Ali Abbas Zafar is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is known for directing the films Sultan (2016), Tiger Zinda Hai (2017) and Bharat (2019).
Personal life
He married Alicia Zafar on 4 January 2021.
Career
Zafar is a graduate of Kirori Mal College, New Delhi. He entered the film industry as an assistant director, with multiple projects for the production company Yash Raj Films (YRF). He then made his own directorial and screen-writing debut with the romantic comedy Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011). The film revolved around a young man (Imran Khan) who finds a bride (Katrina Kaif) for his older brother (Ali Zafar), but then finds that he himself has fallen in love with her.
His next film was the action drama Gunday (2014), set in Calcutta in the 1970s and 1980s. The film starred Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor as powerful bandits, Priyanka Chopra as a cabaret dancer whom they both fall in love with, and Irrfan Khan as a police officer pursuing them. Gunday received mostly positive reviews from critics.
Zafar’s next film was the blockbuster sports drama Sultan (2016) starring Salman Khan as a wrestling champion from Haryana, with Anushka Sharma as a female wrestler who becomes a love interest for Khan’s character. The film received positive reviews from critics and has emerged as one of the highest-grossing Indian films.
His next film is the action thriller Tiger Zinda Hai (2017) the sequel to YRF’s Ek Tha Tiger (2012). The film stars Salman Khan as a RAW agent and Katrina Kaif as an ISI spy reprising their roles from the first film and is about the both of them accepting a rescue mission to free 40 nurses, 25 Indian and 15 Pakistani, from a ruthless militant. The film released in December 2017 and received generally positive reviews from critics, and became a major commercial success emerging as the highest-grossing films of the year and one of the highest-grossing Indian films.
In May 2018, he began pre-production of the film Bharat, which is slated to be released on Eid, 2019. The trailer of this film was released on 22 April 2019 It stars Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Disha Patani, Sunil Grover and Tabu (actress), and is an official adaptation of the Korean film, Ode to My Father. It marks the third collaboration between Khan and Ali.
In 2020, Zafar made his debut as the producer for Khaali Peeli, an action-comedy directed by debutante Maqbool Khan that starred Ishaan Khatter and Ananya Pandey in lead roles.
Zafar’s first web series Tandav, which is a political drama that stars Saif Ali Khan who will be portraying the role of a powerful politician will be streaming by 15 January 2021 on Prime Video. This 9 episode series will also star Dimple Kapadia, Sunil Grover, Kumud Misra, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Gauahar Khan, Sarah Jane Dias, Kritika Kamra, Dino Morea, Sandhya Mridul, Amyra Dastur, and Anup Soni.
Accusations of hurting religious sentiments
On 18 January 2021, an FIR was filed against the makers of Taandav, including Zafar for ‘hurting religious sentiments’ of the Hindus. The charges also include “promoting enmity between different religious groups, race, place of birth, making destruction, damage, or defilement of a place of worship or an object held sacred”. On 23 January 2021, a metropolitan magistrate has adjourned a criminal complaint filed by member of the right-wing group, Hindu Sena, alleging hurting religious sentiments.
Filmography
 |
Denotes feature films that are not yet released |
As director
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Mere Brother Ki Dulhan | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2014 | Gunday | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2016 | Sultan | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2017 | Tiger Zinda Hai | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2019 | Bharat | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2020 | Khaali Peeli | Yes | |||
| 2021 | Tandav | Yes | Yes | Yes | Amazon Prime web series |
As assistant director
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2007 | Marigold |
| 2007 | Jhoom Barabar Jhoom |
| 2008 | Tashan |
| 2009 | New York |
| 2010 | Badmaash Company |
Awards and nominations
| Film | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mere Brother Ki Dulhan | Stardust Awards | Best Debut Director | Won | |
| Sultan | Stardust Awards | Best Director | Nominated | |
| 62nd Filmfare Awards | Best Director | Nominated | ||
| Tehran International Sports Film Festival | Best Director | Won | ||
| Zee Cine Awards | Best Director | Nominated | ||
| Best Story | Nominated |