In feature films, Vinil has directed the 2014 romantic comedy Hasee Toh Phasee, which was a critical and commercial success,[3][4][5] and the 2021 romantic thriller Haseen Dillruba, which became the most-watched Hindi film on Netflix of that year.[6]
Vinil moved to Mumbai in 2000 and joined the advertisement company, Highlight Films, where he assisted Prasoon Pandey. After two years, he started his own production company named Nomad Films.[1] He then joined Footcandles films, under which he worked on advertisements for Reliance, Vodafone and Airtel.[1] In the ad for the last of these brands, he directed Vidya Balan and R. Madhavan.[2] He went on to make over 250 ad campaigns, including one popular one for Cadbury.[8][11]
In 2014, Vinil opened his own production company Breathless Films, which produces advertisements.[12] The company has launched campaigns for the brands Lays, Voot and Club Mahindra, among others.[13][14][15]
Films
In 2003, Vinil directed a television film for the channel Star One, called The Chosen One.[2]
While working on a coffee campaign for Nescafe, Vinil met Karan Johar, who produced his first feature film.[1] It was named Hasee Toh Phasee and was released in 2014. It starred Parineeti Chopra and Sidharth Malhotra and is about the romance between a struggling businessman and a drug-abusing scientist. Vinil said that his advertisement background helped him direct the movie.[16] David Chute of Variety summarised that "This debut feature by Vinil Mathew, a director of stylish TV commercials, is simply too well made and too enjoyable".[17] A review from India Today rated it with 3/5 stars, stating, "Hasee Toh Phasee is a refreshing, much-needed entry in the contemporary romcom genre".[18] The film performed moderately well commercially, earning ₹61.7 crore worldwide against a budget of ₹26 crore, becoming the eighth highest grossing Hindi film of 2014.[4][19]
Keen to work in a different genre, Vinil was attracted to Kanika Dhillon's script of Haseen Dillruba, a romantic thriller about a murder involving a married woman.[20] Starring Taapsee Pannu, the film was released on Netflix in 2021.[21] The film received mixed reviews from critics.[22] Ronak Kotecha of The Times of India gave it 3.5 stars out of 5 and called it "a delectably dark and defiant love story with a thrilling twist".[23] Stutee Ghosh of The Quint praised "Vinil Mathew ‘s directorial flourishes" and added that "the only way Haseen Dillruba truly works is if we unequivocally surrender to its pulpy universe".[24] It emerged as the most-watched Hindi film on Netflix in 2021, reaching top 10 in 22 different countries.[6][25]