Kabir Khan is an Indian film director, screenwriter and a cinematographer who primarily works in Bollywood. Known for directing the unconventional
Kabul Express (2006), which received critical and commercial acclaim, Kabir has directed movies such as
New York (2009) and
Ek Tha Tiger (2012), and
Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015)
Early Life
Kabir was born on 21 July 1971 in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh to a Muslim father, Rasheeduddin Khan, who was one of the founding professors of Jawahar Lal Nehru University, and a Hindu mother Leelaand . He completed his studies from Kirorimal College of Delhi University and Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi.
Personal Life
Kabir is married to popular TV actress and host
Mini Mathur and the couple has two children Vivaan and Siarah.
Movie Career
As a Director
Kabir started his career at the age of 25 as a film cinematographer and made few documentaries like 'Beyond The Himalayas', which was aired over Discovery Channel and directed by Gautam Ghose. His first documentary film as director was 'The Forgotten Army', which is based on Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s Azad Hind Fauj covering him and his life. In 2001, Kabir made a few more successful documentary films including “The Titanic Sinks in Kabul” and “Taliban years and beyond”.
After finding success with documentaries, Kabir made Bollywood debut with the movie
Kabul Express in 2006 which was awarded the 'Indira Gandhi Award' for Best First Film of a Director. The movie stirred controversy in Afghanistan after the Afghan Ministry of Culture protested over the racist portrayal of the ethnic minority of the country.
This was followed by
New York (2009) starring
John Abraham,
Neil Nitin Mukesh, and
Katrina Kaif which turned out to be a big hit. The movie was screened as the 'opening movie' at the 33rd International Cairo Film Festival and received favorable reviews from several critics.
In 2012, Kabir directed the movie
Ek Tha Tiger starring
Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in the lead roles . The movie that revolves around an Indian spy who falls in love with a Pakistani spy, garnered mixed reviews at the box office. In 2015, he teamed up with Salman Khan once again to make
Bajrangi Bhaijaan which also stars
Kareena Kapoor. This movie became the second highest grossing movie in the history of Indian cinema at the time of its release. Amongst the many awards that it won, the movie also bagged the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. He next directed the action thriller
Phantom starring
Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif. The movie based on a story that unfolds in the aftermath of the 26/11 attacks. Kabir's 2017 release includes the movie
Tubelight which is an Indian historical war drama, co-produced by Salman Khan. This movie is based on 1962 Sino-Indian War starring Salman Khan in the lead role who plays an Indian who falls in love with a girl from China.
As a Writer
Kabir has written several movies that he as directed including Kabul Express, Ek Tha Tiger, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Phantom.
As a Producer
In 2015, Kabir co-produced the movie Bajrangi Bhaaijaan in 2015 along with Salman Khan and Parveez Shaikh.