The Evolution of Neeraj Ghaywan: A Filmmaker’s Perspective on Social Issues

In 2014, Ghaywan and Varun Grover wrote a screenplay, ‘Fly Away Solo,’ which received the Sundance Institute/Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award. He later adapted it into the film ‘Masaan’ (2015), a film which has achieved cult status. The film provided a breakout role for actor Vicky Kaushal and marked Ghaywan’s debut at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won two awards. He subsequently received the Indira Gandhi Award for the Best Debut Film of a director at the 63rd National Awards. In 2017, he directed the short film ‘Juice,’ starring Shefali Shah, which won the Filmfare Award for Best Short Film-Fiction. Ghaywan also co-directed season 2 of ‘Sacred Games’ with Anurag Kashyap and directed ‘Geeli Pucchi’ in the Netflix anthology series ‘Ajeeb Daastaans,’ featuring Aditi Rao Hydari and Konkona Sen Sharma. He also directed an episode of the Amazon Prime series ‘Made in Heaven’ season 2. Ghaywan’s current focus is on the Oscars, and many viewers believe his talent surpasses the awards themselves.