Tigmanshu Dhulia is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter, casting director, and actor associated primarily with Hindi cinema. He is known for directing films rooted in the heartland of north India, particularly Uttar Pradesh, with works such as Haasil (2003), Paan Singh Tomar (2012), and the Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster trilogy. His film Paan Singh Tomar won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film at the 60th National Film Awards.
| Name | Tigmanshu Dhulia |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 July 1967, Allahabad (now Prayagraj), Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Education | Allahabad University; National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi |
| Occupation | Director, screenwriter, producer, actor, casting director |
| Notable works | Haasil, Paan Singh Tomar, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster, Bullett Raja, Milan Talkies, Garmi |
| Major award | National Film Award for Best Feature Film (2013, for Paan Singh Tomar) |
| Spouse | Tulika Jha |
Dhulia was born and raised in Allahabad in an academically inclined family; his father was a professor and his mother a Hindi-language teacher and writer. He studied at Allahabad University before moving to the National School of Drama in New Delhi, where he trained in theatre. His early professional years were spent in Delhi and later Mumbai, where he worked behind the camera in television and film.
Dhulia began his career working in television. He served as the casting director for Shekhar Kapur's Bandit Queen (1994), the biographical film on Phoolan Devi, where he was also associated with the dialogue work. He went on to direct television serials including Just Mohabbat and other long-running shows in the late 1990s.
His debut feature, Haasil (2003), set against the backdrop of student politics at Allahabad University, became a cult success and won Irrfan Khan the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role. He followed it with Charas: A Joint Effort (2004) and Shagird (2011).
Paan Singh Tomar (released theatrically in 2012), starring Irrfan Khan as the steeplechase athlete-turned-dacoit, was widely acclaimed. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film, while Irrfan Khan won the National Film Award for Best Actor. Dhulia's Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster (2011), inspired loosely by Abrar Alvi's Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, spawned two sequels — Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns (2013) and Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3 (2018).
His subsequent directorial work includes Bullett Raja (2013) with Saif Ali Khan, Raag Desh (2017) on the INA trials, Milan Talkies (2019), and the web series Garmi (2023) for SonyLIV, again drawing on Allahabad's student politics. As an actor, he is best known for playing Ramadhir Singh in Anurag Kashyap's Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), a role for which he received considerable critical attention. He has also appeared in Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster Returns, Yaara, and other films.
Dhulia's cinema is closely identified with the political, linguistic, and social texture of Uttar Pradesh and the Chambal region. His films often deal with the underbelly of small-town politics, caste tensions, and the porous boundary between the state and crime. He is regarded as an important voice in the wave of Hindi filmmakers — alongside Anurag Kashyap, Vishal Bhardwaj, and Dibakar Banerjee — who, from the early 2000s, brought regional realism and richer dialect into mainstream Hindi cinema. Through his production banner, he has also mentored younger writers and actors, and he has been associated with screenwriting workshops and discussions on independent cinema.
Dhulia is married to Tulika Jha, who has worked as a producer on several of his films. The couple is based in Mumbai.