Overview
Vikas Bahl is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer associated with Hindi cinema. He came to wider notice as a co-founder of the Mumbai-based production house Phantom Films and as the director of the coming-of-age drama Queen (2014), which became one of the most acclaimed Hindi films of its decade.
Key facts
| Name | Vikas Bahl |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Film director, screenwriter, producer |
| Industry | Hindi cinema (Bollywood) |
| Notable as | Director of Queen (2014); co-founder, Phantom Films |
| Former associations | UTV Spotboy; Phantom Films |
| Co-founders of Phantom Films | Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Madhu Mantena, Vikas Bahl |
Background and early career
Before turning to direction, Bahl worked in the production and creative side of Hindi cinema. He was associated with UTV Motion Pictures, where he was involved with UTV Spotboy, a label that backed mid-budget and content-driven Hindi films during the late 2000s. In this capacity he was linked to projects such as Dev.D (2009), Udaan (2010) and Shaitan (2011), which were part of a wave of new-style independent Hindi cinema.
Phantom Films
In 2011, Bahl co-founded Phantom Films along with director Anurag Kashyap, director Vikramaditya Motwane and producer Madhu Mantena. The banner became known for backing distinctive directors and unconventional subjects in Hindi cinema. Films produced or co-produced under Phantom during its years of operation included Lootera, Queen, Hasee Toh Phasee, NH10, Masaan, Udta Punjab and Trapped, among others. The company was dissolved in 2018.
Direction
Chillar Party (2011)
Bahl made his directorial debut by co-directing Chillar Party with Nitesh Tiwari. The children's film, produced by UTV Spotboy and Salman Khan Ventures, won the National Film Award for Best Children's Film.
Queen (2014)
Queen, starring Kangana Ranaut as a young Delhi woman who travels alone to Paris and Amsterdam after her wedding is called off, was directed by Bahl and produced by Phantom Films and Viacom18 Motion Pictures. The film received wide critical acclaim and won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi, while Ranaut won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance.
Shaandaar (2015)
Bahl directed Shaandaar, a destination-wedding romantic comedy starring Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. The film received a mixed-to-negative critical response and underperformed at the box office.
Super 30 (2019)
Bahl directed Super 30, a biographical drama based on the life of Patna-based mathematician Anand Kumar and his coaching programme that prepares economically disadvantaged students for the IIT-JEE entrance examination. Hrithik Roshan played the lead role. The film was a commercial success.
Goodbye (2022)
Bahl wrote and directed Goodbye, a family drama centred on grief and bereavement, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Rashmika Mandanna in her Hindi-film debut. The film was produced by Balaji Telefilms, Reliance Entertainment and Good Co.
Significance
Through his work at UTV Spotboy and Phantom Films, Bahl was part of a producer-director generation that broadened the range of mainstream Hindi cinema in the 2010s, supporting first-time directors and films set outside the conventional Mumbai milieu. As a director, Queen in particular is regarded as a landmark female-led Hindi film of the decade, both critically and at the box office.