Vasan Bala

Vasan Bala
Born20 July 1978 (1978-07-20) (age 46)
Mumbai, India
Occupations
  • Film director
  • screenwriter

Vasan Bala is an Indian film director and screenwriter known for his work in Hindi cinema. He wrote the scripts for the period crime drama Bombay Velvet (2015) and the psychological thriller Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016). Bala made his directorial debut with the crime thriller Peddlers in 2012, which earned him a nomination for the Golden Camera Award at Cannes. He's also worked as an assistant director on films like Dev.D (2009), Gulaal (2009), and Trishna (2011). As a dialogue writer, he's contributed to The Lunchbox (2013) and Rukh (2017). In 2019, he released the film Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota. His latest directorial was Dharma Productions' Jigra (2024), starring Alia Bhatt.

Early life

Bala hails from Mumbai, India. After spending several years working at a bank, he decided to leave his job and pursue a career as a director. He gained hands-on experience by learning directly from renowned filmmakers Anurag Kashyap and Michael Winterbottom, before eventually directing his debut feature film, Peddlers (2012).[1]

Career

Bala began his film career working in close collaboration with directors like Anurag Kashyap. He initially gained recognition as a screenwriter for Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016) and Bombay Velvet (2015).

His directorial debut, Peddlers (2012), was screened at the Cannes Film Festival. The film dealt with themes of urban isolation and the struggles of the youth in Mumbai, mixing crime and drama.[2]

His major breakthrough as a director came with Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota (2018), a quirky action-comedy about a young man who feels no pain due to a rare medical condition. The film was well-received for its homage to martial arts films and its unique storytelling, winning the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.[3][4][5]

In 2022, Bala directed Monica, O My Darling, a neo-noir crime comedy. Known for its humor and retro feel, the film features a mix of Bollywood nostalgia and intricate murder mystery, and was lauded for its style and storytelling.[6]

In 2024, he directed Dharma Productions' Jigra, starring Alia Bhatt.[7][8][9] The film received mixed reviews from critics and ended up being commercially unsuccessful, for which Bala held himself responsible.[10][11][12]

Filmography

Feature Films

Year Title Director Writer
2012 Peddlers Yes Yes
2015 Bombay Velvet No Yes
2017 Raman Raghav 2.0 No Yes
Rukh No Yes
2019 Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota Yes Yes
2022 Monica, O My Darling Yes Yes
2024 Jigra Yes Yes

As an actor

References

  1. ^ "Vasan Bala". Semaine de la Critique. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  2. ^ Deborah Young (21 May 2012). "Peddlers: Cannes Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  3. ^ Suhani Singh (17 September 2018). "Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota wins audience award at TIFF". India Today. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  4. ^ Times of India (17 September 2018). "Vasan Bala's 'Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota' creates history at TIFF". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  5. ^ Namrata Joshi (21 September 2018). "TIFF 2018: Vasan Bala's Mard Ko Dard... is his ode to action-comedy films". The Hindu. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  6. ^ Das, Santanu (14 November 2022). "The women of Monica, O My Darling live, laugh and lie; and dare you not to take them seriously". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  7. ^ "Alia Bhatt announces her next film Jigra, to co-produce the action movie with Karan Johar". The Indian Express. 26 September 2023.
  8. ^ "Alia Bhatt's 'Jigra,' directed by Vasan Bala, gets a new release date". The Hindu. 13 June 2024.
  9. ^ Devansh Sharma (8 September 2024). "Jigra teaser: Alia Bhatt vows to become Amitabh Bachchan to protect her brother Vedang Raina. Watch". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  10. ^ "Vasan Bala says Jigra's box office performance was his responsibility: 'Alia Bhatt trusted me with that choice'". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  11. ^ "'Jigra' director Vasan Bala holds himself responsible for the film's failure at the box office; Read here". Times of India. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  12. ^ "Vasan Bala takes responsibility for Alia Bhatt's Jigra box office failure: 'Something people didn't buy'". Indian Express.