Amit Sharma

Amit Ravindernath Sharma (born 13 April 1978) is an Indian film and advertisement director and producer. In feature films, he is best known for producing and directing the 2018 National-award winning film Badhaai Ho, which was one of the highest grossing Bollywood films of 2018, having earned ₹220.34 crore ($31 million) as of December 2018.

Biography

Early life and career Sharma was born in Delhi, India, to parents who worked for the government. While still in school, he connected with film director Pradeep Sarkar, and was invited to shoot an advert in Manali. After graduating, he worked with Sarkar for six years before moving to Mumbai in 2001.

In 2011, he directed an advert entitled 'The Silent National Anthem' featured deaf and mute 'singing' the Jana Gana Mana through sign language, and won a silver award at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. A 2013 advert for Lifebuoy focused on hygiene in Indian villages, and won Gold at the Spikes Asia awards later that year.

The best-known advert he directed is perhaps the Google Reunion advert from November 2013, which told the fictional story about the reunion of two elderly men, one from India and one from Pakistan, who were childhood friends but were separated as children during the Partition of India. The ad had a strong impact in both countries, leading to hopes that travel restrictions between the two countries might be eased, and the video garnered over 1.6 million views on YouTube before debuting on television.

His work during this time was described by The Economic Times as a "contemporary greatest hits of Indian advertising". The film generally received mixed reviews.

In 2016, Sharma was elected on the Cannes Lions Craft Jury.

Sharma worked as the director on Badhaai Ho, which began shooting in late 2017, and starred Ayushmann Khurrana and Neena Gupta. Sharma's production company Chrome Pictures produced the film alongside Junglee Pictures, and it was released on 18 October 2018. The film became the seventh-highest opening weekend grosser of 2018, and earned ₹220.34 crore ($31 million) worldwide. The film features music by A. R. Rahman. It released on 10 April 2024 to tremendous critical acclaim.

Filmography Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes 2015 Tevar 2018 Badhaai Ho 2023 Lust Stories 2 Segment: "Tilchatta" Trial Period 2024 Maidaan

Awards

2011 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity – Silver ('The Silent National Anthem') 2013 Spikes Asia – Gold ('Help A Child Reach 5', for Lifebuoy) Spikes Asia (Dove #StopTheBeautyTest) Adfest (Facebook Pooja Didi) London International Awards (Facebook Pooja Didi & Dove #StopTheBeautyTest) National Film Award for Best Film Popular Providing Wholesome Entertainment - Feature film Badhaai Ho 70th Filmfare Awards for Best Film (Critics) - Maidaan (Nominated)