Zoya Akhtar

Directing

Zoya Akhtar

Born 1972-10-14 · Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Zoya Akhtar (born 14 October 1972) is an Indian film director and screenwriter. Born to to poet, lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar and screenwriter Honey Irani, she completed a diploma in filmmaking from NYU, where she assisted directors such as Mira Nair, Tony Gerber and Dev Benegal, before turning writer-director in her own right. She achieved her breakthrough with the comedy-drama Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), which won her the Filmfare Award for Best Director. She has since directed the comedy-drama Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), segments in the anthology films Lust Stories (2018) and Ghost Stories (2020), and the musical drama Gully Boy (2019), which won her a second Filmfare Award for Best Director.

Acting credits

Behind the camera

Superboys of Malegaon poster
7.6

The residents of Malegaon look to Bollywood cinema for a much-needed escape from daily drudgery. Amateur filmmaker Nasir Shaikh gets inspired to make a film for the people of Malegaon, by the people of Malegaon. He bands together his ragtag group of friends to bring his vision to life, thereby bringing a fresh lease of life into the town.

Superboys of Malegaon

2025

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara poster
7.6

Three friends who were inseparable in childhood decide to go on a three-week-long bachelor road trip to Spain, in order to re-establish their bond and explore thrilling adventures, before one of them gets married. What will they learn of themselves and each other during the adventure?

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

2011

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara poster
7.6

Three friends who were inseparable in childhood decide to go on a three-week-long bachelor road trip to Spain, in order to re-establish their bond and explore thrilling adventures, before one of them gets married. What will they learn of themselves and each other during the adventure?

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

2011

Dil Dhadakne Do poster
6.9

On a cruise to celebrate their parents' 30th wedding anniversary, a brother and sister deal with the impact of family considerations on their romantic lives.

Dil Dhadakne Do

2015

Dil Dhadakne Do poster
6.9

On a cruise to celebrate their parents' 30th wedding anniversary, a brother and sister deal with the impact of family considerations on their romantic lives.

Dil Dhadakne Do

2015

Luck by Chance poster
6.5

Not wanting the same fate as befell her sisters, Sona Mishra re-locates to Mumbai to try to make a living making movies, but she soon finds that the path she has chosen is not an easy one.

Luck by Chance

2009

Luck by Chance poster
6.5

Not wanting the same fate as befell her sisters, Sona Mishra re-locates to Mumbai to try to make a living making movies, but she soon finds that the path she has chosen is not an easy one.

Luck by Chance

2009

Lust Stories poster
6.3

An anthology of four stories that sheds light on modern relationships from the viewpoint of the Indian woman.

Lust Stories

2018

Bombay Talkies poster
6.3

One hundred years of Hindi cinema is celebrated in four short stories showcasing the power of film.

Bombay Talkies

2013

Bombay Talkies poster
6.3

One hundred years of Hindi cinema is celebrated in four short stories showcasing the power of film.

Bombay Talkies

2013

Ghost Stories poster
5.2

An anthology of four short horror tales.

Ghost Stories

2020

Ghost Stories poster
5.2

An anthology of four short horror tales.

Ghost Stories

2020

Gully Boy poster
7.3

Murad, an underdog, struggles to convey his views on social issues and life in Dharavi through rapping. His life changes drastically when he meets a local rapper, Shrikant alias MC Sher.

Gully Boy

2019

Gully Boy poster
7.3

Murad, an underdog, struggles to convey his views on social issues and life in Dharavi through rapping. His life changes drastically when he meets a local rapper, Shrikant alias MC Sher.

Gully Boy

2019

Gully Boy poster
7.3

Murad, an underdog, struggles to convey his views on social issues and life in Dharavi through rapping. His life changes drastically when he meets a local rapper, Shrikant alias MC Sher.

Gully Boy

2019

Kho Gaye Hum Kahan poster
6.6

Three best friends juggle life as 20-somethings in Mumbai, where romance, ambition and heartbreak collide with the addictive draw of social media.

Kho Gaye Hum Kahan

2023

Kho Gaye Hum Kahan poster
6.6

Three best friends juggle life as 20-somethings in Mumbai, where romance, ambition and heartbreak collide with the addictive draw of social media.

Kho Gaye Hum Kahan

2023

The Archies poster
5.6

Set in 1960s India, Archie and the gang navigate romance, friendship and the future of Riverdale as developers threaten to destroy a beloved park.

The Archies

2023

The Archies poster
5.6

Set in 1960s India, Archie and the gang navigate romance, friendship and the future of Riverdale as developers threaten to destroy a beloved park.

The Archies

2023

The Archies poster
5.6

Set in 1960s India, Archie and the gang navigate romance, friendship and the future of Riverdale as developers threaten to destroy a beloved park.

The Archies

2023

Words with Gods poster
5.7

The first of four installments in the groundbreaking Heartbeat of the World anthology film series. Comprised of several short films by some of the world's most exciting directors, Words with Gods follows the theme of religion - specifically as it relates to an individual's relationship with his/her god or gods...or the lack thereof. In Words with Gods, each director recounts a narrative centered around human fragility, as well as environmental and cultural crises involving specific religions with which each has a personal relationship; including early Aboriginal Spirituality, Umbanda, Buddhism, the Abrahamic faiths, Hinduism, and Atheism. An animated sequence by Mexican animator Maribel Martinez is woven through each of the film segments, with each segment narratively connected as a feature-length film.

Words with Gods

2014

Talaash poster
6.8

A cop, investigating the mysterious death of a filmstar, meets a sex-worker, while he faces some personal problems psychologically. The mystery connects these people in a way, that ultimately changes their lives.

Talaash

2012

Migration poster
5.7

One of a four-film series on the AIDS epidemic in India, this film examines the virus as Indian society's great class leveler, following its transmission through interweaving stories that link urban and rural India.

Migration

2008

No artwork available
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara 2