Vishal Bhardwaj

He received the Filmfare R. Burman Award for New Music Talent for the latter. He went on to compose music for the films Satya (1998) and Godmother (1999). For the latter, he won the National Film Award for Best Music Direction. Bhardwaj made his directorial debut with the children's film Makdee (2002), for which he also composed the music. He garnered widespread critical acclaim and numerous accolades for writing and directing the Indian adaptations of three tragedies by William Shakespeare: Maqbool (2003) from Macbeth, Omkara (2006) from Othello, and Haider (2014) from Hamlet. He has also directed the action film Kaminey, the black comedy 7 Khoon Maaf (2011), and the satire Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola (2013). In addition, Bhardwaj produces films under his banner VB Pictures. He has co-written and produced the films Ishqiya (2010), its sequel Dedh Ishqiya (2014), and the drama thriller Talvar (2015), among others. He has composed the musical score for each of his directorial and production ventures, and frequently collaborates with the lyricist Gulzar. He is married to playback singer Rekha Bhardwaj. Bhardwaj is the board member of Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image.

• Name — Vishal Bhardwaj • Born — 4 August 1965 • Birthplace — Chandpur, Uttar Pradesh, India • Occupation — * Film director • film producer • screenwriter • music director • Years Active — 1995–present • Spouse — Rekha Bhardwaj

Bhardwaj was born on 4 August 1965, in Chandpur city in District Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh. His mother Satya Bhardwaj was a homemaker, and his father Ram Bhardwaj was a sugarcane inspector. His father also wrote poetry and lyrics for Hindi films. He and his family lived in Najibabad until he completed class five in school. They later moved to Meerut, where he played cricket for the state's under-19 team. His thumb broke during a practice session one day before an inter-university tournament, leaving him unable to play for the year. The same year, his father died, leaving him unable to continue his cricket career. He had an elder brother who struggled for years in Mumbai to become a film producer, and later died of a heart attack. He composed a song at the age of seventeen. After hearing the song, his father discussed it with music director Usha Khanna. She used it in the film Yaar Kasam (1985). Bhardwaj later moved to Delhi to pursue his graduation at the Hindu College, University of Delhi. He met his wife, playback singer Rekha Bhardwaj, during a college annual function; she was a year senior to him. He is also an avid tennis player.

Bhardwaj started playing harmonium for friends who were ghazal singers. After a few years, he took up a job with a music company called CBS in Delhi. He later went to Mumbai to become a music composer, and he only took to directing films to create the opportunity to compose music. His interest in film direction was kindled after watching Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994) and Krzysztof Kieślowski's television series Dekalog during a film festival in Thiruvananthapuram.

In 1995, Bhardwaj made his debut as a music composer for the children's film Abhay. He went on to compose music for Fauji (1995) and Sanshodhan (1996). In 1996, he served as the music director for Gulzar's Maachis, for which he received the Filmfare R. D. Burman Award for New Music Talent and his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director. The film depicted the transformation of boys into terrorists during the Punjab insurgency in Punjab in the 1980s. The soundtrack composed by Bhardwaj became an anthem for politically restive college youth at that time. He later collaborated with Gulzar on TV serials such as Alice in Wonderland and Gubbare. His further projects included Betaabi (1997), Tunnu Ki Tina (1997), Satya (1998) and Hu Tu Tu (1999). At the 46th National Film Awards, Bhardwaj received the National Film Award for Best Music Direction for his critically acclaimed score in Godmother (1999). In 2010, he composed the music for his production venture Ishqiya, which garnered him his second National Film Award for Best Music Direction and his second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director. He also composed music for Jungle Book Shōnen Mowgli, the Hindi-dubbed version of the anime adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's original collection of stories, The Jungle Book. Apart from feature films, Bhardwaj has provided music for albums such as Sunset Point (2000), Ishqa Ishqa (2002) and Barse Barse (2011). He frequently collaborates with Gulzar.

Bhardwaj produces his own films under his banner VB Pictures. In 2010, he produced the black comedy Ishqiya. Starring Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi, the film was directed by debutant Abhishek Chaubey. Chaubey had earlier assisted and co-wrote several of Bhardwaj's films. The film was an average grosser at the box-office. The film earned him his third nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director. He teamed up with Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Motion Pictures to produce the supernatural thriller Ek Thi Daayan in 2013. Dealing with the theme of witchcraft, the film was based on 'Mobius Trips', a short story written by Konkona Sen Sharma's father. It received mixed reviews from critics, but proved to be profitable at the box office. His next production venture was Dedh Ishqiya, a sequel to the 2010 film Ishqiya. Starring Madhuri Dixit, Naseeruddin Shah, Huma Qureshi and Arshad Warsi, the film was a critical and commercial success, earning ₹270 million (US$4.1 million) in India and abroad. In 2015, Bhardwaj wrote and co-produced Meghna Gulzar's drama thriller Talvar. The film was based on the 2008 Noida double murder case, and starred Irrfan Khan, Konkana Sen Sharma and Neeraj Kabi. Talvar premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, and was released in India on 2 October 2015 to positive reviews from critics.

Apart from composing music, Bhardwaj has also lent his voice to various songs for films like Omkara, No Smoking, U Me Aur Hum, Kaminey, Striker, 7 Khoon Maaf, Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola, and Haider.

Bhardwaj's films are often twisted, with portrayal of characters with grey shades. He also frequently adapts short stories and plays in films. The Blue Umbrella and 7 Khoon Maaf were adapted from Ruskin Bond's short stories. Maqbool, Omkara and Haider were adaptations of William Shakespeare's tragedies. Some of Bhardwaj's films take inspiration from real-life incidents. The Kashmir conflict was shown in Haider, the Mumbai underworld in Maqbool, and Talvar was based on the 2008 Noida double murder case. Bhardwaj frequently collaborates with writer-lyricist Gulzar, calling him his "father" and "mentor". Most treatments of his films are like documentaries. Haider was co-written by journalist-writer Basharat Peer, who was an eyewitness to the Kashmir conflict. Bhardwaj is influenced by the filmmaking styles of Krzysztof Kieślowski, Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, and Akira Kurosawa. Kieslowski's Dekalog (1989) inspired him to become a filmmaker. Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah says: "I think he makes interesting films, even though I haven't liked all his works. But even his poor work is more interesting than a lot of people's so-called good work."

• Year — Title — Director — Producer — Screenwriter — Notes • 2002 — Makdee • 2003 — Maqbool • 2005 — The Blue Umbrella — National Film Award for Best Children's Film • 2006 — Omkara — National Film Award – Special Jury Award (feature film) Nominated - Filmfare Award for Best Director Nomimated - Filmfare Award for Best Dialogue Nominated - Filmfare Award for Best Background Score • 2007 — Blood Brothers — Short film • No Smoking • Dus Kahaniyaan • 2009 — Kaminey — story by Cajetan Boy and Bhardwaj; co-written screenplay with Sabrina Dhawan, Abhishek Chaubey • 2010 — Ishqiya • 2011 — 7 Khoon Maaf • 2013 — Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola • Ek Thi Daayan • 2014 — Dedh Ishqiya • Haider — National Film Award for Best Screenplay (Dialogues) • 2015 — Talvar — National Film Award for Best Screenplay (Adapted) • 2017 — Rangoon • 2018 — Pataakha • 2022 — Modern Love: Mumbai — Anthology series on Amazon Prime Video • 2023 — Kuttey • Fursat — Short film • Charlie Chopra & the Mystery of Solang Valley — SonyLIV TV series • Khufiya — Netflix original film • 2026 — O'Romeo • Lust Stories 3 — Netflix film

• Year — Title — Notes • 1995 — Abhay • Fauji • 1996 — Sanshodhan • Maachis • 1997 — Tunnu Ki Tina • Betaabi • 1998 — Sham Ghansham • Satya • Chachi 420 • Daya — Malayalam film • 1999 — Jahan Tum Le Chalo • Hu Tu Tu • Godmother — National Film Award for Best Music Direction • Sunset point ft. Gulzar K.S.Chithra & Bhupinder Singh • 2000 — Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar • Choo Lenge Akash • 2001 — Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega • 2002 — Mulaqaat • Makdee • 2003 — Kagaar: Life on the Edge • Danav • Chupke Se • Maqbool • Paanch — Unreleased • 2005 — Bhagmati • Ramji Londonwale • The Blue Umbrella • 2006 — Omkara • 2007 — Nishabd • Blood Brothers — Short film • No Smoking • Dus Kahaniyaan • 2008 — U Me Aur Hum • Haal-e-Dil • 2009 — Kaminey • 2010 — Ishqiya — National Film Award for Best Music Direction • 2011 — 7 Khoon Maaf • 2013 — Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola • Ek Thi Daayan • 2014 — Dedh Ishqiya • Haider — National Film Award for Best Music Direction • 2015 — Drishyam • Talvar • Hawaizaada • 2016 — Madaari • Motu Patlu: King Of Kings — Animation film • 2017 — Rangoon • 2018 — Carbon — Malayalam film Kerala State Film Award for Best Music Director • Pataakha • 2019 — Sonchiriya • 2021 — 1232 KMS — National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film Music Direction • Navarasa — Tamil Webseries; Episode: Inmai • 2022 — Darlings — Two songs • 2023 — Kuttey • Fursat — Short film • Khufiya • 2025 — Crazxy — Four songs

• Year — Film — Song — Composer — Writer(s) — Co-artist(s) — Note • 2009 — Kaminey — "Kaminey" — himself — Gulzar

• Year — Title — Label — Ref. • 2020 — Palkein Kholo — VB Music • Dhoop Aane Do • Mask Kho Gaya

The authorities additionally record the heading Vishal Bharadwaal. He married Rekha Bhardwaj.