and poet [[Gulzar]] and former actress [[Rakhee Gulzar|Raakhee]], Meghna Gulzar was born on 13 December 1973 in [[Mumbai]], [[Maharashtra]]. She was named Meghna by her mother, after the river Meghna which flows through her ancestral village.<ref>{{cite book|title=Because He is|author=Megna Gulzar|page =67|publisher=Rupa & Co.|year=2004}}</ref>

== Career ==
[[File:Meghna gulzar.jpg|thumb|left|Meghna in January 2002]]

Meghna began her writing career as a freelance writer for ''[[The Times of India]]'' and the NFDC publication ''Cinema in India''. Her poetry was published in anthologies of the [[The Poetry Society (India)|Poetry Society of India]]. After completing her graduation in [[Sociology]], she worked with noted filmmaker [[Saeed Akhtar Mirza]] as an [[assistant director]]. In 1995, she completed a short course in filmmaking from the [[Tisch School of Arts]], [[New York University]], New York. Upon her return, she joined her father, writer-director [[Gulzar]], as an assistant on his films ''[[Maachis]]'' and ''[[Hu Tu Tu]]''. Meghna simultaneously began scripting her own film along with directing documentaries for [[Doordarshan]] and music videos for several music albums.

Meghna directed her first film, ''[[Filhaal]]'', in 2002,<ref>{{cite book |title=Encyclopaedia of Hindi cinema |page=244 |year=2003 |publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.|Encyclopædia Britannica (India)]] |isbn=978-81-7991-066-5 }}</ref> starring former Miss Universe-turned-actress [[Sushmita Sen]] and [[Tabu (actress)|Tabu]]. Her second directorial venture was ''[[Just Married (2007 film)|Just Married]]'' in 2007.<ref>{{cite news |title=Just Married |url=http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=83129 |work=[[The Indian Express]] |date=16 March 2007 |access-date=3 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011200409/http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=83129 |archive-date=11 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> She also directed a short film ''Pooranmasi'' for [[Sanjay Gupta]]'s anthology ''[[Dus Kahaniyaan]]'', starring [[Amrita Singh]].

In 2015, Meghna directed the drama thriller ''[[Talvar (film)|Talvar]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/meghna-gulzar-i-will-celebrate-talvar-s-success-now/articleshow/61080418.cms|title=Meghna Gulzar: I will celebrate Talvar's success NOW|website=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=14 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015110156/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/meghna-gulzar-i-will-celebrate-talvar-s-success-now/articleshow/61080418.cms|archive-date=15 October 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> written by [[Vishal Bharadwaj]] and based on the [[2008 Noida double murder case]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyo.in/variety/aarushi-talwar-talvar-film-meghna-gulzar-vishal-bharadwaj-nupur-rajesh-allahabad-hc/story/1/20058.html|title=Aarushi murder: How Meghna Gulzar's Talvar presented a bang-on prediction of what was to come|access-date=14 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014233850/http://www.dailyo.in/variety/aarushi-talwar-talvar-film-meghna-gulzar-vishal-bharadwaj-nupur-rajesh-allahabad-hc/story/1/20058.html|archive-date=14 October 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The film starred [[Irrfan Khan]], [[Konkona Sen Sharma]] and [[Neeraj Kabi]] in lead roles. It received high critical acclaim upon release, and earned Gulzar her first nomination for the [[Filmfare Award for Best Director]].

In 2018, she directed the spy thriller ''[[Raazi]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Nihalani |first1=Govind |last2=Chatterjee |first2=Saibal |title=Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema |date=2003 |publisher=Popular Prakashan |isbn=978-81-7991-066-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8y8vN9A14nkC&dq=%22Meghna+Gulzar%22+-wikipedia&pg=PR9 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url = https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/bollywood/230617/alia-bhatt-a-spy-vicky-kaushal-a-pak-army-man-in-meghna-gulzars-raazi.html|title = Alia Bhatt a spy, Vicky Kaushal a Pak army man in Meghna Gulzar's Raazi|date = 23 June 2017|work = Deccan Chronicle|access-date = 24 June 2017|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170623144340/http://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/bollywood/230617/alia-bhatt-a-spy-vicky-kaushal-a-pak-army-man-in-meghna-gulzars-raazi.html|archive-date = 23 June 2017|url-status = live }}</ref> Produced by Junglee Pictures and [[Dharma Productions]], it starred [[Alia Bhatt]] and [[Vicky Kaushal]].<ref>{{Cite news|url = http://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/alia-bhatt-kicks-off-meghna-gulzars-upcoming-espionage-thriller-raazi-in-july/articleshow/59276486.cms|title = ALIA BHATT KICKS OFF MEGHNA GULZAR'S UPCOMING ESPIONAGE THRILLER, RAAZI, IN JULY|date = 23 June 2017|work = MumbaiMirror|access-date = 24 June 2017|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170625203429/http://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/alia-bhatt-kicks-off-meghna-gulzars-upcoming-espionage-thriller-raazi-in-july/articleshow/59276486.cms|archive-date = 25 June 2017|url-status = live }}</ref> The film is based on Harinder Sikka's novel ''Calling Sehmat''.<ref>{{Cite news|url = https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/bollywood/230617/alia-bhatt-a-spy-vicky-kaushal-a-pak-army-man-in-meghna-gulzars-raazi.html|title = Alia Bhatt a spy, Vicky Kaushal a Pak army man in Meghna Gulzar's Raazi|date = 23 June 2017|work = DeccanChronicle|access-date = 24 June 2017|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170623144340/http://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/bollywood/230617/alia-bhatt-a-spy-vicky-kaushal-a-pak-army-man-in-meghna-gulzars-raazi.html|archive-date = 23 June 2017|url-status = live }}</ref> With worldwide earnings of {{INRConvert|193|c}}, it proved one of the [[List of highest-grossing Indian films|highest-grossing Bollywood films]]. ''Raazi'' won the [[Filmfare Award for Best Film]] and earned Gulzar the [[Filmfare Award for Best Director]] for her work.

For her next directorial concept, Meghna chose to make a biopic on the life of acid attack survivor [[Laxmi Agarwal]], which she named ''[[Chhapaak]]'', (2020) that is about Malti, an acid attack survivor inspired by Agarwal. The film featured [[Deepika Padukone]] as Malti and was critically acclaimed upon its release on 10 January 2020.<ref>{{cite news |title=Deepika Padukone's Chhapaak begins, director Meghna Gulzar shares first pic |url=https://hindustantimes.com/bollywood/deepika-padukone-s-chhapaak-begins-director-meghna-gulzar-shares-first-pic/story-GvhYsFHZP9BwNbwARd5iXK.html |access-date=13 January 2020 |work=Hindustan Times |date=14 February 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

She will next helm the life of military officer [[Sam Manekshaw]] in a biographical film that will star Kaushal as Manekshaw and is produced by [[Ronnie Screwvala]]. The film titled [[Sam Bahadur (film)|''Sam Bahadur'']] (2023), featuring Vicky Kaushal in the title role was released in December 2023.

== Controversy ==
Author Harinder Sikka has accused Meghna of cheating and ghosting after she adapted his book [[Calling Sehmat]] into the 2018 film [[Raazi]]. According to Sikka, after securing the rights to his book, Meghna made significant changes to the story, particularly the ending, and took a pro-Pakistan stance in the film without his approval. He said that she didn't allow him to see the director's cut of the film, stopped speaking to him after filming finished, and removed him from all film-related media promotions and credits. He also accused her father, Gulzar, of calling Penguin publishers and pushing them to delay the launch of Harinder's book by two months 'so that Meghna received all the attention', as well as pressuring the Jaipur Literature Festival to remove Harinder as a speaker. <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/letting-meghna-gulzar-direct-raazi-was-the-biggest-blunder-rues-calling-sehmat-author-harinder-sikka/story-3ghzvrTRrMzGtKNRP3euBM.html | title=Letting Meghna Gulzar direct Raazi was blunder, rues Harinder Sikka | date=25 July 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/writer-harinder-sikka-launches-fresh-attack-on-raazi-director-meghna-gulzar-8242038/ | title=Writer Harinder Sikka launches fresh attack on Raazi director Meghna Gulzar, threatens to reveal texts: 'Uncle uncle keh ke bewakoof bana gayi' | date=November 2022 }}</ref>

== Filmography ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year !! Title !! Director !! Screenplay !! Notes
|-
|1999 ||''[[Hu Tu Tu]]'' || {{no}} || {{Yes}} ||
|-
|2002 ||''[[Filhaal]]'' ||{{Yes}} || {{no}} ||Story only
|-
|2007 ||''[[Just Married (2007 film)|Just Married]]'' ||{{Yes}} || {{Yes}} ||Story also
|-
|2007 ||''[[Dus Kahaniyaan]]'' ||{{Yes}} || {{no}} ||Segment: ''Puranmaashi''
|-
|2015 ||''[[Talvar (film)|Talvar]]'' ||{{Yes}} || {{no}} || Nominated—[[Filmfare Award for Best Director]]
|-
|2018 ||''[[Raazi]]'' ||{{Yes}} ||{{Yes}} ||[[Filmfare Award for Best Director]]<br>Nominated—[[Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film]]<br>Nominated—[[Filmfare Award for Best Screenplay]]
|-
|2020 ||''[[Chhapaak]]'' ||{{Yes}}|| {{Yes}}||
|-
|2023 ||''[[Sam Bahadur (film)|Sam Bahadur]]'' ||{{Yes}}|| {{Yes}}||[[National Film Award for Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values]]<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2025-08-01 |title=71st National Film Awards 2025 Full List of Winners: Shah Rukh, Rani Mukerji, Vikrant Massey get Best Actor nods; 12th Fail is Best Film |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/71st-national-film-awards-2025-full-list-of-winners-shah-rukh-rani-mukerji-vikrant-massey-get-best-actor-nods-12th-fail-is-best-film-10163993/ |access-date=2025-08-01 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Meghna Gulzar shares picture with Vicky Kaushal from 'Sam Bahadur' shoot |url=https://theprint.in/feature/meghna-gulzar-shares-picture-with-vicky-kaushal-from-sam-bahadur-shoot/1449174/ |access-date=10 August 2023 |work=[[ThePrint]] |agency=[[Asian News International|ANI]] |date=16 March 2023}}</ref>
|-
|2026
|''Daayra''
|{{Yes}}
| {{Yes}}
|Filming<ref>{{Cite news |title=Kareena Kapoor Khan, Prithviraj Sukumaran begin shooting for Meghna Gulzar’s Daayra|url=https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/bollywood/kareena-kapoor-khan-prithviraj-sukumaran-begin-shooting-meghna-gulzars-daayra/|work=Bollywood Hungama|date=25 September 2025 |access-date=25 September 2025}}</ref>
|}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|1126068}}

{{authority control}}
{{Meghna Gulzar filmography}}
{{Filmfare Award for Best Director}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gulzar, Meghna}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1973 births]]
[[Category:Indian women film directors]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Filmfare Awards winners]]
[[Category:Hindi-language film directors]]
[[Category:Indian women screenwriters]]
[[Category:Film directors from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Women artists from Maharashtra]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women artists]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from Mumbai]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women writers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian screenwriters]]
[[Category:Gulzar]]
[[Category:Directors who won the Best Feature Film Promoting National, Social and Environmental Values National Film Award]]

Meghna Gulzar - Revision history

YaniraRolando4 at 06:07, 13 March 2026