MADHUR BHANDARKAR

Madhur Bhandarkar, born 26 August 1968 in Mumbai, is celebrated for his gritty, realist films exploring the darker corners of urban Indian life, from bar dancers to the fashion industry.

A true Mumbai story himself, Bhandarkar started as an assistant to filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma before working his way up through the city's film industry to become a respected director in his own right.

His film Chandni Bar (2001), set in Mumbai's bar-dancing world, won him his first National Film Award, and he went on to deliver Page 3, Fashion, and Traffic Signal, building a reputation for unflinching social realism.