Rajkumar Hirani is an Indian film director and producer. He was born on 20 November 1962 in Nagpur, Maharashtra. His sun sign is Scorpio. He completed his schooling from St Francis de Sales High School, Nagpur. He was a student at Film and Television Institute of India, Pune.  

His father, Suresh Hirani was the owner of a typing institute. His mother, Sheela Hirani was a homemaker. He has a brother, Sanjeev Hirani, who works in the US. He also has a sister, Anju Kishanchandani, who is a journalist. 

He is married to Manjeet Hirani. They have a son, Veer Hirani. 

Rajkumar’s favourites

His favourite actors are Dileep Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Aamir Khan, and Boman Irani. 

His favourite film is ‘Anand’ (1971).

He owns Mercedes Benz ML Class, and BMW 5 Series cars. 

Interesting facts about Rajkumar Hirani

At the age of 14, Rajkumar Hirani’s father, Suresh came to India from Sindh during India-Pakistan partition. With just two typewriters in his possession, he started an institute of providing typewriting training to students. 

Since childhood, Rajkumar was inclined towards arts and theatre. His parents wanted him to become a Chartered Accountant, but he had set different goals for him. 

His parents supported him in his dreams and sent him to a prestigious acting school in Mumbai. However, Rajkumar could not adapt to the new environment and returned back home. 

Studying at an acting institute

Rajkumar obtained a scholarship to pursue his studies at Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. 

Rajkumar did not fair well as a film director in the beginning of his career. To earn a living, he started directing commercials and advertisements. He appeared in several advertisements himself. 

He had his first breakthrough when Vidhu Vinod Chopra hired him to work on the promos and trailers of the Bollywood film ‘1942: A Love Story.’ His first big budget film as an editor was ‘Mission Kashmir’ (2000).

Rajkumar’s directorial debut

In the year 2003, Rajkumar Hirani made his directorial debut with the blockbuster hit ‘Munna Bhai MBBS.’ This film established him as a successful director in the Bollywood film industry.

The 2009 film ‘3 Idiots’ broke Bollywood records overseas. Rajkumar’s 2014 film ‘PK’ also collected over Rs 500 crore at the box-office  

Awards

Rajkumar Hirani has been honoured with three National Film Award for Best Popular Film for films ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai,’ ‘Munna Bhai MBBS,’ and ‘3 Idiots.’

In 2008, he won the National Film Award for Best Screenplay for ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai.’

He also received Filmfare Award for Best Director and Filmfare Award for Best Story for ‘3 Idiots.’

Rajkumar has been honoured with more than 11 Filmfare Awards. 

Rajkumar’s film projects

Some of Rajkumar’s projects as director, producer and editor are, Sanju (2018), Ferrari Ki Sawaari (2012), Shamitabh (2015), and Luck By Chance (2009).

Rajkumar Hirani’s upcoming film as a director is ‘Dunki.’ The lead actors of the film are Shah Rukh Khan, Taapsee Pannu, and Vicky Kaushal. The film is set to release on 22 December 2023.