Top 5 Bollywood Film Directors

It's one of the biggest film industries in the world, known for flamboyant dances, dramatic plots, and stunning sets - it's Bollywood. So today, we take a look at the 5 best directors in Bollywood - the creators of some of the most iconic movies we've watched.

5. Imtiaz Ali

Imtiaz Ali is an Indian director, producer, as well as writer. He started his career directing TV programs for Zee TV and Doordarshan. His cinematic directorial debut, however, was made with Socha Na Tha, which took him three years to make. However, it wasn't a box office success. He garnered critical acclaim, however, with his film Jab We Met, which became a box office hit.

Following this, he directed Love Aaj Kal, which remains his biggest commercial success.

In 2014, his production company released Highway, which is regarded as one of his best-directed films to date. His film Jab Harry Met Sehal was a box office success but garnered negative reviews in India.

He's been nominated for 8 Filmfare awards, and his films are some of the most well known in the country.

4. Sanjay Leela Bhansali

As one of the most acclaimed filmmakers in India, he’s the recipient of 5 National Film Awards, 11 Filmfare Awards, and a BAFTA Award. He’s also a recipient of the Padma Shri, one of the highest awards given to civilians in India. 

He began his career as an assistant director to Vidhu Vinod Chopra, but after they had a falling out, he split from him and made his own debut with Khamoshi: The Musical. Although it didn’t do well commercially, it garnered critical acclaim and even won a Filmfare Award. His breakthrough in Indian cinema, however, with Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, which was a massive success and won several awards. 

His next film, Devdas, was the highest-grossing film of 2002 and was the most awarded film at Filmfare, as well as India’s submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It received both, national, as well as international acclaim. 

In 2014, he directed the biographical fil