Tushar Hiranandani Credits Vicky Donor and Mohit Suri for Career Shift

Director Tushar Hiranandani, whose film Srikanth (2024) won the Best Hindi Feature Film award at the 72nd National Film Awards, recently discussed his career trajectory and the turning points that led him to direct films inspired by real-life people and incidents.

Before turning to direction at the age of 45, Hiranandani was a writer known for comedies such as Masti (2004), Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge (2010), Housefull 2 (2012), and Main Tera Hero (2014). Reflecting on his shift toward projects like Saand Ki Aankh (2019) and Srikanth, Hiranandani credited his wife, Nidhi Parmar Hiranandani, and maturity with changing his perspective.

Hiranandani revealed that the 2012 film Vicky Donor had a profound impact on him. After watching it, he told his wife that the era of gag-heavy, spoof-style comedies was ending and that audiences would gravitate toward such pathbreaking cinema. Around the same time, he approached director Mohit Suri after admiring Murder 2 (2011), which led to writing Ek Villain (2014).

According to Hiranandani, working on Ek Villain gave him the courage to direct. Mohit Suri ensured he was on set every day and treated and credited him like a co-director alongside his writing credit. Hiranandani had previously considered retiring to Lonavala for gardening, but after seeing the shooting dadi's story on Aamir Khan’s television show Satyamev Jayate, he and Nidhi left their jobs to produce Saand Ki Aankh.