Vikas Bahl

Vikas Bahl (born 1971) is an Indian film producer, screenwriter, and director, known for his work predominantly in Hindi cinema.[2] He used to produce films under Phantom Films, and was the former head of UTV Spot Boy.[3][4] He has won three National Film Awards and one Filmfare Award.

Vikas Bahl
Bahl at the success party for Queen, 2014
Born1971 (age 49–50)[1]
New Delhi, India
Alma materRamjas College
SVKM's NMIMS
OccupationDirector, producer, screenwriter
Years active2005–present

He is best known for his 2014 film Queen, which won him the Filmfare Award for Best Director, alongside many more accolades. In October 2018, Bahl was accused of sexual harassment by a former employee of Phantom Films. After others made similar accusations, Phantom Films disbanded.

Early life and education

Bahl was born and brought up in Lajpat Nagar in Delhi, and his father worked with the Indian Oil Corporation. After his schooling from Sardar Patel Vidyalaya and graduation from Ramjas College, Delhi, he moved to Mumbai to pursue an MBA degree from SVKM's NMIMS.[1]

Career

Bahl started his career with advertising, working for several years in client servicing, before joining UTV Spotboy. In 2011, he started Phantom Films, along with Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane and Madhu Mantena. Over the years as a director he has worked with film directors such as Vishal Bhardwaj, Anurag Kashyap, Rajkumar Gupta and Vikramaditya Motwane.[5]

In 2011, Bahl made his directorial debut under UTV Spotboy alongside co-director Nitesh Tiwari with Chillar Party and won the National Film Award for Best Screenplay, with Vijay Maurya. The film also garnered the National Film Award for Best Children's Film.[6] In 2014 came his independent directorial venture Queen, starring Kangana Ranaut, which received critical and popular acclaim.[1][7]

Bahl's 2015 film Shaandar, a destination wedding film, was a flop and received neutral to negative responses.[7][8] In October 2014, he directed a short film Going Home, featuring Alia Bhatt, on women's safety, which went viral on social media.[9][10][11] Bahl next directed a biopic on mathematician and IIT-JEE coach Anand Kumar called Super 30,[12] which featured Hrithik Roshan as Kumar.[13][14]

Bahl is now reported to helm the first instalment of Tiger Shroff's recently announced action franchise, titled Ganapath - Part 1, which is scheduled to release in January 2022 and will be produced by Jackky Bhagnani under Pooja Entertainment, as well as Bahl's new production house, Good Co.[15]

Controversies
Main article: Me Too movement (India) § Phantom Films

In October 2018, in an interview with Huffington Post India, a former employee of Phantom Films accused Bahl of sexually harassing her on a promotional tour for Bombay Velvet.[16] Later, his Queen actress Kangana Ranaut spoke out in support of the former Phantom employee, and corroborated her version of Bahl's sexual harassment.[17][18] Following this, Nayani Dixit, Ranaut's co-star in the film, also accused him of sexual misconduct.[19] Phantom Films subsequently disbanded, and founders Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane made formal statements against Bahl and his sexual misdemeanors. Bahl, in turn, sent them legal notices, citing defamation of character.[20]

Filmography
Key
Denotes films that have not yet been released
YearTitleDirectorProducerScreenwriterAssociate ProducerNotes
2005BlackYesproduction team
2008AamirYesco-producer
2008Welcome to SajjanpurYesco-producer
2009Dev.DYesassociate producer
2009Ex TerminatorsYesassociate producer
2010UdaanYesassociate producer
2011No One Killed JessicaYescreative producer
2011Thank YouYescreative producer
2011Chillar PartyYesYesco-directed with Nitesh Tiwari
2013LooteraYes
2013Hasee Toh PhaseeYes
2014QueenYesYes
2014UglyYes
2015NH10Yes
2015HunterrrYes
2015MasaanYes
2015ShaandaarYesYesYes
2016Raman Raghav 2.0Yes
2016Wrong Side RajuYes
2016Udta PunjabYes
2017TrappedYes
2018MukkabaazYes
2018High JackYes
2018ManmarziyaanYes
2019Super 30Yes

Awards
YearAwardCategoryFilm
2011National Film AwardsBest ScreenplayChillar Party
Best Children's Film
2014Best Features Film in HindiQueen (2014)
2015Filmfare AwardsBest Director
2015International Indian Film Academy AwardsBest Director
Best Screenplay
Best Story
2014BIG Star Entertainment AwardsMost Entertaining Film Director
2015Screen AwardsBest Director
Best Screenplay
Star Guild AwardsBest Director
Best Story
Best Screenplay
2014Stardust AwardsBest Director

References
  1. Gupta, Priya (28 February 2014). "Politics excites me as much as movies do: Vikas Bahl". Times of India. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  2. Shahid Kapoor in Queen director Vikas Bahl’s next! – Bollywood News & Gossip, Movie Reviews, Trailers & Videos at Bollywoodlife.com
  3. Vikas Bahl - IMDb
  4. Bollywood loves Vikas Bahl’s Queen - The Times of India
  5. "Vikas Bahl's Queen is about a naïve Delhi girl". The Times of India. 27 February 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  6. "59th National Film Awards for the Year 2011 Announced". Press Information Bureau (PIB), India. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  7. "Wouldn't have made the film had Kangana not agreed: Vikas Bahl". The Times of India. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  8. Ankur Pathak (21 March 2014). "Queen and I". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  9. "Going Home: Vikas Bahl visualises a utopia for women with Alia Bhatt". India Today. 18 October 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  10. "Watch: Alia Bhatt's spine-chilling short film with Vikas Bahl". Deccan Chronicle. 22 October 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  11. "Alia Bhatt shows Utopian world in short film 'Going Home'". The Indian Express. 22 October 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  12. "Soon, a biopic on Super 30 founder Anand Kumar". Hindustan Times. 10 May 2016.
  13. "Confirmed! Hrithik Roshan to play math genius Anand Kumar in Super 30". hindustantimes.com/. 25 September 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  14. "Hrithik Roshan's Super 30 gets a new release date". The Indian Express. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  15. "Tiger Shroff announces his next action franchise Ganapath; Vikas Bahl to helm first instalment". firstpost.com. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  16. "'Queen' Director Vikas Bahl Sexually Assaulted Me, Phantom Films Did Nothing: Survivor Speaks Out". HuffPost India. 6 October 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  17. "Vikas Bahl Would Hold me Tight, Smell My Hair, Says Kangana After Woman Accuses Him of Molestation". News18. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  18. "Kangana Ranaut Accuses Vikas Bahl Of Harassment: Is #MeToo Gaining Pace In India?". headlinestoday.org. 7 October 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  19. "Kangana Ranaut's Queen Co-Star Nayani Dixit Accuses Vikas Bahl Of Sexual Misconduct". headlinestoday.org. Headlines Today. 8 October 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  20. "Vikas Bahl accuses Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane of defaming him in legal notice". Hindustan Times. 10 October 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
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