Nitesh Tiwari is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and lyricist known for his works in Bollywood. He made his directorial debut by co-directing Chillar Party (2011) which won the National Film Award for Best Children’s Film for that year. He then directed the supernatural political drama Bhoothnath Returns (2014).
In 2016, Tiwari scripted and directed Dangal which was screened at the Beijing International Film Festival in April 2017 and second BRICS festival in June 2017. The film is the highest-grossing Indian film and the fifth highest grossing non-English film, having collected over ₹2,000 crore (US$280 million) of which more than ₹1,200 crore was earned in China, where it has emerged as one of the top 20 highest-grossers of all time. Tiwari has garnered the Filmfare Best Director Award at the 62nd Filmfare Awards, and the Telstra People’s Choice Award at the 2017 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. His next, Chhichhore (2019), a comedy, earned him numerous nominations and acclaim as well.
Early life
Tiwari was born in Madhya Pradesh to B. D. Tiwari. He has a brother and a sister. He graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in 1996 with a Bachelor’s degree in Metallurgy and Material Science engineering. Tiwari worked as a creative director at Leo Burnett before he entered Bollywood. Tiwari’s early childhood was spent in a small town in MP called Ganj Basoda. He studied in Bharat Mata Convent School until class 8th. He also did a small play in his school cultural event titled “Tapori-Mughal-e-Azam”
Personal life
He lives with his wife Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, who was his colleague and creative director at Leo Burnett. She turned a film director.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Director | Dialogue | Screenplay | Story | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Chillar Party | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | National Film Award for Best Children’s Film National Film Award for Best Screenplay |
| 2014 | Bhoothnath Returns | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2014 | Kill Dil | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2016 | Nil Battey Sannata | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2016 | Dangal | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Telstra People’s Choice Award Filmfare Award for Best Director |
| 2017 | Bareilly Ki Barfi | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2019 | Chhichhore | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | National Film Award for Best Children’s Film | Chillar Party | Won |
| 2011 | National Film Award for Best Screenplay | Chillar Party | Won |
| 2015 | Filmfare Award for Best Dialogue | Bhoothnath Returns | Nominated |
| 2017 | Filmfare Award for Best Director | Dangal | Won |
| 2018 | Filmfare Award for Best Dialogue | Bareilly Ki Barfi | Nominated |
| 2020 | Filmfare Award for Best Dialogue | Chhichhore | Nominated |
| 2020 | Filmfare Award for Best Story | Chhichhore | Nominated |
| 2020 | Filmfare Award for Best Director | Chhichhore | Nominated |
| 2020 | IIFA Award for Best Story | Chhichhore | Nominated |
| 2020 | National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi | Chhichhore | Won |