Milan Luthria
Encyclopedia
Milan Luthria is an India
n film director of Hindi films. He is the son of noted hindi film director Raj Khosla
. He is most known for his films, Taxi Number 9211
(2006) and Once Upon a Time in Mumbai
(2010).
, for Lootere
in 1993, Luthria made his directorial debut in 1999 with the action thriller film Kachche Dhaage
. The film, released under the Tips Films banner, starred Ajay Devgan
as a smuggler on the Rajastan-Kashmir
, Pakistan
border and Saif Ali Khan
, on the run from the Border Security Force
, the Central Bureau of Investigation
, and the border mafia. Luthria shot the film in Rajasthan
and Switzerland
. The film received a mixed reception. Although the photography of the film was praised with the scenic backdrop of the Rajasthani desert and the green valley and snow capped peaks of Switzerland, it was seen as a weaker film than that of Soldier, a film with similar themes which had been released the year previously.
In 2002, Luthria once again worked with Devgan when he directed Chori Chori
, also starring Rani Mukerji
and Sonali Bendre
. The film was initially scheduled for release in 2002 but during the filming the producer died and its release was delayed a year, eventually released on 1 August 2003. The film received a mixed reception. Taran Adarsh
, although remarking that Luthria "handled a few sequences with flourish", believed that despite an interesting storyline, the script was fundamentally flawed, "hackneyed" as he put it, believing that interest in it fizzled out by the second half of the film, becoming "sluggish" with its progression. However,
Sukanya Verma described the film as "heartwarming", remarking that "like most feel good romances, Chori Chori is about letting the heart rule the head."
In 2004, Luthria directed the war drama Deewaar, from a script written by Anurag Kashyap
. The film, starring Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan
, Akshaye Khanna
and Sanjay Dutt
is set during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
. It features Bachchan, a major who is captured by the Pakistani army, along with over 30 soldiers during the war and only freed 33 years later by his son, who he has not seen since he was a child, on a rescue mission. The film was generally panned by the critics although was a commercial success, going straight to number 1 in the Indian film charts in the week of release.Film4
wrote of the film, "A Bollywood thriller with plenty of explosive action, yet which fails to come to life. Plotting is familiar, characters bland and a predictable storyline fails to excite or engage."
in February 2006, Luthria released Taxi Number 9211
. Working with producer Ramesh Sippy
, with a soundtrack composed by soundtrack were composed by new age music composing duo, Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani, Luthria shot the film in 2005. The film, a comedy thriller, features John Abraham
and Nana Patekar
(as the taxi driver) involved in a cat and mouse game during a two hour taxi trip, with financial implications. The film was major commercial and critical success, becoming the 16th highest grossing film in India in 2006. Film critics were impressed with the originality of the script and the unpredictability and innovative devices used in the script, as the men progress through the metropolis.
In 2007, Luthria directed the cricket comedy Hattrick
, featuring Paresh Rawal
, Rimi Sen
, Kunal Kapoor
, Nana Patekar
and Danny Denzongpa
. In 2010 he directed Once Upon a Time in Mumbai
. The film again stars Ajay Devgan, but this time he plays character called Sultan Mirza who is Messiah of the poor, fear of the rich and authority of the powerful, the one whom people turned to when there was nowhere else to look. The silent ruler of the streets of Bombay, he did everything that was wrong according to the law, but right according to him i.e. Indian version of Robin Hood
. The film is produced by Balaji Telefilms
and Popcorn Entertainment and was released on 30 July 2010. According to Luthria, "My film for Ekta will take a penetrating look at gangsterism in the 1980s. I’m quite enamoured by the period, quite taken up by the period and its flamboyance. There was a lot of action and inner life in some of the films during that period. I think the last film that looked at gangsterism from inside was Anurag Basu’s ‘Gangster - A Love Story"..
In 2011, Milan is now directing Vidya balan in The Dirty Picture
.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n film director of Hindi films. He is the son of noted hindi film director Raj Khosla
Raj Khosla
Raj Khosla was one of the top directors, producer and screenwriter in Hindi films from the 1950s to the 1980s. He was known for bringing in ‘neo-noir’ and style in Indian cinema since black & white times, and also as a "women's director" because he showcased actresses at their best. He is often...
. He is most known for his films, Taxi Number 9211
Taxi Number 9211
Taxi No 9211 is a Hindi film that released on February 2006 and was directed by Milan Luthria. It stars John Abraham and Nana Patekar in lead roles. The movie also stars Sameera Reddy, Sonali Kulkarni, Shivaji Satam and Kurush Deboo in supporting roles...
(2006) and Once Upon a Time in Mumbai
Once Upon A Time In Mumbai
Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai is a 2010 Bollywood crime drama film directed by Milan Luthria and produced by Ekta Kapoor. It stars Ajay Devgan, Emraan Hashmi, Prachi Desai, and Kangana Ranaut. The film, produced by Balaji Telefilms, was released on 30 July 2010.-Plot:The film opens with a suicide...
(2010).
Career
Starting his career as an assistant director to Dharmesh DarshanDharmesh Darshan
Dharmesh Darshan is an Indian filmmaker, film director and writer who works in Bollywood.-Biography:He made his directional debut with Lootere , for which he also wrote the story. The film was produced by his brother Suneel Darshan, and was a hit at the box office.In 1996, he made his second film...
, for Lootere
Lootere
Lootere is a 1993 Bollywood action movie, written and directed by Dharmesh Darshan and produced by Suneel Darshan.-Plot:The movie is a love story of Karan and Anjali . Karan, a decorated police officer is given the duty to protect Anjali who is the only witness against one of the underworld bosses...
in 1993, Luthria made his directorial debut in 1999 with the action thriller film Kachche Dhaage
Kachche Dhaage
Kachche Dhaage is a 1999 Hindi action thriller film directed by Milan Luthria and starring Ajay Devgan, Saif Ali Khan and Manisha Koirala. The film, which features Devgan as a smuggler, delivering goods across the Rajasthan-Pakistan border, was filmed in the deserts of Rajasthan and in Switzerland...
. The film, released under the Tips Films banner, starred Ajay Devgan
Ajay Devgan
Ajay Devgan , born Vishal Veeru Devgan on 2 April 1969, is an Indian film actor, director, and producer.He made his film debut with Phool Aur Kaante in 1991 and received a Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut for his performance in the film and for which he won a Filmfare Best Debut Award...
as a smuggler on the Rajastan-Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
border and Saif Ali Khan
Saif Ali Khan
Saif Ali Khan is an Indian actor known for his work in Bollywood films. He is the son of the late former Nawab of Pataudi, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, and actress Sharmila Tagore. He has two sisters: Saba Ali Khan and actress Soha Ali Khan....
, on the run from the Border Security Force
Border Security Force
The Border Security Force is a border patrol agency of the Government of India. Established on December 1, 1965, it is one of the Central Armed Police Forces. Its primary role is to guard India's international borders during peacetime and also prevent transnational crime...
, the Central Bureau of Investigation
Central Bureau of Investigation
The Central Bureau of Investigation is a government agency of India that serves as a criminal investigation body, national security agency and intelligence agency. It was established on 1 April 1963 and evolved from the Special Police Establishment founded in 1941...
, and the border mafia. Luthria shot the film in Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The film received a mixed reception. Although the photography of the film was praised with the scenic backdrop of the Rajasthani desert and the green valley and snow capped peaks of Switzerland, it was seen as a weaker film than that of Soldier, a film with similar themes which had been released the year previously.
In 2002, Luthria once again worked with Devgan when he directed Chori Chori
Chori Chori (2003 film)
Chori Chori is a 2003 Hindi movie directed by Milan Luthria. The film is a comedy. It stars Ajay Devgan and Rani Mukerji in the lead roles. It is not related to the 1956 Hindi film of the same name.- Plot :...
, also starring Rani Mukerji
Rani Mukerji
Rani Mukerji is an Indian film actress who works in Hindi movies. In the course of her film career, she has received six Filmfare Awards, among twelve nominations....
and Sonali Bendre
Sonali Bendre
Sonali Bendre is an Indian actress and model. She has mostly starred in Bollywood films but has acted in many Telugu films as well as a number of Marathi, Tamil and Kannada films. She was also one of the four judges in the fourth season of Indian Idol and India's Got Talent...
. The film was initially scheduled for release in 2002 but during the filming the producer died and its release was delayed a year, eventually released on 1 August 2003. The film received a mixed reception. Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh is an Indian film critic, journalist, editor and film trade analyst. He is also a former producer and screenwriter. He is the son of film director and producer, B.K. Adarsh....
, although remarking that Luthria "handled a few sequences with flourish", believed that despite an interesting storyline, the script was fundamentally flawed, "hackneyed" as he put it, believing that interest in it fizzled out by the second half of the film, becoming "sluggish" with its progression. However,
Sukanya Verma described the film as "heartwarming", remarking that "like most feel good romances, Chori Chori is about letting the heart rule the head."
In 2004, Luthria directed the war drama Deewaar, from a script written by Anurag Kashyap
Anurag Kashyap (director)
Anurag Singh Kashyap is an Indian film director and screenwriter. As a director, he is known for Black Friday , a controversial and award-winning Hindi film about the 1993 Bombay bombings, followed by No Smoking , Dev D and Gulaal...
. The film, starring Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
, Akshaye Khanna
Akshaye Khanna
Akshaye Khanna is a critically acclaimed Indian film actor who works in Hindi cinema. Known for his impeccable acting talent and flawless diction, Khanna has worked with the best names in Indian cinema.- Background :...
and Sanjay Dutt
Sanjay Dutt
Sanjay Dutt is an Indian Hindi film actor and politician. Dutt, son of Hindi film actors Sunil and Nargis Dutt, made his acting debut in 1981.-Personal life:...
is set during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's December 3, 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases...
. It features Bachchan, a major who is captured by the Pakistani army, along with over 30 soldiers during the war and only freed 33 years later by his son, who he has not seen since he was a child, on a rescue mission. The film was generally panned by the critics although was a commercial success, going straight to number 1 in the Indian film charts in the week of release.Film4
Film4
Film4 is a free digital television channel available in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, owned and operated by Channel 4, that screens films.-Programming:...
wrote of the film, "A Bollywood thriller with plenty of explosive action, yet which fails to come to life. Plotting is familiar, characters bland and a predictable storyline fails to excite or engage."
in February 2006, Luthria released Taxi Number 9211
Taxi Number 9211
Taxi No 9211 is a Hindi film that released on February 2006 and was directed by Milan Luthria. It stars John Abraham and Nana Patekar in lead roles. The movie also stars Sameera Reddy, Sonali Kulkarni, Shivaji Satam and Kurush Deboo in supporting roles...
. Working with producer Ramesh Sippy
Ramesh Sippy
Ramesh Sippy is an Indian film director, probably best-known for directing the popular and critically acclaimed film Sholay ....
, with a soundtrack composed by soundtrack were composed by new age music composing duo, Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani, Luthria shot the film in 2005. The film, a comedy thriller, features John Abraham
John Abraham (actor)
John Abraham is an Indian film actor and former model. After modeling for numerous advertisements and companies, Abraham made his film debut with Jism , which earned him a Filmfare Best Debut Award nomination. This was followed by his first commercial success, Dhoom...
and Nana Patekar
Nana Patekar
Vishwanath "Nana" Patekar is an Indian actor and filmmaker.-Biography:Born Vishwanath Patekar in Murud-Janjira, Maharashtra, to Dinkar Patekar and his wife Sanjanabai Patekar. He is an alumnus of the Sir J.J...
(as the taxi driver) involved in a cat and mouse game during a two hour taxi trip, with financial implications. The film was major commercial and critical success, becoming the 16th highest grossing film in India in 2006. Film critics were impressed with the originality of the script and the unpredictability and innovative devices used in the script, as the men progress through the metropolis.
In 2007, Luthria directed the cricket comedy Hattrick
Hattrick (film)
Hattrick is a 2007 Bollywood film, directed by Milan Luthria, starring Paresh Rawal, Rimi Sen, Kunal Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Danny Denzongpa.-Synopsis:The film opens with the introduction of the central characters....
, featuring Paresh Rawal
Paresh Rawal
Paresh Rawal is an Indian actor of Gujarati background.Making his film debut in 1984, he mainly played supporting and villain roles throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Since 2000 he has mostly played comic roles.- Family and early life :...
, Rimi Sen
Rimi Sen
Rimi Sen is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films.-Biography:Sen was born as Shubhomitra Sen in Kolkata, West Bengal. She completed her schooling from Bidya Bharati Girls' High School in the year 1998. She completed her graduation in Commerce from Kolkata University.-Career:Since...
, Kunal Kapoor
Kunal Kapoor
Kunal Kapoor is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi cinema.-Career:Kapoor began his career as an assistant director on the Amitabh Bachchan starrer Aks. He began his acting career training under theatre legend Barry John. He continued his theatre career with Motley, a theater group run by...
, Nana Patekar
Nana Patekar
Vishwanath "Nana" Patekar is an Indian actor and filmmaker.-Biography:Born Vishwanath Patekar in Murud-Janjira, Maharashtra, to Dinkar Patekar and his wife Sanjanabai Patekar. He is an alumnus of the Sir J.J...
and Danny Denzongpa
Danny Denzongpa
Tshering Phintso Denzongpa , widely known by his acting name "Danny" Denzongpa, is an Indian actor of Sikkimese ancestry working in Bollywood films....
. In 2010 he directed Once Upon a Time in Mumbai
Once Upon A Time In Mumbai
Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai is a 2010 Bollywood crime drama film directed by Milan Luthria and produced by Ekta Kapoor. It stars Ajay Devgan, Emraan Hashmi, Prachi Desai, and Kangana Ranaut. The film, produced by Balaji Telefilms, was released on 30 July 2010.-Plot:The film opens with a suicide...
. The film again stars Ajay Devgan, but this time he plays character called Sultan Mirza who is Messiah of the poor, fear of the rich and authority of the powerful, the one whom people turned to when there was nowhere else to look. The silent ruler of the streets of Bombay, he did everything that was wrong according to the law, but right according to him i.e. Indian version of Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
. The film is produced by Balaji Telefilms
Balaji Telefilms
Balaji Telefilms is a production house based in Mumbai, India, and is promoted by Ekta Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor, Jeetendra and Tushar Kapoor.-History:...
and Popcorn Entertainment and was released on 30 July 2010. According to Luthria, "My film for Ekta will take a penetrating look at gangsterism in the 1980s. I’m quite enamoured by the period, quite taken up by the period and its flamboyance. There was a lot of action and inner life in some of the films during that period. I think the last film that looked at gangsterism from inside was Anurag Basu’s ‘Gangster - A Love Story"..
In 2011, Milan is now directing Vidya balan in The Dirty Picture
The Dirty Picture
The Dirty Picture is an upcoming Bollywood biopic on the life of the South Indian movie siren Silk Smitha, directed by Milan Luthria and produced by Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor, together after their last hit Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai . The film stars Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah, Tusshar...
.
Filmography
- Kachche DhaageKachche DhaageKachche Dhaage is a 1999 Hindi action thriller film directed by Milan Luthria and starring Ajay Devgan, Saif Ali Khan and Manisha Koirala. The film, which features Devgan as a smuggler, delivering goods across the Rajasthan-Pakistan border, was filmed in the deserts of Rajasthan and in Switzerland...
(1999) - Chori ChoriChori Chori (2003 film)Chori Chori is a 2003 Hindi movie directed by Milan Luthria. The film is a comedy. It stars Ajay Devgan and Rani Mukerji in the lead roles. It is not related to the 1956 Hindi film of the same name.- Plot :...
(2003) - Deewaar (2004)
- Taxi Number 9211Taxi Number 9211Taxi No 9211 is a Hindi film that released on February 2006 and was directed by Milan Luthria. It stars John Abraham and Nana Patekar in lead roles. The movie also stars Sameera Reddy, Sonali Kulkarni, Shivaji Satam and Kurush Deboo in supporting roles...
(2006) - HattrickHattrick (film)Hattrick is a 2007 Bollywood film, directed by Milan Luthria, starring Paresh Rawal, Rimi Sen, Kunal Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Danny Denzongpa.-Synopsis:The film opens with the introduction of the central characters....
(2007) - Once Upon a Time in MumbaiOnce Upon A Time In MumbaiOnce Upon a Time in Mumbaai is a 2010 Bollywood crime drama film directed by Milan Luthria and produced by Ekta Kapoor. It stars Ajay Devgan, Emraan Hashmi, Prachi Desai, and Kangana Ranaut. The film, produced by Balaji Telefilms, was released on 30 July 2010.-Plot:The film opens with a suicide...
(2010) - The Dirty Picture (2011)