Abhishek Kapoor (born 6 August 1971) is an Indian film director, former actor, writer and producer who works in Hindi cinema. He is known for his work in the musical drama Rock On!! (2008), the buddy sports drama Kai Po Che! (2013), the musical romantic drama Fitoor (2016), the romantic disaster film Kedarnath (2018) and the social romantic drama Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui (2021), earning nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Director for Rock On!! and Kai Po Che!.
Career
Initial acting work and directorial debut (1996–2006)
He started his career as an actor in 1996 with the films Aashique Mastane, opposite Monica Bedi, directed by Ajay Kashyap and Uff! Yeh Mohabbat, opposite Twinkle Khanna, directed by Vipin Handa. Both films emerged as critical and commercial disasters.
He made his directorial debut with the sports drama Aryan (2006) starring Sohail Khan and Sneha Ullal in lead roles, which emerged as a critical and commercial disaster.[1][2][3]
Breakthrough, success and career fluctuations (2008–16)
In 2016, he directed and produced the musical romantic drama Fitoor, an adaptation of Charles Dickens's Great Expectations (1861). The film, starring Tabu, Katrina Kaif and Aditya Roy Kapur, opened to mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, with high praise for its soundtrack, cinematography, production design, costumes and performances of the cast, with Tabu's performance receiving widespread critical acclaim; however, its screenplay and pacing received criticism. However, it emerged as an underwhelming grosser at the box-office.[6]
His next screenwriting venture that year was Rock On 2, the sequel to Rock On!!. Directed by Shujaat Saudagar, the film saw Akhtar, Desai and Rampal reprise their roles from the original film, with Shraddha Kapoor and Shashank Arora appearing in new roles. It opened to mixed-to-negative reviews from critics upon release, with its story, screenplay and soundtrack receiving sharp criticism. The film also emerged as a commercial disaster at the box-office.[7]
Later career (2018–present)
In 2018, he helmed and wrote the romantic disaster drama Kedarnath starring Rajput alongside debutante Sara Ali Khan. The film, which followed an inter-faith love story amidst the backdrop of the 2013 North India floods, proved to be a commercial success at the box office and received positive reviews from critics upon release.
In 2021, he directed the social romantic drama Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui (2021), starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Vaani Kapoor, which narrated the story of a gym trainer who falls in love with a trans-woman. The film received positive reviews from critics and emerged as a moderate commercial success at the box office. It earned Kapoor his second Filmfare Award for Best Story.
Kapoor has launched his production company, Guy in the Sky Pictures.
